Brazen Tricks - Ali Dean Page 0,42
people to see the parts of me I want to be known for, and while I know it’s not always going to be easy with a boyfriend like Beckett Steele, it finally feels like I’m truly the one in the driver’s seat of my skateboarding career.
Beck
I missed it. I can’t believe I let her talk me out of going up to Vancouver. I can’t believe she went for it, and landed it, in competition. I mean, I can, but damn. That’s bold. It’s shocking to me even, and I’m the only one who knew she’d landed it a few times already.
By the time Jordan called me Saturday night to tell me, I’d already heard. The event wasn’t big enough to be televised, but I was following the live feed on Twitter. Naomi, Summer, and Griff were with me. It was going on at the same time the Eileen show went live, so I was only half paying attention to watching myself on screen.
She flew back Sunday night, but with meetings in LA this morning, I couldn’t be there to pick her up at the airport. Now it’s Monday, and she’s got classes tomorrow morning but I’m not waiting until Thursday night when classes are done like we usually do. Unfortunately, I get stuck in rush hour and by the time I pull into the condo parking lot, it feels like months not days since I’ve seen her. She opens the door before I reach her condo, and I know immediately I’m not alone in my desperation. Jordan nearly knocks me down with the force of her hug, and I drop my overnight bag in order to reciprocate.
Her level of fame might have gone from minor to major since I last saw her, but she still feels and smells just like Jordan. She’s still my girl.
“I can’t decide if I’m mad at you,” I tell her even as I bury my head in the crook of her neck and kiss behind her ear.
“Mad at me?” Her voice sounds all throaty and I want to push her up along the wall right here, even if we’re outside where anyone could walk by.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t have let you talk me out of coming up to Vancouver Saturday if I’d known you were going to go for the 720. You made me miss the most important thing that’s happened in your skateboarding career so far.”
I pull away a few inches before I do follow through with feeling her up against the side of the building.
Jordan eyes me, biting her lower lip. “Come on, let’s get inside where we can talk.”
“Talk?” I guess I started it, but I hope that’s not all she has in mind.
Jordan looks over her shoulder as she opens the door to her condo. “About why you’re mad at me. And then we can make up.”
She flashes a knowing grin and I find myself nodding agreement.
“Oh okay. I’m down with that.”
Grabbing my bag, I let her lead me upstairs. Lucy is at the kitchen counter doing homework and she waves hello. I’d normally stop for a minute but Jordan’s as determined to get up to her room as I am so I settle for a quick wave.
As soon as the door shuts behind me, I move to Jordan, gathering her in my arms like I had her before.
“You were saying you think you’re mad at me?” she reminds me, even as she starts to unbutton the collared shirt I wore for my meetings earlier.
“Yeah. I don’t want to miss these moments in your life, Jordan. The big ones. You could have given me a heads up.”
She reaches the bottom button and her hands move to my shoulders, sliding the shirt off. I watch her take in my naked chest, the sight of her eyes devouring me making me forget again what we’re talking about. Jordan begins to pull her own shirt over her head and my hand instantly reaches to touch her bare skin as she throws the shirt to the side.
“I didn’t know I was going to do it until I did it, Beck. I wasn’t planning on it at first, before the competition. I thought you were right, I should keep practicing and get it nailed down and tight before the X Games for the big reveal. But after Thursday’s prelims I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then it just kind of happened.” She shrugs, and then she’s unclasping her bra.
My mouth goes dry and my body responds