Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) by Drucie Anne Taylor Read Free Book Online Page A

don’t want anything else to do with this Linden Priest rock star guy.”
    “ Famous last words of Thalia Leroux, queen of the self-deceivers,” Hailey taunts with a smirk.
    “ I’m not the queen of anything, Hailey,” I hiss defensively. “I just don’t want any further contact with this man.”
    “ Whoa, no need to get all worked up, sister. I am the last one to tell you what to do.”
    My answer is another sigh. “It’s just that … he had me all confused,” I confide. “When I picked up his friend Alexis from the airport yesterday and brought him to the hospital, Linden asked me out, even though they mentioned a girlfriend or fiancée just a few minutes earlier. That’s not normal, right?”
    “ Did he tell you why he wanted to take you out?”
    “ I think he wanted to thank me again, but wouldn’t you think he’d have said he was bringing his girlfriend or that I could bring my boyfriend or something, in case I had one? You know?”
    “ Well, not necessarily, but I know what you mean,” she says, looking thoughtful. “Do you like him?”
    “ I guess, but if he has a girlfriend, he’s off limits. I have principles. Plus, apparently he’s some kind of rock star, even though I never heard of his band before yesterday.”
    She smirks. “That’s because Downstair Alley is more of a boy band. They don’t play real rock, but stuff more like the Backstreet Boys, or Natural.”
    “ No wonder I hadn’t heard of them.”
    “ Of course not! So if you go out to dinner with him, nobody can say you’re just a groupie. There’s nothing wrong with it, if he really just wants to thank you for your help.”
    We keep walking through the store. “I guess not. But I don’t want his girlfriend to think he’s cheating on her. People like him are chased by paparazzi, and I don’t think they ever get a break. What do you think will happen when they see him with a woman who’s not his girlfriend? They would jump at the chance to be the first to publish a juicy story.”
    Hailey stops and stands in front of me. “What happened to the Thalia Leroux that called college a hotbed of sin and intended to finish it with as many misdemeanors as possible?”
    “ Oh, her? She lay down on the highway a few months ago and let a Mack truck run over her.” I giggle.
    “ Don’t quote The Simpsons to me, I want an honest answer.” She grins back at me.
    “ Oh, I don’t know,” I answer, after I’ve stopped giggling. “I feel like a little bitch these days, because you’re all so happy now, while I’m still leading the party life. To be honest, I’ve been acting pretty slutty since we started college, and now I think I want to change that.”
    “ You’re not acting slutty,” Hailey protests.
    “ I’m not?”
    “ No. Because if you were, then I was as well, and I don’t like to talk about myself as a slut. It’s that simple.” She laughs.
    “ Now if that isn’t flawed logic…” I join her laughter.
    “ No, I’m merely creative regarding our adventures,” she counters. “You want to get a cup of coffee?”
    “ I gotta run after this,” I answer, feeling calmer now. “Have something I have to do.”
    “ Oh, and what would that be?”
    “ Linden wants me to come see him again because his brother and his fiancée want to meet me, too, you know, since I sort of saved his life.”
    “ But Cami said he wasn’t injured that badly, was he?”
    “ No. She’s right. And I don’t know why these people are making such a big deal out of it.” I paused. “You know what? I’m going to cancel via text, and then you and I can spend the rest of the day having fun. Okay?”
    “ No! You going and you’re taking me.” Hailey grins.
    “ Hailey,” I whine.
    “ What? I want to see this guy, too, and then you won’t be on your own,” she says reasonably. “And then I could back you if you still want to reject him.”
    “ Okay. Let me pay first, and then we can do it if you really want to.”
    “ Did