Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (23 page)

I force myself to close my eyes and breathe evenly, and Linden caresses my thigh in his sleep. I can’t let go and enjoy it right now, because the dream continues to haunt me.

Chapter 9

Boom, boom, boom.
The bass resonates in my head, and when I open my eyes, I realize with frustration that it is barely eight a.m. and some idiot has turned on music and cranked up the volume.

Linden is lying next to me, and when I turn my head to look at him, he grins. “Standard procedure.”

I’m no member of the rise-and-shine party, so I merely groan. “Not very nice, considering they’re not alone in here.”

“
That’s the way they are. I’ve gotten used to it.”

“
I should be used to this kind of shenanigan, too, because Draven and Nate are incredibly loud in the morning.”

“
That bad?” Linden asks with amusement in his voice.

“
Not as bad as your friends and their boom, boom, booming from hell,” I squeak.

He laughs softly. “I guess that’s what you could call it. But you know what’s great about noise?”

I shake my head.

He rolls on top of me and kisses the corner of my mouth. “They can’t hear us when we get it on.”

“
Who says I want to get it on with you right now?” I tease.

“
Oh, I think I know how to convince you that you do,” he whispers with a wink, leaning his head down and kissing my neck. He trails a line of kisses downwards, while pulling the strap of my nightshirt down over my shoulder. His lips caress my breasts, and then his tongue circles my belly button and his fingers touch my crotch. Yes, I skipped the underwear when I changed last night.

And then I moan loudly, because his finger finds my clit and massages it gently. “Oh my God,” I gasp, and his finger rubs faster.

“
I’ve been waiting far too long,” he murmurs, before his tongue replaces his finger on my clit.

“
Linden!” I gasp as the sensation hits me.

He smiles but doesn’t say anything, focusing completely on laving my nub.

When two of his fingers enter me, stretch me, and move rhythmically, I call out his name again, but after the first syllable it is little more than a moan of intense pleasure.

Suddenly the tingling starts and spreads quickly, telling me I won’t need much longer if he goes on like this. His tongue glides over my clit, back and forth and around, and I close my eyes and move with him. The nerves in my thighs twitch with the stimulation of my most sensitive spot, and then the fireworks go off in my head. I scream when I come.

He kisses me down there again and then slides upwards until I can feel the tip of his penis on my entrance, and he slides it in immediately, hastily. I moan again, but Linden catches the noise in his conquering lips. I’m the one who probes with my tongue, tangling with his in a passionate kiss, while he thrusts into me slowly. I wrap my legs around him and lift my pelvis so he can penetrate me more deeply. Linden moans into my mouth as our tongues play with each other.

We move in perfect rhythm, driving each other higher and higher, until we finally let go. Linden forgets himself completely, thrusting faster and harder, until he tenses and his thrusts become erratic. He gasps loudly, and I feel his semen flood me.

Oh!
Did he even think about a condom? I tense and look at him with a panicked expression.

“
What’s wrong?” he asks, breathless and hoarse.

“
Did you put on a condom?” I ask.

He nods slowly. “I never forget that kind of thing.” He gives me a soothing smile.

I exhale with relief. “Oh, thank God,” I sigh.

Linden smiles and slides out of me. “Are you afraid I could have some disease?”

“
I’m much more afraid that I might have forgotten the pill,” I explain sheepishly. “I’m not too keen on getting pregnant at my age.”

“
Don’t worry, babe. I always use contraception,” he murmurs, kissing the corner of my mouth.

“
Even in a relationship?”

“
Yes, even then.”

“
Why?” I ask.

Linden props himself up on his arms and looks into my eyes. “There’s always the possibility of catching something, whether a doctor accidentally uses the same syringe twice or … whatever. I just want to make absolutely sure I’m not giving anyone anything contagious.”

“
So you’re unfaithful?” I probe.

“
No,” he says immediately. “I am faithful. But I prefer to do it with a condom anyway.”

“
Well, that’s good. I don’t want to do it without either.”

Linden breathes a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “Never worry that I might forget it. That has never happened to me, and it won’t.”

“
Okay.”

Then he rises and walks into the bathroom. I watch his retreating back, wondering if he’s already had the experience of catching an STD, or if he’s always been this responsible.

I finally get up and follow him. I can’t see him, but I can hear the water flowing in the shower, so I take off my nightshirt and let it fall to the floor. Then I step into the shower to join Linden. He’s lathering up, face to the wall. I put my arms around his belly, stroking his skin and sliding through the lather of the spicy-smelling shower gel.

“
I heard you come in,” he says softly.

“
Aw, but I wanted to surprise you,” I reply.

“
And you did, because I didn’t expect you to join me.”

I kiss his shoulder blade before he turns around to face me and pulls me close. I rub my body against his, spreading the lather all over our fronts.

Linden sighs. “Do you have an idea what this is doing to me?”

“
I hope it feels good.” I giggle.

“
Everything you do feels good. I’ve been feeling complete ever since Saturday. As if I finally, fully became myself.” He smiles, not at all shy about the confession.

I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to me. “I think I’m well on the way to falling in love with you,” I confess in return.

“
And I think I already am in love with you, Thally,” he moans. Then he kisses me.

I return his kiss on a luxurious sigh. I’ve only ever felt like this with Damon, and it’s a relief to realize I can still feel like this. Linden confuses me sometimes, but he also makes me feel good, and special and … I can’t describe all the ways he makes me feel yet, but all of them are good. Butterflies are doing cartwheels in my stomach. Or maybe those aren’t butterflies—maybe those are hopping bunnies of love. Whatever it is, it feels fabulous!

***

After we’ve toweled each other dry, Linden studies me. “Where did you get that scar on your jaw?”

