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

just love what they’re doing, I think. He has a gig tonight, and I wanted to see it, but you asked me out first, so I’m gonna wait for the next one to see them play.”
    “ I’d like to hear them. When’s the gig?”
    “ I’m not sure.”
    “ Could you call him?”
    I nod, a little puzzled by his urging.
    “ Then ask him, and we’ll go.”
    “ Do you really want to be in a crammed club tonight? I mean, you were only discharged yesterday.” Shouldn’t he take it slow?
    “ The amnesia was a result of shock, and I don’t need my hand to listen to a band,” Linden says with a smile. “I can use the other to hold a drink, so I should be fine. Go ahead, call him.”
    “ Okay.” I take my phone from my purse and dial Draven’s number.
    “ Don’t tell me he’s a pervert and you want me to rescue you,” Draven says by way of a greeting.
    I suppress a giggle. “No, that’s not why I’m calling. I wanted to ask you when your gig starts.”
    “ Eleven. Why?”
    “ Because I’m coming to see you,” I reply, amused by his obvious bafflement.
    “ I thought you were on a dinner date … ”.
    “ I’m bringing him along. So eleven at Dizzles?”
    “ Yeah.”
    “ Awesome. See you there.”
    “ Bye.” Draven hangs up, and I look at Linden. “The gig starts at eleven. That means we still have about two hours before we should head out.”
    “ Great, so we still have time to have dinner, which should be ready now anyway. Grab your glass and follow me.”
    Taking my glass, I rise and follow Linden through the house as he says, “I hope Mrs. Atkins has everything ready.”
    A middle-aged woman is waiting in the kitchen. “Mr. Priest, I was just about to call you,” she says.
    “ We were faster I guess. May I introduce you to Miss Leroux?”
    The woman offers me a warm smile. “Nice to meet you, Miss Leroux.”
    “ Nice to meet you, too.” Wow, he has actual servants. That isn’t something I’d have expected from a guy my age.
    “ The table is set, Mr. Priest,” Mrs. Atkins says.
    “ In the dining room?”
    “ Yes, everything is the way you wanted it.”
    “ Thank you, Mrs. Atkins.” Linden walks through the kitchen, and I follow him through an open archway.
    The dining room is completely modern, and the walls are full of framed paintings. “Did you paint all of these, too?” I ask curiously.
    “ Yeah. My mother had them hung in here,” he answers calmly, waiting behind my chair until I’m seated.
    “ Thank you, Linden.”
    He sits down next to me, at the head of the table, and looks at me again. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I decided on pasta Alfredo. Is that okay?”
    I nod, smiling. “Absolutely. I just hope I don’t mess up my dress with this sauce.”
    “ Should we get you a bib?”
    I laugh out loud. “No, thanks. I think I can just about manage.”
    ***
    By the time Mrs. Atkins clears the table, we’re back to our first conversation topic: music.
    “ No way!” he blurts out when I tell him that I once went to a casting call for American Idol .
    “ Yep.” I giggle. “But it was hard, and I was anxious, so I totally embarrassed myself. No wonder I didn’t get called back.”
    “ When was that?”
    “ Oh, a few years ago.”
    “ Did they show your audition on TV?”
    “ Fortunately, they didn’t. And don’t waste your time checking the internet, because my dad made sure the videos I was in were taken down.”
    “ Aw, crap! I would have loved to see that. And hear you, of course.”
    “ You would have been scarred for life,” I joke.
    “ I don’t believe that for a second, but you don’t want to prove it to me.” Linden grins, looking a little mischievous. It suits him.
    “ Here’s a suggestion,” I say.
    He cocks his head to one side and looks at me with eager anticipation. “Yes?”
    “ If we have another date, I’ll sing for you, but only if you promise not to laugh or judge my voice.”
    “ Deal!” Linden holds out his hand, and I shake it,