Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3)

by Taylor, Drucie Anne

  “Thalia, I’m sorry but I really need to leave,” Greg says. “My girlfriend and I have our five-year anniversary tonight, and I reserved a table in a really expensive restaurant … Could I … ”

  “Oh my God, yes! Why didn’t you say so before? Go and have a nice evening. I’m very sorry you had to stay here for nothing,” I apologize. “I’ll put everything away here.”

  “Thank you, Thalia.” He rushes out, and I resolve to wait a while longer.

  ***

  I’m absolutely pissed. It’s eight p.m., and they didn’t show up. Nobody called, either. I put everything away and tidy the room, then go wait for the elevator. Since I was the last person on the floor, I locked the offices and the heavy glass door that serves as the entrance to the suite.

  The elevator doors slide open, and Linden steps out. “Gavin was in an accident,” he says immediately. “I’m sorry we didn’t cancel.”

  “What happened?” I ask as we both step back into the elevator.

  “Someone missed a red light. The car hit him straight on.”

  “Oh my God. How bad is it?”

  Linden shakes his head. “Could have been much worse. A broken foot, massive whiplash, some bruises, and of course general trauma. He’ll have to stay in the hospital for at least two days. Then they’ll be able to tell us more.”

  The elevator starts moving after the doors have finally closed. This is not the express lift. “Please give him my best wishes and tell him to get well soon.”

  “Sure. Thank you, Thally.” Then he falls silent.

  I look at him. He seems exhausted. “So I guess the presentation will be rescheduled in a few days or so?” I ask tentatively.

  “Probably. I’m sorry you had to stay here so late.”

  “How are you?” I say softly. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I feel like crap, to be honest. I thought one of my best friends was going to die today. That sound when he … hit the street … It was horrific. Haunting, you know?”

  I’m extremely tired, but I pity him right now, so when we reach the ground floor, I say something I’ll probably regret in a few minutes. “Do you want to take a walk?”

  Linden gives me a puzzled look. “You want to spend time with me?”

  “I want to distract you from that experience.”

  “It would be very nice if we could spend a little time together,” he murmurs.

  “Did you come by car?”

  He shakes his head. “No, I took a taxi.”

  “Then let’s go down another level. My car’s in the garage.”

  “Okay.” He presses the button, and the elevator starts moving again.

  We walk to where my car is parked in silence, get in, and leave the premises. “Where are you going?” Linden asks after a while.

  “Outside town.”

  “You’re kidnapping me,” he states dryly.

  “Nope. I’m not good at committing crimes. I’d end up returning you without collecting the ransom,” I joke, but it comes out sounding stiff and awkward.

  He laughs quietly. “You don’t feel comfortable in my presence. I understand that.”

  I sigh. “Let’s not talk about us, okay? It’s hard enough sitting next to you.”

  “Then why do you want to take a walk with me?”

  “So you can think of something else besides the … accident.”

  “Thanks for making the effort, Thally.”

  I offer him a tired smile. “No biggie.”

  “You’re not a good liar. Listen, I know you’re feeling awful and I shouldn’t have left you alone that morning. When Pierce and I talked the night before … you know … he demanded that I break up with you, but I refused. He was of the opinion that Trish and I were the more image-friendly couple, and that I was throwing away the perfect image. I’m so sorry that asshole was able to destroy everything … and to hurt you.”

  I grip the steering wheel more tightly. “What’s done is done.”

  “But it’s not cast in steel. The last few weeks have been hellish,” he says softly. “I thought I could get closer to you again if we gave you this campaign, but you chose to play the ice maiden. All I can think of since I saw you again is that I want to kiss you. But I’m finally realizing that you don’t want me anymore.” His voice is rising in urgency. “I just want you to know that I will always love you.”

  I steer the car into an empty, barren field. I park, kill the engine, and push my seat back. “I’ve changed my mind about the walk. We’ll stay here for a while and look at the stars. They’re bound to come out soon.”

