always wanted to live in New Orleans so working at a hospital there will be at the top of my list,” she said, trying to ignore the eyes staring at her.
“And your second choice?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. I guess one in Florida.”
“Why?”
She frowned. Why was he quizzing her? “I’ve never been to Florida.”
He chuckled. “I hope that’s not the only reason.”
Her frown deepened. “Of course that’s not the only reason,” she said defensively. “There are good medical schools in Louisiana and Florida.”
He nodded. “Yes, there are. How’s your grade point average?”
“Good. In fact my GPA is better than good. I’m at the top of my class. In the top ten at least.”
Getting there hadn’t been easy. She’d made a lot of sacrifices, especially in her social life. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d gone out on a date or participated in any school activities. But she was okay with that. Pam was paying a lot of the cost for her education and Jillian wanted to make her sister proud.
“What about the entrance exam—the MCAT—and admission essays? Started on them yet?”
“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.”
As he opened the French door to go inside, she wondered what he meant by that.
* * *
Why, of all the women in the world, have I developed this deep attraction for Jillian Novak?
The first time he’d noticed it was when they’d been introduced four years ago. He’d been twenty-two, and she only seventeen, but still a looker. He’d known then that he would have to keep his distance. Now she was twenty-one and still had the word innocent written all over her. From what he’d heard, she didn’t even have a boyfriend, preferring to concentrate on her studies and forgo a love life.
And speaking of life, Aidan was fairly certain he loved every part of his, especially his family. So why was he allowing himself to be attracted to Pam’s sister? He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Dillon.
Pam Novak was a jewel and just what Dillon needed. Everyone had been shocked when Dillon announced he had met a woman who he intended to marry. That had been the craziest thing Aidan had ever heard.
Dillon, of all people, should have known better. Hadn’t his first wife left him when he’d refused to send the youngest four members of the Westmoreland family—namely him, Adrian, Bane and Bailey—to foster care? What had made Dillon think Pam would be different? But it didn’t take Aidan, his siblings and cousins long to discover that she was different.
As far as Aidan was concerned, she was everything they’d all needed; she knew the value of family. And she had proven it when she’d turned her back on a promising acting career to care for her three teenaged sisters when her father passed away.
To say the Westmorelands had undergone a lot of family turmoil of their own was an understatement. It all started when Aidan’s parents and uncle and aunt died in a plane crash, leaving his cousin Dillon in charge of the family, along with Aidan’s oldest brother, Ramsey, as backup. Dillon and Ramsey had worked hard and made sacrifices to keep the family together—all fifteen of them.
Aidan’s parents had had eight children: five boys—Ramsey, Zane, Derringer and the twins, Aidan and Adrian—and three girls—Megan, Gemma and Bailey. Uncle Adam and Aunt Clarisse had had seven sons: Dillon, Micah, Jason, Riley, Canyon, Stern and Brisbane.
It hadn’t been easy, especially since he, Adrian, Brisbane and Bailey
