Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (27 page)

He nods and snuggles up to me, wrapping me in his arms.

I nestle against his warm, athletic body and close my eyes again. “I could get used to flying like this.”

Linden laughs softly. “Yeah, me too.”

Then, finally, there is the predicted knock. “Hey, you lovebirds in there. Are you coming out any time soon, or are you going to spend the next two hours locked up in there as well?”

“
Get lost, Alexis. We want some privacy,” Linden calls out in an amused tone.

“
That is virtually impossible in a private jet, but okay.” I hear his retreating steps.

“
I’m keeping you from them,” I say. “Maybe we should get dressed and go sit with them?”

“
Let’s stay in here a little longer. Half an hour, and then we go out and join them, okay?”

“
Okay,” I sigh.

The half hour passes more quickly than I expected.

“
Come on.” Linden grins and pulls away the sheets that cover me. “You were the one who said we needed to go out there. Now we will.”

Grudgingly, I slide off the bed and collect my clothes from the floor, getting dressed again. He studies me as he puts his clothes back on. “What?” I ask, because his gaze feels scorching hot.

The corners of his mouth twitch, and then he offers me a dazzling smile. “I just like looking at you, Thalia.”

I cock my head to one side. “Why?” I probe with a grin.

“
Because … I’ve fallen in love with you.”

“
Why?”

“
Why do I love you? Because you’re simply amazing.” Then he cocks his head to the other side. “Do you love me?”

I swallow. “I think I do.”

“
Why?” Linden echoes my probing question.

“
Why have I fallen in love with you?”

He nods.

I stand straight, smoothing my skirt, and finally look into his eyes. “I have no idea. You need to ask my heart, because my common sense was arguing against it right from the beginning.”

Linden pulls me into his arms and kisses me on the corner of my mouth. “That isn’t exactly the answer I was expecting, but I think I’ll be content with it for now.” He smirks.

I laugh softly. “For now, it’s the only explanation I have, Linden.”

“
As I said, I’ll be satisfied with it for now.” We leave the bedroom compartment and walk out to join the rest of his band. The guys are lounging in the comfy seats of the main cabin; Azer is lying on the couch. Linden holds my hand as we walk in and sit down.

“
There you are. How was love-birding?” Alexis asks.

“
Jealous?” Linden counters with a wide grin.

“
Me? Never!” he professes in an amused tone and then focuses his attention back on the TV, which is turned on, with its volume bordering on the painful.

Azer is snoring despite the noise, while Gavin seems to be reading. His nose is buried in a book.

“
What are you reading, Gavin?” I ask curiously, because I can’t read the title from where I sit.

He lifts his head and looks at me. “It’s a fantasy novel about a blood-thirsty vampire.”

“
Oh,” I pout. “Not my genre.”

“
What genres do you like?” he asks.

“
The classics, romance, and sometimes high fantasy.”

“
Interesting.” He nods. “Sorry, I’m gonna get back to mine now, because we rarely have time for a bit of quiet reading,” he explains, before directing his gaze on the page again.

“
Seems as if we should have stayed in the bedroom,” Linden murmurs in my ear. “I spend most of the year with them, but I have so little time with you.”

I nod, tuck a strand of my hair behind ear, and then put my head on his shoulder. “They’re your friends, and I don’t want them to think I’m keeping you from them,” I whisper, hoping that none of them can hear me.

“
We don’t think that,” Alexis chimes in. “Trish is much worse.”

Linden gives him a look that makes Alexis clear his throat. “Was. She was worse.”

My head jerks toward him. “Is or was?” I look back at Linden.

“
She was … Alexis just misspoke,” he says calmly.

I’m not convinced and repeat my question to Alexis. “Is or was?”

“
Was, Thalia. I just slipped there, really,” he says with an apologetic shrug. “Hey, she spent years traveling with us; I still need to get used to the change.”

Am I really supposed to be comforted by that?
I think. It doesn’t ring true. I’ve already spent the better part of a week with these guys. So what’s the deal here?

***

Hello, New York City, I’m here to explore you,
I sing in my head as I step out of the private jet. There was a lot of silence after Alexis’s curious slip, and I must admit that it greatly annoyed me. But now I am here and determined to have a good time.

“
What do you want to see first?” Linden asks.

“
Your apartment,” I say with a smile.

“
Then let’s go there,” he agrees, grabbing my hand and leading me to a large Range Rover.

“
You’re driving an SUV in Manhattan?” I ask, surprised.

“
Why not?” Linden asks.

“
Because this isn’t exactly four-wheel territory,” I answer.

“
So? I just bought the car I wanted to own.”

“
Okay,” I say, batting my eyelashes at him.

With a mischievous smile, he opens the door for me and helps me climb the high step so I can get in. When I’m seated, he closes the door and walks around the car. Then he gets in behind the wheel and drives out of the parking lot.

“
Did each of you leave your own cars here at the charter airport?” I ask, considering the probable cost.

“
I have no idea what the others did. I just asked my brother to have my car brought here so we don’t have to ride in the limousine,” Linden explains. “I don’t like to attract attention when I’m off duty.”

I lean back and listen to the music coming from the stereo. Closing my eyes, I sing along softly.

“
You know this is one of our songs, right?”

I keep my eyes closed but let my lips curve into a smile. “I didn’t know that, but this is the only song of yours that I’d heard on the radio before I met you.”

“
It’s one of our very first breakthrough hits, when we still had a bit of an attitude. Currently we’re told to stick to soft, cuddly pop songs, because that’s what sells.”

I chuckle. “You’ve told me that much before.”

