Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (13 page)

And here the evening goes from awesome to craptastic
. “Interesting,” I say without conviction.

“
She reads a lot of stuff like that.”

I clear my throat and step on the gas, as if that will help me get away from talk about his girlfriend. I really shouldn’t be out with him at all. What will happen if someone sees us and thinks he’s cheating on her with me? That would be horrific.

“
I guess I don’t mind her reading them as long as she doesn’t want me to flog her and tie her up,” Linden says.

“
They’re just novels, not manuals,” I say.

“
True, and some of the things they describe are really interesting.”

“
Please spare me the details. I really don’t want to hear about your sex life.”

Linden exhales loudly. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget I shouldn’t open up my entire life for someone I don’t know.”

“
It’s okay. Not a problem.” I smile and turn into a parking lot not too far from Dizzles. “Did you bring anything you could use to change your appearance? So people don’t recognize you on the street?”

He opens the glove compartment and pulls out a baseball cap and sunglasses. He puts both on. “How do I look?”

“
Like a fool.” I giggle. “But that should do it. It’s dim inside Dizzles, so I think we should be fine as soon as we’re inside.”

Linden nods and gets out. I follow him, and we walk down the sidewalk.

“
That’s Linden Priest!” someone yells, and immediately, several people start running toward us.

Linden grabs me by the wrist and pulls me after him, breaking into a run.

“
Oh, crap. Is this the time to tell you I’m not athletic at all?” I pant as we run like mad toward the club. Fortunately, I know Bradley, the bouncer, and he realizes quickly that we’re being chased.

“
Hey, Thally,” he calls and moves the barrier so we can slip through.

“
Hey, Bradley. I owe you one,” I gasp as he moves the barrier back into place behind us.

“
Linden,” Bradley acknowledges him with a nod.

“
Hi, Bradley,” Linden says.

The bouncer grins at him. “Are they chasing you again?”

“
Yeah. Could we go up to the lounge?” he suggests. “For a little more privacy.”

“
Sure. I’ll let them know you’re coming upstairs,” Bradley says.

I lift an eyebrow. “I’d rather stay downstairs and plunge right into the crowd.”

Linden and Bradley both look at me. “They’ll storm this place,” Bradley says.

I heave a sigh. “Okay, okay, let’s go to the lounge. But I want to call a few of my friends so they can come, too. Otherwise it’ll be boring.”

“
Delsin and the others are inside,” Bradley informs me.

“
Oh, good. You go up to the lounge, and I’ll check on my friends and follow you in a few minutes.” I turn to Linden with a wide smile. “Then you can meet them.”

“
Sure.” He grins back at me. As we walk inside, we can hear the hysterical squealing of several women behind us. Linden doesn’t react at all, and Bradley tells them he’s not the real deal, just a lookalike who they should leave alone.

We stop at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ll go upstairs and you’ll follow soon?” he verifies.

“
Of course. Just give me a few minutes.”

“
Okay.”

We split, and I dive headfirst into the crowd. I’d all but forgotten how busy Dizzles can be on the weekends. The student bands tend to draw a lot of people, but even on days without live music, the place is always packed.

While I push my way through the main floor, I look around for my friends. The bass makes my stomach vibrate, and my ears, too.

“
Thally?” I hear my name from a distance.

I turn around and spot Avery. I wave at him and squeeze myself between a few dancing patrons to reach him. “Hey. Where are the others?” I ask loudly.

“
Back there at our usual table.”

I lean closer to tell him, “Linden and I were sent up to the lounge. Do you want to come along?”

“
Sure. Better than being squashed down here,” he says enthusiastically.

“
Then let’s go get the others.”

Ave shoves his two bottles of beer into one hand, grabs my hand with the other, and steers me through the droves of people. After what feels like an eternity, we reach the table where our friends are hanging out. Kelsey, Sky, Blake, and Nathaniel are there, too.

“
Hey, y’all!” I yell excitedly. “Let’s go up to the lounge! Private party tonight, and a lot of space just for us!”

Delsin grins. “All hail the savior!” He takes Cami’s hand and pulls her with him through the room. Avery and Dahlia follow them quickly, and then the rest trudge behind.

Nathaniel lets them all pass, before he looks at me and says, “We’re the last. Want a piggyback ride?”

“
Ooh, yes,” I giggle, and he’s already crouching down in front of me. I hop on his back and wrap my legs around his waist. He starts marching, and we quickly reach the stairs. “You can set me down now,” I say.

But he doesn’t. He carries me up the stairs, and when we reach the top, someone tugs at the back of my dress. “Nice underwear, Leroux,” Delsin laughs. “Ouch,” he adds only a second later.

“
Don’t you stare at my best friend’s ass,” Camille scolds him.

I throw a glance over my shoulder. Cami pulls down my skirt, which obviously hitched up on the way. “Thanks.” I grimace.

“
You’re welcome. I’ll hold it down so this pervert can’t enjoy the view.” She grins.

When we reach the lounge, Nathaniel finally sets me down. Linden looks at the gang with a skeptical expression. “Hello, everyone.”

When everyone is inside, I close the door. “So. This is Camille, Delsin, Avery, Dahlia.” I point at each of them as I say their names. When I’ve been through everybody, they all greet Linden and find places to sit or stand.

I sit on one of the sofas, and Cami plops down next to me. “He’s even hotter than in the pictures I found on Google the other day,” she whispers.

“
Yeah, and he’s very much taken, don’t you forget that,” I say under my breath.

“
What’s wrong with being friends?” She shrugs.

“
Nothing,” I agree, “but I don’t expect us to see each other again after tonight.” I can sense that Linden is staring at me, but I don’t look at him.

“
The way he’s looking at you, I’d say he wants more than friendship,” Cami murmurs into my ear.

