Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) (37 page)

“
It’s okay, Mom.” I look up at Linden. “Tomorrow after work I can spare a little time to talk, but only if you leave right now.”

Linden gives me a small smile, says goodbye, and walks away.

“
Why did you give in?” my mother asks, puzzled.

“
He wouldn’t have left. But I’ll avoid him from now on. Dad can do the meetings for the campaign, and I’ll just do the work without meeting with the band,” I explain, less to my mom and more to convince myself that that is a viable plan.

“
You know you just agreed to meet him tomorrow, don’t you?”

“
Yes, but Nate’s picking me up again, and I’ll tell him to come to the underground parking garage, so I won’t run into Linden. That’s my best shot.”

She nods, our coffees are served right at that moment. We sip them in silence. This second encounter has really worn me out. Here I thought the first was a punch to the gut, but no, this one was far worse.

***

My brothers don’t show up for dinner. I guess they had more pressing things to do. It makes me a little sad because I was looking forward to seeing my little niece. Maybe I can drive over to Aidan’s over the weekend. I could ask Tyler to come, too, and we could finally all be together again for a while.

On top of that, Nathaniel decided to stay at Cami’s after Buck offered him a summer job helping out on the farm. I’m going to have to pick up my car there tomorrow. If he needs to go anywhere, he can borrow Buck’s truck, and I’ll have my own ride again. Mom and Dad won’t let me use their cars, which I actually understand, because both vehicles are incredibly expensive.

I’m lying in bed flipping through the TV channels, but everything bores me. It seems like a conspiracy, a bunch of cheesy romances on every channels. Finally, I get up and fetch a horror flick from the shelf. At least that won’t make me cry.

I put it in the DVR and snuggle back into bed. The film starts, and after only a few minutes, I’m starting to get bored again.
Craptastic!

With a sigh, I bury my head in the pillow and close my eyes, while the protagonist screams her head off. “Oh, shut up,” I grumble and switch off the TV. I should just go to sleep.

Chapter 16

For more than a week, I don’t see any of my friends, because I’ve been working my ass off to get this stupid Downstair Alley campaign off the ground. We created several comprehensive proposals, and today I have to present them to Linden, his bandmates, and his new manager. My dad has another, more pressing appointment, so I can’t back out anymore. I dodged all Linden’s attempts at pinning me down for that talk I promised him at the mall, but now I’m going to have to face him at last.

I set up the presentation aided by the two experienced marketing guys I’ve been working with.

“
When are you expecting the clients?” Pete, one of the two slick experts, asks.

“
Around five,” I reply, “but you can go home as soon as we’re done setting everything up. You’ve been here all day.”

“
Thanks, Miss Leroux.”

“
Sure thing.” I look at Gregory, who’s struggling with getting the daylight projector to work. Maybe he’s less of an expert in some ways. “But, Greg, if you could stay for the presentation, that would be awesome.”

He smiles at me. “Of course I will, Miss Leroux.”

“
Thank you, Greg. And how many times do I need to tell both of you to call me Thalia?”

They nod at me with their non-committal smiles.

A few minutes later, we’ve gotten everything set up. Pete says goodbye and leaves. “Greg, do you think you could do me a favor and lead the presentation? I’m not very good at speaking in front of a bunch of people.”

“
Gladly, Thalia.”

I find it strange how eagerly he does everything I ask of him. I would hate having my boss’s kid ordering me around. He’s probably scared I’ll Dad something bad about his morale. “Thanks a lot.”

“
You don’t want to do it because he’s your ex-boyfriend, right?” Greg asks.

I shake my head. “It really is because I’m not great at presentations.”

“
Okay.”

We sit down and wait for five. As the minutes pass, there is no trace or word of Downstair Alley. We’re still sitting there, waiting, at six p.m. By seven, my patience has run out.

“
Thalia, I’m sorry but I really need to leave,” Greg says. “My girlfriend and I have our five-year anniversary tonight, and I reserved a table in a really expensive restaurant … Could I … ”

“
Oh my God, yes! Why didn’t you say so before? Go and have a nice evening. I’m very sorry you had to stay here for nothing,” I apologize. “I’ll put everything away here.”

“
Thank you, Thalia.” He rushes out, and I resolve to wait a while longer.

***

I’m absolutely pissed. It’s eight p.m., and they didn’t show up. Nobody called, either. I put everything away and tidy the room, then go wait for the elevator. Since I was the last person on the floor, I locked the offices and the heavy glass door that serves as the entrance to the suite.

The elevator doors slide open, and Linden steps out. “Gavin was in an accident,” he says immediately. “I’m sorry we didn’t cancel.”

“
What happened?” I ask as we both step back into the elevator.

“
Someone missed a red light. The car hit him straight on.”

“
Oh my God. How bad is it?”

Linden shakes his head. “Could have been much worse. A broken foot, massive whiplash, some bruises, and of course general trauma. He’ll have to stay in the hospital for at least two days. Then they’ll be able to tell us more.”

The elevator starts moving after the doors have finally closed. This is not the express lift. “Please give him my best wishes and tell him to get well soon.”

“
Sure. Thank you, Thally.” Then he falls silent.

I look at him. He seems exhausted. “So I guess the presentation will be rescheduled in a few days or so?” I ask tentatively.

“
Probably. I’m sorry you had to stay here so late.”

“
How are you?” I say softly. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“
I feel like crap, to be honest. I thought one of my best friends was going to die today. That sound when he … hit the street … It was horrific. Haunting, you know?”

I’m extremely tired, but I pity him right now, so when we reach the ground floor, I say something I’ll probably regret in a few minutes. “Do you want to take a walk?”