“
Oh. Oops. Sorry.”

“
Not a problem. I tend to tell people the same things several times, too. I just forget that I’ve already mentioned stuff.” I open one eye and see his handsome grin.

He’s quiet for a long moment and then finally laughs. “The only thing you keep repeating to me is the fact that I used to be engaged.”

“
I know. I had to remind myself that you were off limits. I don’t date men who are already taken.”

Linden laughs louder. “Oh, I know
that
already.”

I join in his laughter. “See? I like to repeat myself, too.”

He takes my hand and focuses on the traffic, the busy street. We’ve probably landed smack in the middle of the infamous rush hour, because the view ahead of us is like a caravan plodding lazily through town.

This is the first time I’ve ever been to New York. Everything is so big and tall here. Very different than Austin, where there are a lot of smaller buildings interspersed with the skyscrapers. Here, everything seems to rise and loom. I stare out at the buildings, vehicles, and people, until Linden turns into an underground parking lot.

“
Here we are,” he announces.

Right behind us, a limousine is driving into the lot. It looks familiar. “Is that the rest of the gang?”

“
Yeah.”

“
Do you guys share an apartment?”

“
Not exactly an apartment. We have the penthouse, and each of us has his own separate suite of rooms in there. So when we’re in my part, none of the others will cross your path,” he says, trying to dispel any possible misgivings. “And if anyone comes knocking, then it’s usually because they’ve run out of hair gel or something like that.”

I nod slowly.

He parks and we get out of the car. He grabs both our suitcases, and then we walk over to an elegant-looking stairway, where he inserts a key into the elevator panel. “I hope it gets here quick so we don’t have to ride with the rest,” he says. “I want to spend as much time alone with you as possible.”

“
Oh,” I breathe, and then the doors open with a soft
ping
.

Linden pulls me in with him and presses the “close” button when he sees his friends approaching. Azer breaks into a run to stop the elevator doors, but he’s too late.

“
Barely made it.” Linden grins.

“
That was rather mean,” I state.

“
They’ll survive. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you all the things we’ve already done to each other in the realm of pranks and jokes.” He grins, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

“
Y’all are like naughty children.” I giggle.

“
Men turn seven, and after that, all they do is grow in height and girth,” he replies, deadpan.

I’m still laughing when the doors of the elevator open on the top floor. We step out into the fancy penthouse space. “Oh, wow,” I blurt when I see the black marble tiles. My dad has a crapload of money, but there is nothing even remotely this precious in his house. Okay, so I’m impressed with the floor tiles, judge me all you want. Linden leads me through the vast hall and into his own part of the penthouse, which is like a separate apartment. This place must be worth a not-so-small fortune.

Linden closes the door behind us and looks at me. “What do you want to do?”

I shrug, still overwhelmed by it all. “I don’t know. What is there to do?”

“
Baby, we’re in New York City. There’s practically
everything
.”

I produce a noncommittal sound and lift an eyebrow. “And what if I don’t want to do
anything
right now?”

“
Then we could just kick back and watch a movie,” he suggests.

“
That would actually be a good start.” I smile.

“
What would you like to watch?”

“
Well, what do you have?”

“
Video on demand. Basically anything you can think of,” he says with a smirk. “Let’s bring our bags into the bedroom first, and then we can choose a movie and order some food.”

I open my arms to show him that I don’t have a bag and nod. “Okay.”

“
Okay, right. I’ll bring our bags into the bedroom, and then we’ll order food and decide on a movie.”

“
Sounds good. Can you show me to the living room first?” I ask.

“
You’re standing in the middle of it.” He chuckles and points to my right. “There’s the couch.”

“
Oh. Thanks.” I make a dweeb face and walk over to the couch, flopping down on it as Linden disappears into the bedroom. This area is very different from the rest of the penthouse, or rather, from the common room I’ve seen. Modern furniture dominates this large room, and there are a few paintings on the walls that were probably done by an unknown artist, because I’ve never seen paintings like that. And then it seems as if Trish went all out with the decorating, because there are seriously ugly porcelain figurines everywhere! Things like angels, elves, and tiny kittens—all of them unbelievably tacky and awful. There is also a framed photograph of the two of them on a side table. I pick it up and look at them closely. She is totally the model type: thin, blonde, straight white teeth, a pretty smile. “It’s crazy that he wants me instead of her,” I murmur, putting it back.

“
Did you say something?” Linden suddenly asks from behind me.

I start. “What?”

“
I asked if you say something,” he repeats. “You were mumbling to yourself..”

“
Oh. Nothing important,” I say sheepishly.

He sits down next to me and asks, “Is everything okay?”

“
Yeah, I’m fine,” I say softly. “I was just looking at that photo of you and Trish, and asking myself what you see in me when you can have a woman like her.”

“
I’m convinced I’ve found a much better person in you. Thally, you’re a wonderful, breathtaking, intelligent, tough woman. And, for you, this isn’t about being with Linden Priest, lead singer of Downstair Alley. It’s about
me
. Just Linden. You are the person I’ve been dreaming of. You’re the person I want to spend all my time with.” He takes my hand and places it against his chest, so I can feel his heartbeat. “You’re the one that is in here, while Trish was only ever the right person in my head,” he murmurs. “You’re the one my heart chose.”

I blink away tears. Yes, I’m actually crying, his words have touched me that deeply.

“
Why are you crying?” he asks softly, sounding as if he knows he’s guilty.

“
Wow,” I sniffle. “Nobody has ever said a thing like that to me and … wow.” I offer him an overwhelmed smile, and he takes me in his arms.