“Too early.”
“It’s never too early. I suggest you prepare for them during your free time.”
Now it was her turn to smile. “Free time? What’s that?”
The chuckle that erupted from his throat was smooth and sexy and made her pulse thump. “It’s time you should squeeze in regardless of whether you think you can or not. It’s essential to know how to manage your time wisely, otherwise you’ll get burned-out before you even get started.”
She grudgingly wondered what made him an expert. Then she pushed her resentment aside. He was giving her sound advice and he had gone where she had yet to go. And from what she’d heard, he was doing pretty well at it. He would graduate from Harvard Medical School at the top of his class and then enter a dual residency program that any medical student would die for. He would get the chance to work with the best cardiologists in the United States.
“Thanks for the advice, Aidan.”
“You’re welcome. When you get ready to knock them out of the way, let me know. I’ll help you.”
“You will?”
“Sure. Even if I have to come to you to do it.”
She lifted a brow. He would come to her? She couldn’t imagine him doing such a thing. Harvard was in Boston and that was a long way from her university in Laramie, Wyoming.
“Hand me your phone for a second.”
His request jarred her thoughts back into focus. “Why?”
“So I can put my numbers into it.”
Jillian drew in a deep breath before standing to pull her cell phone from the back pocket of her jeans. She handed it to him and tried to ignore the tingling sensation that flowed through her when their hands touched. She watched him use deft fingers to key in the numbers. Surgeon’s fingers. Long, strong, with precise and swift movements. She wondered how those same fingers would feel stroking her skin. She heated just thinking about it.
Moments later his phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was then that she realized he’d called himself to have her number, as well. “There,” he said, handing her phone back to her. “You now have my number and I have yours.”
Was she jumping to conclusions or did his words hold some significance? “Yes, we have each other’s numbers,” she agreed softly, shoving the assumption out of her mind.
He stood, glancing at his watch. “Adrian and I are meeting up with Canyon and Stern in town for drinks and to shoot pool, so I best get going. Happy birthday again.”
“Thanks, Aidan.”
“You’re welcome.”
He walked away but when he got to the French doors he turned and looked back at her, regarding her through his gorgeous dark eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her stomach quiver and another burst of heat swept through her. She felt something...passion? Sexual chemistry? Lust? All three and more, she decided. She’d thought all the Westmoreland males she’d met since Pam married Dillon were eye candy, but there was something about Aidan that pulled at everything female inside of her.
She cleared her throat. “Is anything wrong?” she asked when the silence began to stretch.
Her question seemed to jar him. He frowned slightly before quickly forcing a smile. “Not sure.”