Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (26 page)

“
They’re already getting on my nerves,” Hailey grumbles.

“
Tell me about it. I could think of a nicer way to spend my time,” I say coldly, stepping on the gas like a madwoman as soon as the path is clear. “I managed to evade these fuckers for three days, and now they got me on my way home. I need to think of a clever detour in case they decide to follow me.”

“
You could drive to Linden’s house,” Cami suggests. “He can at least close the gate so they can’t come after you.”

“
And then I’m trapped in his mansion.”

“
You guys are flying to New York tomorrow anyway. You can sleep there, and Nate or Draven can bring by your luggage later. You wouldn’t even have to leave the house before you go.”

“
I already have my luggage, actually. My suitcase is in the trunk. I don’t
have
to go home, but I’ll be pissed if I can’t.”

“
You picked Linden,” Hailey pipes up from the backseat. “I guess it’s a case of ‘you made your bed, now lie in it.’”

I glare at her in the rearview mirror. “You’re not making any friends with your smartass comments. Keep your high horse opinions to yourself.”

“
Sorry,” she mutters.

I heave a sigh. “Yeah, it’s okay. But you know I’m well aware that it was my own decision. I don’t need any I-told-you-so talks.”

“
Try not to get too upset, Thally,” Cami chimes in. “None of us is responsible for Jim’s big blabbermouth.”

“
Well … actually … it isn’t Jim’s fault,” Hailey murmurs.

I immediately pull to the curb and turn around to look at her. “What? Whose fault is it, then, Hailey?”

She blushes. “I was talking to a friend, and she works for this magazine … ”

“
Get out of my car! Right now!” I don’t even care about the possible repercussions of throwing her out. That was the last straw. First she makes it unnecessarily tough for Dahlia, the sweetest girl I’ve ever met, and now this? If she can’t respect my privacy, she’s no longer my friend.

“
I’m sorry, Thally,” she says in a small voice.

“
Yeah, I’m sorry, too—for trusting you,” I hiss, waiting for her to get out.

“
You can’t just throw her out like that,” Cami interrupts.

“
If you’d rather keep her company, you’re free to go, too,” I growl.

“
No, no, forget what I said,” Cami says with a desperate, placating smile.

Hailey has finally gotten out—and slammed the door. I step on the gas again. “I can’t believe this. I took her to the hospital with me; I trusted her. And now she gets me in trouble like this? They knew my name, my major, everything. And I went and ranted at
Jim
for betraying me, for such a low shot. Now I have to call him and apologize for all the awful things I said to him.”

“
Hailey has been behaving weird recently,” Cami muses. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Especially to do this. She should have known that her magazine friend would pounce on this story.”

“
Of course she should have. She probably didn’t think it through. Sound familiar?” I grumble.

“
Yeah,” Cami sighs. “Are you very angry with her?” she adds cautiously.

“
I’m afraid angry doesn’t begin to cover it. She’s definitely gone too far this time.”

“
This time? What else did she do?”

“
For one, I only accepted Linden’s first invitation to dinner because she kept interfering and saying I should. Then she kept complaining about anything and everything, and now she goes and blabbers to her paparazzi friend that I’m having an affair.” I sigh. “It’s enough. And it’s not my fucking fault she got herself a hillbilly boyfriend who can’t finish anything. She must be really jealous to stoop this low.”

“
You mean Logan?”

“
Yeah. He moved here, but she pays all the bills. He’s too lazy to look for a job. Didn’t she tell you that?”

Cami shakes her head. “No. She didn’t say anything. But now I can see why she’s been so grumpy and irritable recently.”

“
Still, that doesn’t give her the right to run her mouth about me to the damn press. My father is practically having seizures. He thinks these people are telling the truth!” I snap. “And now I’m in for an entire summer of those ‘you’re my daughter and I’m asking myself what I did wrong’ looks that he’ll be giving me.”

Cami grins, and I glare at her for finding this funny. “Sorry, but it just sounds so absurd.”

I shake my head with a deep sigh as we reach Cami’s. I stop the car again and break into slightly hysterical laughter. “I feel as if I’m going completely insane.”

“
No, you’re not. Don’t be scared.” She smiles and hugs me. “Drive to his house, lock yourself in, and enjoy the peace and quiet with him. If that’s possible with his friends there as well.”

“
I’ll try my best,” I breathe and pull away.

“
Call me once you’ve made it to the Big Apple, okay?”

“
Will do.” I kiss her on the cheek, and then she gets out and walks up the stairs to the front door, where Delsin is waiting for her. He waves, and I wave back.

Thankfully, there are no more close encounters on the way to Linden’s house, but the day is officially over and done with for me. My disappointment with Hailey runs too deep. I wonder how she reckons she can make up for what she did—or whether she even thinks about such things at all.

***

The next morning, as we carry our suitcases downstairs into the hallway, Linden suddenly asks, “Do you have your boarding pass?”

My eyebrows shoot up in shock. “You said it was a private plane and I didn’t need a ticket,” I remind him.

He winks at me. “Okay, I’m glad you pay attention.” Then he grabs me and presses a kiss to my lips. “What’s wrong? You’ve been tense ever since you got here yesterday afternoon.”

I take a deep breath before telling him. “Hailey was the one who told the press. A friend of hers works for some magazine, and of course they pounced on the information she provided so casually.”

He merely snorts. “I don’t understand why she calls herself your best friend.”

“
I’ve been asking myself the same question since she told me yesterday,” I whine, and he pulls me into a comforting embrace. I lean into him and close my eyes. “I am so sorry. I never thought she would do a thing like that.”

“
It’s not your fault. Some people just don’t think, and you trusted her. Don’t beat yourself up about it, babe.”