Linden gives me a puzzled look. “You want to spend time with me?”

“
I want to distract you from that experience.”

“
It would be very nice if we could spend a little time together,” he murmurs.

“
Did you come by car?”

He shakes his head. “No, I took a taxi.”

“
Then let’s go down another level. My car’s in the garage.”

“
Okay.” He presses the button, and the elevator starts moving again.

We walk to where my car is parked in silence, get in, and leave the premises. “Where are you going?” Linden asks after a while.

“
Outside town.”

“
You’re kidnapping me,” he states dryly.

“
Nope. I’m not good at committing crimes. I’d end up returning you without collecting the ransom,” I joke, but it comes out sounding stiff and awkward.

He laughs quietly. “You don’t feel comfortable in my presence. I understand that.”

I sigh. “Let’s not talk about us, okay? It’s hard enough sitting next to you.”

“
Then why do you want to take a walk with me?”

“
So you can think of something else besides the … accident.”

“
Thanks for making the effort, Thally.”

I offer him a tired smile. “No biggie.”

“
You’re not a good liar. Listen, I know you’re feeling awful and I shouldn’t have left you alone that morning. When Pierce and I talked the night before …
you know
… he demanded that I break up with you, but I refused. He was of the opinion that Trish and I were the more image-friendly couple, and that I was throwing away the perfect image. I’m so sorry that asshole was able to destroy everything … and to hurt you.”

I grip the steering wheel more tightly. “What’s done is done.”

“
But it’s not cast in steel. The last few weeks have been hellish,” he says softly. “I thought I could get closer to you again if we gave you this campaign, but you chose to play the ice maiden. All I can think of since I saw you again is that I want to kiss you. But I’m finally realizing that you don’t want me anymore.” His voice is rising in urgency. “I just want you to know that I will always love you.”

I steer the car into an empty, barren field. I park, kill the engine, and push my seat back. “I’ve changed my mind about the walk. We’ll stay here for a while and look at the stars. They’re bound to come out soon.”

“
I admire the way you turn something mundane into something special,” he murmurs and pushes his seat back as well.

I give him an irritated look. “Looking at the stars is something special?”

“
Everything is special with you, Thally.” Linden takes my hand and places my palm on his.

I look at our hands. His are far larger than mine. “I miss you,” I confess in a small voice.

“
I miss you, too.” He turns to face me and caresses my cheek.

I close my eyes because the tears are starting to well again.
Jesus, I’ve become a total pussy.
When I feel his lips on mine, I can no longer pretend I don’t want him. I return his kiss and let him pull me up on top of him, even though I hit my knee on the stick shift.

When I’m positioned on top of him, Linden breaks the kiss. “Could we pretend that everything is still as it was, just for tonight? It would mean so much to me if you didn’t push me away now.”

I put my cheek against his chest and nod softly. His steady heartbeat is soothing, and I can feel myself calming, finding the peace that has eluded me for so long. Linden caresses the back of my neck and kisses the crown of my head from time to time. The familiar, comfortable silence descends on us.

After a while, he breaks the silence. “Do you still listen to the rain?”

“
Yes.”

“
And do you still cry at happy endings?”

“
I don’t know. The last movies with happy endings I watched were with you.”

“
Will you give me another chance?” he whispers, his voice barely audible.

“
I don’t think it makes sense for us to try again, Linden,” I breathe.

“
If I prove you wrong, will you give me a chance?”

I lift my head and look into his turquoise eyes, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Okay. Though I expect I’ll regret it.”

Linden smiles at me, and I lay my head in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. When I close my eyes again, I can feel the sleepiness wash over me. It doesn’t take long until I drift off into the first sound sleep I’ve had in quite a while.

***

When I open my eyes, it’s light outside. I’m still lying on top of Linden, who is fast asleep. I gingerly pull away from him and climb back into the driver’s seat. When I take out my phone to check the time, I see that I have close to thirty missed calls.

“
I really shouldn’t put it on silent when I’m at work,” I murmur.

I don’t even bother to listen to all the voicemail. Instead, I call my dad right away. “Where in God’s name are you?” he yells so loud, I hold the phone away from my ear.

“
I’m sorry, Dad. I … I was driving around with a friend, and we fell asleep in the car. Don’t worry, the car was parked safely, and I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

“
Your mother called all your friends, and then all the hospitals in the vicinity. She’s beside herself with worry,” he barks.

“
I’m really sorry,” I repeat sheepishly. “I just forgot to turn up the volume on my phone. I didn’t mean for you to worry.”

“
You get your ass home right now and take care of your mother. She hasn’t slept or let me sleep the entire night! We’ll talk about this once you’re here. I’ve already missed several appointments today, Thalia.”

“
I’ll be right there, Dad,” I say quietly and hang up.

“
Any problems?” Linden’s sleepy voice asks.

“
I think we’ve just become enemies of the state. My parents tried to call me when I didn’t come home. My dad is really angry. I need to get home immediately.”

“
I’ll go with you and tell your parents it’s my fault,” Linden decides. “You only came here to help me, after all.”

I sigh heavily as I start the engine and head home.

“
Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you’ve only just woken up?”

“
I don’t think so,” I say, “but I have more worrisome things on my mind right now.”

I don’t care about the speed limits. I only want to get home, weather the storm, and crawl into bed afterwards. If I know my mom, she’ll have called my brothers, who will have started to worry, too, and maybe come home to soothe her. This isn’t going to be fun. I’m just glad Linden offered to come along. He may become the primary enemy of the state, but that will be his problem to solve, not mine. I admit I want to deflect the anger.