I cringe. “Uh … It was an accident, when I was a child. I fell and hit my chin.”

“
What happened?”

“
A bike accident,” I explain. “I didn’t see another cyclist coming, we crashed into each other, and I fell head first to the ground. The cut was huge. It’s a miracle the scar is rather small by comparison.”

He comes closer, takes my chin in both his hands, and stares at my jaw. “That is a damn big scar,” he states. “Why have I never noticed it before?”

I pull my face away and take a step backwards. “Because I always conceal it with makeup. It’s like a blemish,” I say sheepishly, lowering my eyes.

Linden comes closer again and grabs me by the shoulders. “Thalia?”

I look at him, feeling utterly insecure.

“
You are an immensely pretty woman, and I like everything about you. Nobody is perfect, but that scar is not a blemish at all. It belongs to you, tells your story, and shows that you must have been a sort of tomboy as a kid. To be in a biking accident and come away with a scar like that, you would have to have been very fast.” He smiles.

“
You really don’t think it makes me ugly?” I ask, incredulous.

“
Not at all. Somehow it makes you even prettier, because you’re not flawless. Flawless is boring,” he murmurs and kisses me on the forehead.

“
So you don’t care if it shows? Or if I conceal it?”

“
Of course not,” he answers. “Either way, you’re still the same person. I think you should decide what makes you feel more comfortable.”

I feel relieved, because I half expected him to demand I cover it up with makeup so he doesn’t have to look at it. I study him with a dreamy expression, and for the first time, I register that his eyebrows, unlike his hair, are dark. “Do you dye your hair?”

Linden nods. “Yes. Obviously a blond lead singer sells,” he explains while walking into the bedroom naked. “But I’ve decided not to dye it again once this has grown out.”

Oh, bother. I’m into blond men!
But I guess you can’t have everything. I smile at the mirror, putting on makeup and brushing my hair. Then I follow him and put on my red lacy underwear and a summer dress that’s just as red. I love Miami weather. It’s always sunny, and even in winter the temperatures are high. Even though my mother knew that, she insisted I bring a warm coat, which I haven’t worn once since I got here.

Remembering the dream about Linden and Trish, I braid my hair and then turn around. Linden is standing directly in front of me, which makes me flinch. “Sweet Jesus! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“
Were you so far away that you didn’t see me in the mirror?” he laughs.

“
Maybe,” I say evasively, blushing.

“
What were you thinking about?”

“
I was thinking about my dream.”

“
What did you dream of?” he asks.

“
A few things,” I answer, still evasive.

“
And what exactly happened in this dream?” he probes, pulling me into his arms.

“
It wasn’t a nice dream, so I’d rather forget about it, okay?”

He smiles. “Sure … Let’s go downstairs, and then you can berate the guys for waking us.”

“
I won’t berate them.” I grin. “After all, the morning turned out to be nice enough.”

“
That’s true.” Linden leans down and kisses me on the lips. Then he takes my hand and leads me downstairs.

“
What the … ?” I blurt when I see the battlefield that is the kitchen.

“
Guys!” Linden calls, obviously angry. “What did you do in here? Let some rabid dogs in, or what?”

Food and crumbs are everywhere. There are broken plates, too, and the kitchen is filled with a burnt smell. Gavin is in the process of cleaning up, and now he looks at Linden with an apologetic expression. “Azer had the gloriously stupid idea of starting a food fight.”

“
AZER
!” Linden yells. He lets go of my hand and storms into the hallway. “Either you come back here and clean up the kitchen, or I’ll throw you out!”

“
Uh-oh,” I murmur and join Gavin, helping him clean.

“
If there’s one thing Linden can’t stand, it’s messing up his house. Azer is really out of control right now,” Gavin tells me. “Fortunately, I’ve already taken care of the worst of it. Otherwise Linden would’ve killed him.”

“
Let me guess—he was also the one who cranked up the music earlier?” I ask.

“
Exactly. He woke the rest of us up, too.”

“
I’m going to kill you!” I hear Linden’s angry voice. “Come back here!”

Azer comes running through the kitchen and tears open the back door, which leads out to the terrace. Linden follows on his heels.

I can’t stifle a smirk. “Do you always get along this well?”

“
Oh, this is harmless.”

We walk over and peer out through the back door, watching Linden chase Azer through the yard. Gavin laughs softly. “The next step will be Linden rubbing Azer’s face in the peanut butter under the table like you do with a dog who’s peed on the floor. That is, if he can catch him.”

I giggle. “I don’t think I want to see that.”

“
Oh, you want to see that, believe me,” Gavin states. “Linden isn’t always the nice, soft-spoken man he seems.”

“
What does that mean?” I probe, suddenly irritated. I didn’t think Linden was that soft-spoken, so Gavin’s statement has me confused.

“
He’s rather irascible and … ” He breaks off as Linden comes back inside.

“
And?” I insist.

“
Nothing. We’ll talk another time.” Gavin smiles and focuses on cleaning up again. I help him, and together we get rid of Azer’s mess.

“
Hey, we thought we’d hit the beach today. You coming?” Gavin asks Linden and me when we’re done.

I decline politely. “I need to study.”

“
I think I’m going to stay with Thalia,” Linden says.

“
Go with them,” I suggest.

“
I don’t want to go without you,” he says.

I sigh. “Fine, I’ll come with you, but I’ll stay at Delsin and Avery’s house. They can help me with the material, and I’ll still be close by in case you miss me. How does that sound?”

“
Sounds great.”

***

“
Thally!” Delsin is surprised when I appear on his doorstep.

“
Delsin!” I mimic, slipping by him with a grin.