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

confusion. “What for?”
    “ Well, I painted that, and you said you liked it, so I said thank you.”
    I feel the heat suffuse my cheeks. “Oh. Wow.” I lower my eyes, hoping he doesn’t see me blush.
    Linden sits down at the opposite end of the couch, and I can feel his eyes on me. We both don’t know how to start a meaningful conversation, which is no wonder, because we don’t know each other. If we were at some neutral place, it would be easier to find a topic to start with.
    “ How did your study session go?” he asks.
    What an inane question! “Uh. I hope it went well enough,” I answer with a small shrug.
    He nods, and we’re silent again. Craptastic. I didn’t imagine it would be this awkward. “My friend said you were a musician,” I blurt out, just to get us started. I figure music is as good a topic as any.
    “ I don’t know if you would call me a musician,” he says modestly. “I mainly sing, and sometimes I play the guitar or the keyboard.”
    “ So what about this band … Downstair Alley? How did you guys meet?”
    “ Kingston and I have been friends since we were small, and we were in high school band together. Mike, Gavin, and Azer joined us later, when we were looking for new members to form a band of our own,” he explains. “After high school, we were a garage band for a while, but then my uncle recorded a demo with us and gave it to a friend.”
    “ Sounds lucky.”
    “ Do you play an instrument?” he asks.
    “ I play the guitar, and sometimes I sing, too, but I probably can’t compete with you.” I smile.
    “ Do you want to try?” He grins back.
    “ I’d rather not. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
    “ I don’t think that could happen. What do I have to do to make you sing for me?”
    “ I don’t sing for other people. Sorry, Linden.”
    “ Aw, come on, Thalia. I’m not going to tell anyone. Please?”
    I shake my head. “I’m not going to sing.”
    “ Okay. Too bad, though.”
    I breathe a sigh of relief. “Every time I’m supposed to sing in front of people, I just … can’t do it. I usually sing in the shower or when I’m alone in my room.”
    The corner of his mouth twitches. “You don’t have to justify yourself.”
    “ I wasn’t trying to.”
    “ Yes, you just did.”
    I make a dismissive gesture and grin. “I’ll let you win. I get enough of these arguments with my best friends, thank you very much.”
    “ The girl with you at the hospital—was that your best friend?”
    I nod. “That was Hailey. She’s one of them anyway.”
    “ And who’s the other?”
    “ Camille. We used to live together, the three of us, before they both moved in with their boyfriends. It was nice sharing a place with them because we all grew up in the same town.”
    “ And where was that?” Linden asks.
    “ Austin. Cami’s mother owns a farm there, Hailey’s parents have a store, and my dad has his own company.”
    “ What kind of company?”
    “ It’s an advertising firm.”
    Linden cocks his head to one side. “And why are you studying architecture then?”
    “ I don’t want to be dependent on my dad’s connections. I have older siblings that can inherit the company, and I want to build a life of my own.”
    “ I guess I should have gone to college, too,” he says pensively.
    “ I think everyone needs to decide that for themselves. And if you can make a living from music, then that’s awesome. Why would you do something else?”
    “ I don’t know if I’ll still be able to make a living from it in twenty years, you know?” he explains softly.
    “ Yeah, then maybe you should think of a plan B … unless your band scores some really huge hits. That might get you enough dough for the rest of your lives. I mean, I have no idea how much you can make as a musician, but when I look at Draven, I think he’s doing the right thing.”
    “ Who’s Draven?” he asks.
    “ My current roommate. He and a few of his fellow students have a band. They