I nod and swallow, feeling close to tears. I feel defensive and hurt and guilty, and I would understand if he broke up with me over this, but he understands. I’m still at a loss as to what Hailey was thinking. Probably nothing at all, but that doesn’t make it any better.

“
Sir, the car is ready,” I hear Grayston’s voice behind us.

“
Thank you, Gray.” Linden lets go of me and takes my hand. We walk out to the limousine and get in. “I’m going to miss good old Miami.”

“
And I’m going to miss you when I get back on that plane on Monday,” I whisper. “I’ll have to make do without you for weeks.”

He leans close and kisses me again, but this kiss is special. It’s tender and meaningful, the first time he’s kissed me like this. “I have an idea of what we could do, but it would be sort of jumping the gun.”

I look at him questioningly. “What are you talking about?”

“
You could transfer to a distance-learning university, finish your studies there, and live with me,” he says.

I shake my head and look straight ahead. “No, I can’t do that.”

“
Why not?”

“
Because, as you said, it would be jumping the gun, Linden.”

“
So what?” he says with a half smile.

The limousine rolls off the premises, and I put my head on his shoulder. “It sounds wonderful, but we don’t even have anything serious going.”

“
I want it to become something serious, Thalia,” he murmurs, caressing my temple. “You would make me incredibly happy if you said you want the same.”

“
Then you should convince me that a steady relationship with you is exactly what I need.” I giggle, feeling a little breathless.

“
You’d have me, my loyalty, and my heart,” he says softly, sounding suddenly shy.

“
You call that convincing?” I tease quietly.

He grins. “Most definitely.”

“
Okay then,” I breathe, unable to hide the wide smile on my lips.

Linden smiles back at me warmly when I look up at him. “Does that mean you’re now officially my girlfriend and no longer a home-wrecking affair?” he asks with a smirk.

“
Only if you never call me that again,” I say.

He laughs. “I promise, my sweet, home-wrecking affair.”

I sit up and pinch his chest. “You better be careful if you want me to be yours,” I warn.

“
You’re already mine.”

“
That’s true.” I all but throw myself at him, kissing him passionately. Afterwards, I give him a pleading look. “Could you do anything about that whole affair gossip crap? My father’s having seizures, and I’m going to have to listen to his rants forever if they don’t broadcast some sort of correction soon.”

“
I promise I’ll take care of everything, babe.”

“
Thank you,” I breathe, before putting my lips on his once again.

We are so lost in making out that we barely realize when we’ve reached the airport. Leaning against the door, Linden almost falls out of the car when Grayston opens it for him.

Grayston apologizes profusely, but Linden calms him. Nothing happened, so he won’t lose his job over this nothing. We get out and walk over to where the jet is waiting. I’m not anxious at all, because I love flying, and I’ve even been in a private jet before. Last summer, when we all flew from Austin to Miami in Delsin’s dad’s plane.

“
Hi,” Linden greets his early-riser friends as we step into the cabin.

“
Hello, you guys,” Gavin replies with a smile, while Alexis, Mike, and Azer are engrossed in a discussion.

I smile back at him, but Linden is already dragging me along into the back room, which happens to be some sort of bedroom. He slams the door shut and pushes me down onto the bed. “Whoa! Don’t you at least want to wait until takeoff?” I ask, taken by surprise.

“
That is the best moment,” he murmurs, before slipping on top of me and sealing my mouth with his lips. While our tongues are circling and playing with each other, he pulls down the spaghetti-straps of my top. Then he breaks the kiss and moves farther down to free my breasts from the cups of my bra. The tip of his tongue swirls around my perky nipple, which in turn pebbles even more, becoming almost unbearably sensitive. His touch sends small flashes to my crotch, and I rub myself against the bulge in his pants. He keeps my nipple between his teeth as he first pulls my skirt up and then my panties down.

“
Do you really want a quickie right now?” I ask breathlessly.

“
I’d love to make it last, but in about twenty minutes, one of those morons is going to knock on this door,” Linden explains in a low voice. “That’s a conservative guess. Could only be ten minutes.” He stands and opens the fly on his jeans, pulling them down to his knees.

“
And what about what I want?” I ask.

“
What do you want?”

“
Could you lock that door?”

“
Of course.” He turns and locks the door.

I slip out of my clothes quickly, because I don’t like wearing anything when I have sex. When he stands in front of the bed again, I rise and pull his shirt over his head.

He smirks. “I must admit I like it better like this.” When he’s chucked off his jeans, he lifts me up and pushes me against the wall.

“
Condom,” I remind him.

He already has the small square packet in his hand. “It’s your turn to do it.”

I tear it open and roll the condom over and down his hard length, after he’s moved back a little so I can maneuver. When he’s covered, he presses me against the dividing wall again and thrusts into me. I react with a loud moan.

“
You’re so damn hot, Thalia,” he growls and starts thrusting harder.

I tilt my head back and close my eyes. “Oh God.” The wall is a little cool against my back, but it’s not bothering me at all.

My legs are wrapped around him, and the way he has me pushed up against the wall, I can move a little, which I do. We whip each other into a frenzy of desire. Linden moans loudly and tenses, and I move faster so we can come simultaneously.

The moment my orgasm is about to hit me, he discharges into me, and I follow him mere seconds later.

Linden gives me a lingering kiss and then puts me down on the bed. “Don’t run away.”

“
I wouldn’t dream of it.” I smile, while he opens a second door. Probably a bathroom.

I pull the sheets over my naked body and close my eyes. Suddenly, I hear a chuckle. “Would you like to take a nap before we land?”

“
How long will we be in the air?”

“
A little less than three hours.”

“
Are you going to lie down with me?” I ask softly as I look up at him.