Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (24 page)

“
Cami isn’t here.”

“
I wanted to see you,” I explain.

“
Uh … ”

“
I need to study. And I need your help. There’s some stuff I don’t understand, and I need to pass the next exam,” I explain. “And then I can talk to Cami when she comes home. That’s better than texting or calling.”

He grins. “True. She should be back soon. I don’t know how long she needs to be on campus today.”

We walk into the living room and sit down on the couch next to each other. I take out my notes and spread them on the table. Then I show Delsin the parts I didn’t really get in class, and he explains them to me. He knows a lot without having to work for it, while I have to concentrate really hard to grasp all the things we need to know. It’s really unfair.

It takes a while before I see it more clearly, and I try to write stuff down in my own words. I hope this’ll help me pass the next exam. After all, it’s a prerequisite for the next semester. I really want to graduate with a good GPA, and there’s still going to be a lot of work before I can.

I repeat the things he explained to me and then look at him for approval.

He nods and smiles. “Now you’ve got it.”

“
Oh, Jesus, finally,” I say on a heavy sigh.

Delsin leans back and studies me. “And how are things going with Linden?”

“
Oh … He’s really nice.”

“
Nice? Thalia, ‘nice’ is no better than ‘shitty,’” he laughs.

I join in his laughter. “Well, I believe I could actually fall in love with him. He told me this morning that he thinks he’s already in love with me.”

Delsin’s eyebrows disappear underneath his baseball cap. “Already? He doesn’t really know you.”

“
It was love at first sight with you and Cami,” I remind him. “Well, at least from your side.”

“
Granted, but I had Avery, who I could ask about her,” Delsin counters. “Linden has nobody he could ask for details on what you’re like.”

“
Delsin, the point is not how quickly he has fallen in love. I’m actually asking myself if I can deal with him being on the road so much. Do I want to be with someone who’s on tour half the time?” I expound, leaning back on the couch, too.

“
Do you think you can’t?”

“
I just think I’ll never have him to myself,” I answer. “And, look, he only broke up with his last girlfriend two days ago. Yet he told me he fell in love with me when I picked him up from the side of the road and drove him to the hospital. That seems pretty fickle to me.”

“
Well, it says he doesn’t waste time. But how do you feel?”

“
I have this massive influx of butterflies in my stomach, which I haven’t had since my ex-boyfriend Damon. I really like Linden, but it’s not love yet … or infatuation.”

“
How much time do you guys have before he’s going away again?”

“
Don’t interrogate me like that, Delsin. I don’t know exactly, maybe this week and the next, but I’m not sure. He confuses me, and I don’t know why, so maybe
that’s
the point.”

“
Hm.” He nods and switches the TV on, flicking through the channels until he finds a music station.

“
And this just in from the world of music celebrities,” the host announces with a pasted-on smile. “Linden Priest, the lead singer of Downstair Alley, is to be married in August. Now we’re going to introduce you to the woman who captured his heart.”

My mouth hangs open. I must look like a fish.

The screen flashes clips of Linden and Trish, snapshots of them together.

“
W-why are they running this?” I stammer. “They broke up, for fuck’s sake!”

The screen flashes an image of Linden and Trish kissing. I feel completely derailed, flushed with a strange brand of fear.

“
His management probably doesn’t know yet,” Delsin answers thoughtfully, “or I’m sure they would have canceled this broadcast.”

“
I hope you’re right,” I say in a very small voice.

“
I’m sure I am,” he says with conviction, offering me a smile.

I hear the door open, and shortly afterwards Cami comes in. “Hey, honey,” she greets me. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“
Hey. Yeah, I wasn’t planning on coming, but I needed your boyfriend to explain some college stuff.”

“
Nice.” She drops her bag, gives Delsin a kiss, and sits down in an armchair. “And now I want to hear everything that happened between Saturday and today.”

“
Okay,” Delsin says, getting up. “I’m going outside. I don’t want to listen to your penis comparisons.”

I look at Cami with a puzzled expression.

She giggles. “He thinks we compare the size of their dongs, even though I told him that isn’t true.”

I nod and shake my head at the same time. “Oh.”

Delsin kisses her and leaves the house. Camille’s eyes bore into mine. “Leave nothing out.”

I start by telling her about our excursion to the beach, which makes her chuckle, because we had that embarrassing run-in with the cop. Then I continue with the other things that have happened since the party, including mine and Linden’s “first time.”

“
You’ve already slept with him?” she calls out in surprise.

“
Yes. At first I was sure I didn’t want to rush it, but then I somehow forgot that decision in the heat of the moment. It was wonderful, and certainly not a mistake.” Then I tell her about our lazy Sunday, the trip to the movies with Jim, and meeting Linden’s fellow band members. And finally, I mention my confusing dream.

She listens patiently, merely nodding from time to time, until she’s heard everything. “Well, then let’s hope this works out. And I also hope he doesn’t still have something going with his ex-fiancée.”

“
Yeah, I hope so, too. He’s the first man in a long time who’s made my stomach tingle when I’m with him.”

Her smile widens. “That’s wonderful. You’ve finally found someone you can imagine having a relationship with … I mean, that’s what you’re saying, right?”

“
Yes. I can imagine seriously dating and building something with him. Definitely. But how do I know if that’s what he wants?” I ask hesitantly. “Maybe he’s like Damon and doesn’t want a long-distance relationship. I mean, he travels a lot after all.”

Great.
Now I feel unsure since I have no way of knowing what Linden’s plans are or what he wants. On the other hand, we’re fools rushing in if we enter into a relationship right away. We’ve only known each other for a few days. But I admit I would love to call him my boyfriend. I detest this inner voice that keeps nagging me, saying it’s far too early to know how we feel and what we want, so I shouldn’t allow myself to fall for him yet. Yes, it is early, but some people meet for the first time, end up in bed, and become a couple right away. That’s not exactly what happened with us—we
did
meet a few times before we slept together. I don’t know! Things happen.