“
What are you whispering about?” Dale wants to know. She sits down on the other side of me.

“
Linden Priest,” I whisper.

“
Oh God! He’s so hot. I can’t believe we’re sitting here with a real pop star,” she squeals and then blushes, because Delsin laughs out loud.

“
Girls!” He guffaws, and Avery joins in his laughter. It doesn’t take long until the men are talking, probably making fun of us. At least that’s what it looks like.

The music is still loud up here, but it’s at least possible to talk without having to scream at the top of one’s lungs.

“
Do you want anything to drink?” Sky calls to the rest of us, pointing at a waitress making her way over to us.

I order a glass of water, while most of the men choose beer and other alcoholic drinks. The girls stick to sodas, and so does Linden. The fact that he doesn’t drink is definitely a plus, I think.

I mean, sometimes I like to have a drink or two, but not when I know I have to drive. So water it is tonight.

“
Would you like to dance?” Linden asks, leaning across the armrest to make himself heard.

“
Uh … ” I stammer.

“
What? Yes or no?”

“
Of course she would,” Cami says in my stead.

Linden takes my hand and pulls me up from the sofa. “You can’t dance to this kind of music,” I protest.

“
You can dance to any kind of music,” Cami squeaks behind me.

I sigh, feeling somewhat lost. All my friends are staring at us as we walk over to the center of the room and Linden puts his hands on my waist. I swallow.
Okay, you can do this. You know how to dance,
I tell myself in mounting desperation.
And you’re confident, so don’t give them a reason to laugh at you now.

The song is way too fast to slow-dance to, but I let Linden lead the way. I throw a helpless glance at Camille, but she merely grins at me and draws a heart in the air with her finger.

I frown at her and shake my head a little, but the heart she’s drawing now is even larger than the first one. And Dahlia has joined her.

“
Could you at least focus on me while we’re dancing?” Linden murmurs.

I look up at him. “I’m sorry.”

His eyes seem to bore right into mine, and again, his irises give the illusion of a sparkle. The color is incredibly beautiful, virtually dazzling. “It’s okay, but I’d prefer a quieter spot right now.”

“
It’s quieter than downstairs,” I whisper and break the eye contact. It’s not that I’m shy—because I’m not—but I don’t want to let the chemistry build up between us. He’s taken.

“
I mean really quiet, Thalia. I thought we could talk a little more, you know?” he says softly.

“
Let’s wait till the gig is over. Then we can leave and talk some more.” I smile.

“
If you promise.”

I nod at him and pull away, because the song is over. Instead of another playing, a man speaks into the microphone downstairs. “Guys, I know you came to see the Flying Ravens tonight, and so, without further ado, here they are!” Applause follows his announcement.

“
Flying Ravens? Did they change their name?” I ask the group with a grimace.

Nathaniel nods. “Yeah. I liked the old name better.”

“
Me, too. Flying Ravens sounds a bit dopey.” I grin. “Like Drowning Albatrosses.”

Linden clears his throat. “At least it’s pretty memorable.”

“
I’d say it’s pretty stupid,” I counter, still thinking of other versions of birds doing various verbs.

“
If you say so.”

“
Downstair Alley isn’t exactly a genius name either,” Sky interrupts.

I roll my eyes, hoping this isn’t going to become some stupid male power game.

“
We didn’t pick the name,” Linden explains calmly. “It was management’s idea.”

“
Why did you let them decide such an important thing?” Sky asks.

“
Because they wanted us to have a name that would guarantee a lot of sales,” Linden answers. “We didn’t like their choice, either, but we really wanted that record deal.”

“
I see.” Sky nods. “Sounds like you’re a bunch of greedy dudes.”

I bite my lower lip. The situation is on its way to quickly getting out of hand.

But Linden remains surprisingly calm. “Well,” he says with a shrug after great deliberation, “maybe you can do better when you get there.” He pauses. “If you ever get there.”

“
Touché!” Delsin laughs and pokes Sky in the shoulder.

I turn away and go to stand at the railing that overlooks downstairs. I can see Draven and his band from here. They start out with a cover of one of my favorite songs. “Word Up!” Of course I automatically start to sing along, thinking nobody can hear me. I know every word, so I sing along until it’s over.

“
I thought you didn’t sing in front of others,” Linden says. He’s standing right next to me.

I look up at him, and I can’t say whether the heat in my cheeks is from the temperature in here or from the thought of him listening to me sing. “Uh … ”

“
No worries.” He smiles. “That was actually really good.”

Yeah, the heat is definitely his fault. My cheeks are aflame. I need to fan myself.

“
Thank you,” I breathe, trying to focus on Draven’s deep voice. When he sings ballads, his voice invites daydreams and romance. Of course he launches into one of those ballads right now.

“
He’s a great singer.”

I nod. “Yeah, he’s really good.”

Suddenly, Linden puts his arms around me and sways to the music. “I want to kidnap you now so we can resume our conversation.”

When his warm breath brushes my ear, I can feel goosebumps form on my skin. “We wanted to see them play,” I remind him.

“
I know.”

Another shiver washes over me, and it must show, because Linden smiles next to me. “Am I making you nervous?”

“
A little bit,” I admit.

“
Why?” he asks.

“
You have a girlfriend and yet you’re coming on to me,” I answer calmly.

He immediately lets go of me and takes a step backwards. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Thalia.”

“
And here’s your water, Thally.” Avery’s voice is suddenly next to us, very loud and distinct.

“
Thanks.” I take a sip and nod at him. He walks back to where Dale is sitting on the sofa. I glance around the lounge to locate the rest of my friends. Cami waves at me, Delsin winks, and Dale is staring at Linden, until Ave blocks her view as he sits down.