  “I admire the way you turn something mundane into something special,” he murmurs and pushes his seat back as well.

  I give him an irritated look. “Looking at the stars is something special?”

  “Everything is special with you, Thally.” Linden takes my hand and places my palm on his.

  I look at our hands. His are far larger than mine. “I miss you,” I confess in a small voice.

  “I miss you, too.” He turns to face me and caresses my cheek.

  I close my eyes because the tears are starting to well again. Jesus, I’ve become a total pussy. When I feel his lips on mine, I can no longer pretend I don’t want him. I return his kiss and let him pull me up on top of him, even though I hit my knee on the stick shift.

  When I’m positioned on top of him, Linden breaks the kiss. “Could we pretend that everything is still as it was, just for tonight? It would mean so much to me if you didn’t push me away now.”

  I put my cheek against his chest and nod softly. His steady heartbeat is soothing, and I can feel myself calming, finding the peace that has eluded me for so long. Linden caresses the back of my neck and kisses the crown of my head from time to time. The familiar, comfortable silence descends on us.

  After a while, he breaks the silence. “Do you still listen to the rain?”

  “Yes.”

  “And do you still cry at happy endings?”

  “I don’t know. The last movies with happy endings I watched were with you.”

  “Will you give me another chance?” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

  “I don’t think it makes sense for us to try again, Linden,” I breathe.

  “If I prove you wrong, will you give me a chance?”

  I lift my head and look into his turquoise eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Okay. Though I expect I’ll regret it.”

  Linden smiles at me, and I lay my head in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. When I close my eyes again, I can feel the sleepiness wash over me. It doesn’t take long until I drift off into the first sound sleep I’ve had in quite a while.

  ***

  When I open my eyes, it’s light outside. I’m still lying on top of Linden, who is fast asleep. I gingerly pull away from him and climb back into the driver’s seat. When I take out my phone to check the time, I see that I have close to thirty missed calls.

  “I really shouldn’t put it on silent when I’m at work,” I murmur.

  I don’t even bother to listen to all the voicemail. Instead, I call my dad right away. “Where in God’s name are you?” he yells so loud, I hold the phone away from my ear.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I … I was driving around with a friend, and we fell asleep in the car. Don’t worry, the car was parked safely, and I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

  “Your mother called all your friends, and then all the hospitals in the vicinity. She’s beside herself with worry,” he barks.

  “I’m really sorry,” I repeat sheepishly. “I just forgot to turn up the volume on my phone. I didn’t mean for you to worry.”

  “You get your ass home right now and take care of your mother. She hasn’t slept or let me sleep the entire night! We’ll talk about this once you’re here. I’ve already missed several appointments today, Thalia.”

  “I’ll be right there, Dad,” I say quietly and hang up.

  “Any problems?” Linden’s sleepy v
oice asks.

  “I think we’ve just become enemies of the state. My parents tried to call me when I didn’t come home. My dad is really angry. I need to get home immediately.”

  “I’ll go with you and tell your parents it’s my fault,” Linden decides. “You only came here to help me, after all.”

  I sigh heavily as I start the engine and head home.

  “Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you’ve only just woken up?”

  “I don’t think so,” I say, “but I have more worrisome things on my mind right now.”

  I don’t care about the speed limits. I only want to get home, weather the storm, and crawl into bed afterwards. If I know my mom, she’ll have called my brothers, who will have started to worry, too, and maybe come home to soothe her. This isn’t going to be fun. I’m just glad Linden offered to come along. He may become the primary enemy of the state, but that will be his problem to solve, not mine. I admit I want to deflect the anger.

  It takes almost an hour to get home. As I expected, my parents and my brothers are all outside on the front porch. They have their arms crossed across their chests when we get out. It looks like a freaking movie poster! “Ready?” I ask Linden under my breath as we walk toward the house together.

  “I don’t think so, but now it’s too late to run,” he answers quietly.

