“Want some coffee?” he asked, pouring himself a cup.
“No, I’m okay.”
Yes, she definitely was. He couldn’t attest to her mental state with all that she’d crammed into that brain of hers today, but he could definitely attest to her physical one. She looked amazing, even with her hair tied back in a ponytail and a cute pair of reading glasses perched on her nose. He was used to seeing her without makeup and preferred her that way. She had natural beauty with her flawless creamy brown skin. And she looked cute in her jeans and top.
He glanced at his watch. “Jillian?”
She glanced up from the computer and looked over at him. “Yes?”
“It’s time to call it a day.”
She seemed baffled by his statement. “Call it a day? I haven’t covered everything I wanted to do today.”
“You covered a lot and you don’t want to overload your brain.”
She stared at him for a moment and then nodded and began shutting down her computer. “Maybe you’re right. Thanks to you, I did cover a lot. Definitely a lot more than I would have if you hadn’t been here. You’re a great tutor.”
“And you’re a good student.” He glanced at his watch again. “What eating places do you have around here?”
“Depends on what you have a taste for.”
He had a taste for her, but knew he had to keep his promise and not push her into anything. “A juicy steak.”
“Then you’re in luck,” she said, standing. “There’s a great steak place a few blocks from here. Give me a few minutes to change.”
“Okay.” He watched her hurry off toward her bedroom.
When she closed the door behind her, he rubbed a hand down his face. Jillian was temptation even when she wasn’t trying to be. When he’d asked about her roommate she’d told him that Ivy had gone home for spring break. That meant...
Nothing. Unless she made the first move or issued an invitation. Until then, he would spend his nights alone at the hotel.
Eight
Jillian glanced across the table at Aidan. It was day three and still hard to believe that he was in Laramie, that he had come to give her a kick-start in her studying. Day one had been frustrating. He’d pushed her beyond what she thought she was ready for. But going to dinner with him that night had smoothed her ruffled feathers.
Dinner had been fun. She’d discovered he enjoyed eating his steaks medium rare and he loved baked potatoes loaded with sour cream, bacon bits and cheddar cheese. He also loved unsweetened tea and when it came to anything with chocolate, he could overdose if he wasn’t careful.
He was also a great conversationalist. He engaged her in discussions about everything—but he deemed the topic of medical school to be off-limits. They talked about the economy, recent elections, movies they had enjoyed, and about Adrian’s plans to travel the world a few years after getting his PhD in engineering.
And Aidan got her talking. She told him about Ivy, who she thought was the roommate from heaven; about Jillian’s decision two years ago to move out of the dorm; and about her first experience with a pushy car salesman. She told him about all the places she wanted to visit one day and that the one thing she wanted to do and hadn’t done yet was go on a cruise.