Linden: Rocking Pleasure: New Adult College Romance (Coral Gables Series Book 3) Read Free Page B

to get rid of the makeup, then I shuffle back to bed. About time. I fall asleep immediately.

Chapter 2
    “ I don’t give a fuck,” I rant at my phone, which wakes me with music far too loud, mere minutes after I’ve fallen asleep. At least that’s what it feels like. Note to self: Linkin Park is a dumb idea for a ringtone. Second note to self: Switch off the damn thing altogether if you want to catch some sleep! I ignore Chester Bennington’s screaming voice.
    But as soon as the song fades, it starts all over again. “ I’ve become so numb! I can’t feel you there! I’ve become so tired! So much more aware! ”
    I blink and search for the phone, finally picking it up from the floor to answer the call. “I swear, if this is meant to be a joke, you’re on my enemy list forever!”
    “ Hello, Miss Leroux. This is Alexis Kingston, and I guess we got off on the wrong foot, though I’m not sure why.” He sounds overwhelmed by my sleepy intensity.
    I sigh. “Mr. Kingston, I have no idea what time it is, but you just woke me up.”
    “ It is four p.m. in Miami, and my plane has just landed. You told me to call you when I got here.”
    “ Where are you now?” I ask, sitting up.
    “ I’m still at the airport, but I can take a taxi to the hospital. It would be nice if you could send me the address.”
    Oops. I completely forgot. I meant to send it to him when I got home last night. “Mr. Kingston, if it isn’t too much of a drag for you to wait, I could pick you up in about an hour.”
    “ I still need to get my luggage, so I don’t think I’ll be ready much earlier than that anyway,” he replies.
    “ Great. Then go to the passenger drop-off area. I have a black Mercedes with a license plate that says ‘Fabulous.’ How can I recognize you?” While I speak, I get up and pull a dress from my closet.
    “ I’ll send you a photo in WhatsApp.”
    “ Okay. See you soon.”
    “ Bye.”
    We hang up, and I run into the bathroom, taking a record-time shower and trying to get my hair to look half decent. I won’t bother blow-drying it, because it’s always hot outside this time of year, so it’ll be dry within minutes anyway. Besides, once I have it all up in a ponytail, it doesn’t matter whether it’s wet or dry. I slip into the dress, and of course I need to put on a little bit of makeup, but I tone it down so I won’t look like a clown or a harlot.
    Even though I’m still exhausted from going to bed at six a.m., I want to help Mr. Kingston. I also want to know if Linden is all right. He’s kind of cute, but also a little absent-minded, which of course might be due to the little problem of the amnesia.
    I leave the bathroom and run smack into Draven. “Whoa, sorry,” I say.
    “ Fuck,” he mutters. “Are you in a hurry again? Where are you going?” Draven is cute, too. He reminds me of Delsin, not because of his personality, but because of how he dresses. He usually wears tight pants and big shirts, but his hair is far too long for a young man. It’s longer than mine, for Christ’s sake!
    “ Yeah, in a hurry. I need to pick someone up from the airport and drive him to meet his lost friend. I’ll be back later—and by the way, hands off my hair spray. I don’t want to buying a new bottle all the time, just because you’re too stingy to buy your own.” I say all this in one long, breathless sentence.
    “ Wasn’t me. I think Nathaniel used it.”
    “ Uh, Nathaniel’s hair is maybe three millimeters long. So don’t give me that.” I smile. His attempt at an excuse was really poor.
    “ Okay,” he says guiltily. “I’ll buy you a new one if you want me to.”
    “ Why don’t you buy a bottle for yourself?” I suggest with a wink. “I’ll see you later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.”
    “ See you, Thally.”
    “ Bye.” I grab my handbag and my phone, and then I walk out to where my car is parked. First I let down the folding top, and then I start the engine.
    When I turn on the