He nodded. “So, we keep up with the exam questions. We keep up with the pressure, and we work through this until you get multiple perfect scores.”
Teal was about to say something, but all of a sudden, herstomach began to growl.
“Hungry?”
“Yeah.”
Jaxson got to his feet, and Teal laughed. He’d already fixed her knee, and between their exam questions and just talking, he’d forgotten he wasn’t in his home.
“You’re in my home.” This time, she stood. “Er, would you like to stay for dinner? It’s pasta. Simple and basic.”
“You can cook?” he asked.
“Yeah, I cook.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, and he saw the nice red blush on her cheeks. “Would you like to, er, stay?”
“I’d love to.” There was no hesitation.
Inside, he was yelling at himself. Staying in her home was a big mistake. Too much temptation. Too much of anything and everything.
He forced a smile to his lips and tried not to admire the curve of her ass as she walked away. She had a nice, full, rounded ass.
For several seconds, he simply stood there, not sure what he should be doing, and then he followed her into the kitchen.
She already had a full pot of water on to boil. Next, she was in the fridge.
“I’ve got some pesto,” Teal said.
“I hate the stuff.” He wrinkled his nose.
She gasped. “How can you hate pesto? It’s like one of the most amazing things, like ever.”
He burst out laughing. “Trust me. It’s not.”
“I don’t even know if you and I can be friends anymore after that.” She shook her head. “Fine, what is your favorite way to eat pasta?”
“Meatballs. Nice spaghetti sauce, delicious meatballs, and I’m sold.”
“Typical man.” She rolled her eyes. She closed one door, opened the other, and then held up a sandwich bag. “But I did happen to make some the other week. Would you like some?”
“Yeah, I won’t say no.”
Teal chuckled. She moved to the stove and turned on the heat, along with the oven.
“Do you cook all the time?”
“Not all the time. Not a whole lot. Sometimes.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind. It’s relaxing, and that’s what it is supposed to be about, right? Mom, with everything going on, she forgets to eat, and I don’t want her to worry.”
He was tired of her worrying about her parents. Who was worrying about her?
“So, if you’re cooking tonight, then I’m cooking tomorrow night. My place.”
“Jaxson, you don’t have to do that.”
“I insist. I promised your mother I’d take care of you.”
“Oh,” Teal said. “Of course, because my mother asked.”
Before he knew what he was doing, he’d rounded the counter and had gotten up into her space. “No, because I want to.”