“
Just risk it. Delsin and I didn’t need that much time, either.”

I smile at her. “And you almost screwed it up by accusing him of cheating.”

“
Well, everything looked as if he was cheating, Thally. You know that as well as I do.”

“
True.”

“
I say risk it, because the worst that can happen is that it doesn’t work out.”

“
Yeah, but that would leave me incredibly sad I’m afraid,” I murmur.

“
And that is why it will work. I mean, I saw you two at The Heat and the way you were both swooning over the other. You will make it work. You guys are totally cute together, and the chemistry is obvious. It was even more obvious when you sang together. There’s harmony.”

I smile. “I guess I’ll trust your wisdom.”

Chapter 10

Ah, the beach. Sand, water, and a horde of out-of-control pop singers. They come rushing toward me as soon as I’ve taken off my dress and let it fall on the beach towel next to Linden. I have no idea what they’re up to, but the way they’re running makes me turn and flee.

“
Get her!” Gavin yells like a small boy.

That only makes me run faster, because I suspect they want to throw me in the ocean, which I’m totally not in the mood for. Dumb little boys’ games!

“
Guys, if you try to throw me in the water, I’m going to turn into more than a gremlin!” I warn as they close in. “I’ll turn into the Hulk!” Unperturbed, Alexis grabs me anyway and drags me off into the sea. “Let me go,” I squeal, kicking my legs.

Alexis plods on into deeper water. “Okay,” he laughs, just before he drops me.

As I go under, I grab his legs and pull them out from under him. I resurface while he’s still underwater and try to swim away from him quickly, but he manages to get a hold of my foot and pull me back toward him. “No, no, no, you’re going to stay here,” he laughs.

I hold on to him so I don’t go under again and peer over his shoulder. “But not for much longer.” I grin.

Alexis turns around, but Linden has already dived for him and drags him under. Unfortunately, that means I go under once more, too.

Coughing and panting, we all resurface. The salt water I swallowed scratches my throat. I get away from Alexis’s reach, and Linden laughs as he pulls me close. “You better watch your back when you try to make a pass at someone else’s girlfriend.”

Now Alexis laughs as well. “I wasn’t making a pass. I was just giving her a much-needed cooling-down.”

“
Oh, that’s what you call it these days?” I giggle, rubbing my fingers under my eyes, trying to wipe away smeared mascara.

“
Sure. You looked like you were sweating,” he counters.

“
Of course,” I say sarcastically. “Excuse me if I leave the water now. I want to sweat a little more in this fine sunshine.”

Linden kisses me tenderly before he lets me go. I swim back to the shore, rise, and walk across the sand, sitting down on his towel and taking out my class notes so I can go through them yet again.

***

By the time Linden and I get into my car, my hair is already dry. The sun is beginning to set.

“
I’m exhausted,” he says softly.

“
Y’all were running like hamsters in a wheel the entire day, so I’m not surprised,” I say with an indulgent shake of the head, making a turn onto the main road.

I shift gears, and then he takes my hand in his, interlacing our fingers. “You look damn hot in your tiny bikini.”

I smile. “Thanks. You look sexy in your
aloha
shorts, too.”

“
Where are we going?” he asks then.

“
Are you hungry? I’m starving,” I whine.

“
What are you in the mood for?”

“
Pizza, pasta, I don’t care as long as it’s filling,” I say.

“
Then let’s go home, and I’ll ask Ms. Atkins to cook for us.”

“
Or we could order in. It’s much more fun to sit on the floor with a pizza box than to eat at the table, from plates, like grown-up people.”

He chuckles. “Pizza it is.”

“
Yes,” I giggle. “I came up with that spontaneously.”

“
That was extremely spontaneous.”

“
That’s me.” I smile.

On the drive to his house I happily think about how we get along so well and are so at ease with each other. When I’m near him, my heart beats faster, butterflies dance in my stomach, and my palms get all sweaty with excitement. Now we’re talking about when he’s coming to Austin and what we could do there together.

I park the car in front of his house, and as we walk inside, Linden admits, “I have no idea what delivery place is good around here.”

“
I know a few good ones,” I say with a smile.

“
Then I’ll have a pizza marinara.”

“
Anything else?”

“
Yes. A large pepperoni pizza, plus one with anchovies, and one with ham and mushrooms. Otherwise the guys will steal our food,” he laughs.

With a smile on my face, I call the place where Jim works, though I hope he’s not working tonight. I don’t feel like seeing him again. After I place my order, I snuggle up to Linden on the couch.

“
They said half an hour to forty-five minutes,” I let him know.

“
Hooray! Enough time for cuddles,” he calls out, eager as a small child, and wraps an arm around me.

I lean into his arm and close my eyes. This has been a long and somewhat tiring day, so I want to relax until it’s time to eat. “What do you want to do when the hype of the band is over?” I ask, curious to hear whether he has a plan.

“
You want the rational or the irrational answer?” he asks.

“
Both.”

“
It would be sensible to look for some kind of office job, one for which I don’t need a lot of formal qualifications,” he tells me. “But I’d much rather open up my own record store or a shop for musical instruments.”

“
Why one or the other? You could sell both CDs and instruments,” I muse. “That way everything music-related would be available in one place, and you’d have more options. Considering all the people who just download their music, books, and videos from pirate sites on the web, selling CDs and records has become really difficult. You’d need one safer source of income, and one thing is certain, there’ll always be people who want to make music. So instruments are more promising.”