  “Mom, Dad,” I greet them as we stop in front of them.

  They glare at Linden.

  “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Leroux, my name is Linden Priest,” he greets them and holds out his hand. “I’m the reason Thalia was out the whole night. I’m very sorry you were worried about her.” My dad snorts, while my mom merely lifts an eyebrow. They all stiffly shake hands.

  “Let’s go inside,” Dad says gruffly.

  We follow my family into the house. I bet the holy inquisition has nothing on them. I won’t end up in thumbscrews or an iron maiden, but the next half or full hour will be horrible. I just know it.

  We sit down in the living room. Linden and I are sitting across from my parents, while my brothers take the armchairs to the left and right of the couch. All four of them study us with critical expressions.

  “I’m very disappointed, Thalia,” my father begins his imminent tirade.

  I lower my eyes, knead my sweaty hands, and nod slowly.

  “Your mother spent half the night crying because she thought you were lying in some ditch bleeding to death,” he says coldly. “Your brothers drove all over town for hours, looking for you, and we had a bunch of policemen here early this morning, who were also looking for you until I called them back once you finally thought of notifying your family that you were alive.”

  “I am sorry that y’all were this worried, but I’m twenty-one years old,” I reply firmly. “You don’t need to hold me accountable if I stay out overnight.” I’m fed up with being treated like a little kid.

  “And you think you can speak to us like that, young lady?” my dad says, his anger flaring up.

  “I’m speaking like the adult that I am. Dad, I live several thousand miles away from home, and I don’t always come home at night, and I don’t always let my roommates know in advance.” I look him straight in the eye. “I am very grateful that you’re paying for my tuition and everything, and that you’re always there for me when I need you, but you still need to let me live my own life.”

  Linden clears his throat. “I think what Thalia is trying to say is that … she knows quite well what she’s doing.”

  “We told you the day would come,” Aidan suddenly speaks up, “when she flips out because you keep trying to coddle her.”

  I give him a grateful look.

  “Mom, Dad, just let her go her own way,” Tyler agrees. “Thalia is old enough to know what she’s doing, and she will certainly make sure she doesn’t get into any serious trouble.”

  I rise. “I’d like to go to my room now. I’ll see that I get some rest and get back at work early tomorrow morning, Dad. Promise.” Then I look at Linden. “Do you want to come upstairs so we can talk?”

  He nods slowly and rises, too. “It was nice meeting you,” he says to my brothers.

  “Nice meeting you,” they echo.

  We walk up the stairs to my room. I lock the door behind us so we won’t be disturbed.

  “Sit down,” I say, pointing at the bed.

  Linden plops down on it. “Your bedroom is pretty.”

  “And my family treats me like a child. What grown-up woman has a pink shag rug in her room?”

  He laughs. “I know men that have shag rugs and are very partial to them.”

  I sit down next to him. “I think last night was good for us. It felt good to spend time with you, Linden.”

  His fingertips brush my bare arm. “The seat wasn’t very comfortable, but I still slept far better than I have in weeks,” he murmurs, and then his fingers slide around the back of my neck.

  I close my eyes and revel in the sensation. “Same here,” I whisper. “But for me, it was very comfortable.”

  “Do you want to lie down?” he asks softly.

  I look at him and nod. We scoot backward and lie down on my bed. Linden pulls me into his arms and strokes me tenderly. I lay my head on his chest. “I hated you,” I whisper.

  “I’d have hated me, too, if I were you.”

  “You even followed me to Miami and tried to talk to me, but I sent you away,” I murmur. “A friend of mine punched you and … oh, I should have just listened to you.”

  “I think I deserved that punch from your friend Delsin. But he wasn’t the only one.” Linden grimaces.

  “Who else hit you?” I ask, astonished.

  “Gavin. He was mad at me for giving in. He wanted me to fight for you.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s nothing. I deserved that … and more.”

  “As for us … ” I start.

