Just a Little Crush (Crush #1)
Read Just a Little Crush (Crush #1) Online
Authors: Renita Pizzitola
Just a Little Crush
is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A Flirt eBook Original
Copyright © 2014 by Renita Pizzitola
Excerpt from
Just a Little Flirt
by Renita Pizzitola copyright © 2014 by Renita Pizzitola
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States of America by Flirt, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York.
F
LIRT
is a registered trademark and the F
LIRT
colophon is a trademark of Random House LLC.
This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book
Just a Little Flirt
by Renita Pizzitola. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.
eBook ISBN 9780553395105
Cover design: Seductive Designs
Cover photograph: © Michele Piacquadio (DepositPhotos)
v4.0
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It’s not often a girl goes out of her way to look her worst, but tonight warranted the extra effort. Or lack thereof. Agreeing to go to the party had been for Mason’s sake, but doing my best-friend duty meant I’d have to endure a night of Noah who, though cute and intelligent (which earned him mega-points in my book), did nothing for me. My attraction to him was nonexistent. The more he liked me, the less I liked him. Story of my life.
Mason tapped his foot while I peeled off my blue shirt, which complemented my eyes a little too well, and switched to a lightweight gray sweater.
“Just wear that one,” he groaned.
“Remember, my goal here is to look unattractive. Like a wallflower. Blend in.” I slipped on black boots. “I want Noah to run when he sees me.”
“That’s not happening. Have you seen your ass in those jeans?”
I spun around and craned my neck to get a good view in the mirror. “These aren’t my good jeans though. They’re my boot jeans. I can’t get any other pair to shove into these boots just right.” I frowned. “Should I change?”
“Uh, no.” Mason bolted upright. He checked the mirror, flipping his dark-blond hair out of his eyes, then grabbed my hand and dragged me to the door. “The party will be over before we even get there, at this rate.”
We made our way downstairs to the dorm lobby.
Mason held the door for me and I slipped past. “I know you’re eager to see whatever her name is, but you promised not to abandon me.”
“I won’t.”
“I’m serious. If you leave me alone with Noah…” A gust of wind ruffled my hair as we turned onto the sidewalk. I balled my hands into fists and wrapped my arms around my chest. “It’s cold. I should have brought a jacket.”
“You’re always cold.”
“Sorry, we can’t all be as hot as you.” I nudged him.
“I knew it. You think I’m hot.”
I laughed and looped my arm through Mason’s as we made our way toward Canton. Private dorms for the rich and fortunate. Unlike Laney, where we lived. Home of the unfortunates.
It was only a block away, but my fingers were numb by the time we arrived. Being that it was February in Texas, the weather was unpredictable. Today had been an unseasonably warm day, but once the sun set, the temperature dropped quickly. The warmth of the dorm’s lobby was welcome after the chilly walk.
Noah’s suite was on the first floor and easy to find due to the noise. Another perk of private-dorm life. I could barely watch a movie without being asked to turn the volume down.
Music thumped from behind the door. I lifted my hand to knock.
“What are you doing?” Mason stared at me like I’d grown a third eye.
I shrugged. “Knocking.”
“No one will hear you.” He placed his hand on the doorknob.
I gasped. “We can’t just walk in.”
“You really don’t go to many parties, do you?”
“Oh, like you do.” I pushed past Mason and turned the knob.
He chuckled. “Figured that would work.”
“Stop with all that weird mind-control.”
Mason stepped into the crowded living area of the dorm. He angled his body toward me to allow a group of people past. “It’s not mind-control. It’s I’ve-known-you-fo
rever, and you’re always trying to prove the opposite of anything people say.”
“That’s not true.”
“I rest my case.” He smiled, then glanced around, surveying the crowd.
I shot him a playful glare.
“Uh-oh. You have company,” he muttered.
With a slow blink, I cringed but remained rooted. My natural instinct was to turn, but I knew it was Noah and some tiny part of me hoped maybe he’d just keep walking and never notice me.
“He’s staring at your ass,” Mason whispered.
I bit back a grin and shook my head.
“We need drinks.”
“Mason, don’t you dare leave. I don’t even dr—” Son of a bitch. He’d abandoned me two seconds in, with Noah hot on my trail. This wasn’t the first time Noah had invited me to a party, but it was the first time I’d agreed to come. Which to him probably seemed like progress.
“Hi, Brinley.”
I spun around and forced a friendly smile. “Hi, Noah. Um, great party.”
He glanced in the direction Mason had disappeared. “Thanks. I’m glad you made it.”
I nodded and rocked on my heels.
From what I could tell, he seemed like a nice guy, so not reciprocating his interest made me feel bad, but it didn’t faze him. And though his advances might look subtle from the outside, he was actually pretty relentless.
