The Secret Affair(35)
“Now let’s seal our agreement,” he said.
When she extended her hand, he glanced at it before pulling her into his arms again.
* * *
He was taking advantage again, Jillian thought. But she only thought that for a second. That was all the time it took for her to begin returning his kiss with the same hunger he seemed to feel. This was crazy. It was insane. It was also what she needed. What she’d been wanting since leaving Denver and returning to Laramie.
Kissing was something they enjoyed doing with each other and the unhurried mating of their mouths definitely should be ruled illegal. But for now she could handle this—in the safety of her living room, in the arms of a man she thoroughly enjoyed kissing—as long as it went no further.
But what if it did? He’d already shown her that his definition of kissing included any part of her body. What if he decided he wanted more than her mouth this time? Her hormones were going haywire just thinking of the possibility.
He suddenly broke off the kiss and she fought back a groan of disappointment. She stared up at him. “Okay, where’s the study guide?” he asked her.
She blinked. Her mind was slow in functioning after such a blazing kiss. It had jarred her senses. “Study guide?”
He smiled and caressed her cheek. “Yes, the MCAT study guide.”
“On my kitchen table. I was studying when you showed up.”
“Good. And you’ll study some more. Lead the way.”
* * *
Aidan leaned back in his chair and glanced over at Jillian. “Any questions?”
She shook her head. “No, but you make it seem simple.”
He smiled. “Trust me, it’s not. The key is to remember that you’re the one in control of your brain and the knowledge that’s stored inside of it. Don’t let retrieving that information during test time psych you out.”
She chuckled. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“And it will be easy for you, as well. I’ve been there, and when time allows I tutor premed students like yourself. You did well on the practice exam, which covers basically everything you need to know. Now you need to concentrate on those areas you’re not so sure about.”
“Which is a lot.”
“All of them are things you know,” he countered. He believed the only reason she lacked confidence in her abilities was because the idea of failing was freaking her out. “You don’t have to pass on the first go-round. A lot of people don’t. That’s why it’s suggested you plan to take it at least twice.”
She lifted her chin. “I want to ace it on the first try.”
“Then do it.”
Aidan got up from his chair and went over to the coffeepot sitting on her kitchen counter. He needed something stronger than caffeine, but coffee would have to do. He’d been here for five hours already and they hadn’t stopped for lunch. The key was to take frequent short breaks instead of one or two long ones.
She had taken the online practice exam on verbal reasoning and he thought she’d done well for her first time. He’d given her study tips for multiple-choice exams and gone over the questions she had missed. Personally, he thought she would do fine, although he thought taking the test in two months was pushing it. He would have suggested three months instead of two.