Kade

Madison was trying to help. 

But her leaning next to me was not helping.

“Hold on,” I said. “I need to get you a chair.”

“I won’t—” She started to protest, but I was already heading down the hallway to grab another chair. 

Minutes later, we were sitting side by side. Much better. 

I was having trouble paying attention to what she was trying to show me on the computer.

I was good with computers. I’d figure out what I needed to do.

But when she’d offered to help, I’d jumped on the opportunity to spend more time with her.

I’d figure out the computer program later. On my own.

In the meantime, Madison was driving me a little bit insane.

She was being professional, but distant.

Not really paying me much attention.

The way she was acting, I could be just one of her students.

Nothing personal.

I intended to change that.

I sat back a bit and relaxed my knees, bumping against hers.

It was a brief touch, barely noticeable.

Though there was a hiccup in her sentence, she didn’t move away.

I took that as encouragement.

A few minutes later, I went to pick up my pen under the pretense of making a note and my hand brushed against hers.

Again, a barely noticeable hiccup in her sentence.

But again, she didn’t move away.

She had one hand on the mouse and the other resting on my desk. 

I moved my hand closer to hers.

She stopped talking and turned to face me. 

“Are you listening?” she asked.

“I’m hearing every word,” I said. It was completely a lie. I did hear her.

I just wasn’t listening.

She looked into my eyes. 

Looking into those mesmerizing mermaid green eyes tipped me over the edge. 

My lips curved slowly as I smiled at her. 

“You’re not paying attention,” she said letting go of the mouse and sitting back.

“Sorry,” I said. “You’ve got to admit…” I nodded toward the computer. “There are more interesting topics.”

She shook her head and obviously resigned herself to the fact that today’s lesson was over. “Like what?” 

“Tell me something about you I don’t know.”

She scowled at me. “You know too much already.”

I leaned back, warming to the topic. “I know that you like cheese pizza. That you’ve been a psychology major since the day you set foot on the Tech campus. I know that you’re loyal to your family and would do anything for them.”

“See. I told you you know too much.”

“Oh no,” I said. “that’s just the surface. I also know that you’re no longer that same college student I knew years ago. I know you’ve changed.”

“You’re saying you’ve changed,” she said.

I just grinned. She was going to make a damn fine psychologist. Just like her mother.

I ignored the statement. I knew what she was doing. I knew she was trying to turn it back around to me.

“I don’t know where you live,” I said.

She seemed to think about her answer before responding.

“I’m currently living with my sister Ainsley,” she said. “until I move to Denver.”

That reminder that she would be leaving soon caught me right in the gut.

As long as I didn’t think about how little time we had before she left for Denver, I didn’t have to deal with it.

But it was obviously something at the front of her mind.

“Denver’s going to be a whole lot different from Houston,” I said. “or even Dallas/Fort Worth.”

I knew she’d spent her share of time in the Dallas area, with her daddy having an office there. 

“I know,” she said. “I can adapt.”

“I have no doubt about that.”

We just looked at each other for a few minutes. It was hard being this close to her and not being able to touch her.

My gaze drifted to her lips.

She had a slightly pouty expression. Not enough that anyone who didn’t know her well would notice.

But I knew her expressions well enough to know that I was making her just a little uncomfortable. 

I also knew that she wouldn’t let me keep the upper hand for very long.

“How’s that going?” I asked.

“How’s what going?

“Living with your sister?”

She shrugged. “She has a nice place. It’s plenty big. I hardly ever see her.”

I couldn’t tell if not seeing her sister was a good thing or a bad thing.

She’d learned to control her expressions. I had to give her that. 

“How about you?” she asked. “Do you have a place to live yet?”

“Nah,” I said. “I haven’t had time to look yet. Got a hotel down the street.”

The old Madison would have offered to help me find something. Something, though, was holding her back.

Maybe she had a boyfriend. It wouldn’t be unusual for her to have found another psychologist to connect with. 

They’d have a lot in common. A lot to talk about.

She and I had never had trouble talking. 

At least not until right now.

I backed off. I was pushing too hard.

“When’s the last time you went for a burger?”

She knew exactly what I was asking. Getting a burger had been one of our favorite things to do.

We’d pick a destination. Fly there. Grab one of the complimentary cars they kept for pilots, then dash to the nearest burger place.

After a quick meal, we’d get back in the plane and fly home. To Louisiana Tech.

I’d logged a lot of my flight hours that way.

And it had come with the added bonus of getting to spend time with Madison.

Between the time spent with her father and the time spent in the plane with me, I was pretty sure she could fly a small plane if she had to.

But it didn’t interest her.

She was as passionate about psychology as I was about flying. And that said a lot.

Thing was, I’d also been as passionate about her. But I’d never really let her know that. 

My question seemed to catch her off-guard. 

“I don’t know… I guess it’s been awhile. I usually have somewhere to go when I’m flying.” 

So she no longer flew for fun. That told me something new about her. It told me she wasn’t dating a pilot, for one thing.

“Getting dinner is going somewhere.”

She shook her head. “Not the same thing.”

“No,” I said, watching the play of emotions on her lovely face. “No. I guess it isn’t quite the same.”