“Can I get you a drink?”
“No thanks. I don’t drink much.”
“Oh.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Want to dance?”
I smiled. Though I enjoyed dancing, I had no plans to do it with him. “Yeah, don’t really do that either.”
“Here you go.” Mason reappeared and shoved a red plastic cup into my hand.
Noah stared at the cup, then at Mason, then back at me.
Like an idiot, I just kept smiling.
“Okay, time for that dance you promised. Excuse me while I steal her away for a minute.” Mason looped his fingers through mine and pulled me toward a makeshift dance floor.
As soon as we were swallowed by the crowd, I burst out laughing.
“What?” he yelled over the music that blasted from a speaker right by my ear.
“Your timing’s impeccable.”
He bowed slightly. “At your service.”
“So what am I supposed to do with this?”
He shrugged. “Drink it.”
I sipped the beer. It was cold and fresh from a keg but still held little appeal. Beer had yet to grow on me, as did most alcohol. Mom loved vodka more than she loved me. I was way too familiar with the ugly side of drinking. But as long as I took a sip here and there, I’d blend in with the crowd and never be questioned about my lack of consumption.
Eventually, Mason would finish his and, instead of fighting the crowds, he’d steal what was left of mine.
“There she is,” he said.
I scanned the room for Mason’s current love interest. “Where?”
“Pink top, brown ponytail.”
“She’s cute. But a little too innocent for your taste.”
“Looks can be deceiving.” He grinned.
“How did a girl like me end up with a man-whore like you for a best friend?”
“I’m the one who should be asking how a guy like me ended up with a prude like you.”
“Hey, I’m not a prude. Well, at least I don’t think I am. Who knows?”
“I already volunteered my services. Telling you, once you’re devirginized you’re gonna go wild. Might as well get it out of the way.”
I hushed him and looked around. “Someone will hear you.”
“A guy who likes sex and a girl who’s a virgin. Yeah, that’s something no one’s ever seen before.” He shrugged. “I’m just trying to do you a favor.”
I laughed. “Your thoughtfulness amazes me.”
“No-strings-attached sex is very generous. You laugh now but one day you’ll come around.”
“No thanks. I know where you’ve been.”
“Good point.” He glanced back at the girl. “And you know where I’m going.”
I rolled my eyes. “Go. It’s fine.”
“That’s okay. I’ll find her later. I promised not to abandon you.”
“Go. Seriously. I’m fine. I’ll practice blending in with the walls.”
“Now I really can’t leave you.” He shifted his weight and stared at me.
“It was a joke. Anyway, I see a girl from one of my classes. I’ll go say hi.” I walked away and glanced back. With a shooing motion, I said, “Go.”
He shrugged and went to find his brunette.
I hadn’t really seen a friend but Mason came to have fun. I didn’t want to be his party paperweight.
I wandered into the kitchen with my beer cup still in hand. There was nothing worse than being alone at a party. Well, not true. Being alone
and
sober.
“Hey.”
I turned and was actually happy to see Noah. At least I wouldn’t be the lonely loser. “Hi.”
He glanced at my still mostly full beer.
“I really hardly ever drink. My friend assumes if he puts a beer in my hand I’ll drink it; if I don’t, he does. I’m more or less his cupholder.”
“That’s the guy from class, right? Your friend?”
“Yeah. We’ve known each other since we were, like, fifteen.”
“Oh, cool.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his legs. “So do you have plans next weekend?”
Next weekend happened to be Valentine’s Day. “Um, yeah. I have some stuff going on.”
“All weekend?”
“Yeah. Big project, some volunteer stuff and then hanging out with friends.”
“Oh.”
Maybe I was wrong about being alone at the party. At least by myself I wouldn’t have to make up excuses to get out of dates. It wasn’t hard to fib about one weekend, but if he inquired about the next or the one after that, I’d run out of reasons to say no. I sipped my beer. Being a lightweight, this one cup would help me endure this conversation or have the balls to just walk away. It seemed a win-win. I took a swig.
Noah eyed my cup.
I shrugged. “Really thirsty.”
A loud commotion drew my attention to the kitchen. Two guys had hoisted a girl over a keg, while a third pressed the tap to her mouth. Guys applauded as she fought to keep her shirt from falling over her head and balance at the same time.
“Not
that
thirsty,” I muttered.
Noah chuckled.
A guy stood off to the side, leaning against the wall, arms crossed with a small smile on his face. He shook his head then turned.
I blinked. Squinted. Refocused.
My heart stopped. It couldn’t be. But it was.
Everything I’d left behind in high school—the nickname, the embarrassment, the emotional turmoil—came flooding back, embodied in a single guy standing less than ten feet away.
Ryder freaking Briggs.