  “What about us?” he asks warily.

  “How do you intend to prove to me that we can make it?” I ask. “I mean, we’ve already failed once.”

  “Since when does anything in life come with a guarantee? Either it works or it doesn’t, but we have to try! I’d take the stars out of the sky for you if that would get me another chance.”

  “That sounds good enough,” I say quietly.

  “A star? You really want a star?”

  “Yes.”

  Linden sighs heavily. “Well, let me call my friends at NASA to see whether they’ll let me fly into space this weekend.”

  “Maybe you can still get a last-minute ticket.”

  “Maybe,” he mumbles. “We have a gig here in Austin on Saturday. Are you coming?”

  “Do you think Gavin will be back on his feet by Saturday?”

  “I think we could play a gig without him if necessary … If you played the guitar and sang.”

  “Are you kidding? That’s ridiculous. I couldn’t do that.”

  “We really can do it without him, but I thought you and I might get to sing another duet.” Linden chuckles.

  “That’s never going to happen … on stage.” And I suddenly realize, the way he’s joking, he thinks = everything is back to normal … “Linden, I … I’d like to keep things casual for now. No pressure, no expectations, no declarations of love.”

  “Okay,” he says.

  “Okay.” I nod with a sigh and close my eyes briefly. “Aren’t you still tired?”

  “Yeah, I am. And it feels so good to be lying in a real bed.”

  “How about taking another nap then?”

  “Good idea. But I need to call one of the guys first, in case they freak out and call the cops as well. I sent Alexis a text last night, but better safe than sorry.”

  “Yeah, go ahead.”

  “I’ll be outside for a minute, okay?”

  I nod and sit up so he can get off the bed.

  Linden unlocks the door and goes out into the hallway. I can hear him speaking in a low voice, but I can’t make out the words. It’s
probably because I’m so tired my lids are unbearably heavy again. I nod off quickly.

  ***

  I’m woken by stubbly kisses. I open my eyes and see Linden smiling down at me. “Hello, Sleeping Beauty.”

  “Hey,” I mumble.

  “It’s already afternoon,” he murmurs. “I have to leave.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I want to see Gavin again and then I need to go home … or rather, to the house we’re currently living in. Home is Miami.” He smiles.

  “If you can wait just a little bit longer, I could drive you,” I offer.

  “But you’re all cute and sleepy.”

  “If I take a shower, I’ll be wide awake in no time.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait here. Or maybe … do you have a spare toothbrush?”

  I nod, sit up, and stretch. “I’m sure there’s an unused one in the bathroom. Follow me.”

  We enter the bathroom, and I undress behind Mom’s folding screen. She put it up for decorative purposes, but I’m glad he doesn’t see me naked right now. I wrap a towel around my frame and tiptoe into the shower. “Oh, right … The new toothbrushes should be in the cabinet over the sink,” I add.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” I close the frosted glass door and turn the water on, letting it pour down on me, slowly waking me up. Suddenly the water turns icy cold, and I squeal. “Fuck! Are you running the water in the sink?”

  “Oops. I’m sorry. I just needed to rinse my mouth.”

  The shower starts getting warmer again. “Just warn me next time, okay?”

  “Next time?” he echoes.

  “Uh … forget it,” I mumble and shampoo my hair. “By the way, why did you dye your hair?”

  “An act of rebellion” he answers. “I didn’t want to be the cute blond lead singer anymore.”

  “You little rebel, you,” I giggle. “One moment, I can’t hear you.” I put my head under the showerhead to rinse out the shampoo. When I open my eyes again, I give a start.

  Linden has stepped into the shower in his boxers.

  “What are you doing in here?” I breathe.

  “Taking a shower,” he says, feigning innocence. “Does it bother you?”

  “I … yes, it bothers me.”

  He grins. “It doesn’t bother me. And I know exactly how you look naked, and … wow, you still look hot, even though you lost a lot of weight.”