Watching Mine

After several more minutes of talking to Avery, Mom gets back on the phone. I blow out a shaky breath.

“Call me tomorrow and tell me how today goes. I want to hear all about it.”

“Will do. You have your exam today, don’t you?” she asks.

“Yeah. It’s the only class I have today, thank goodness.”

“You’re going to ace it, I just know it.”

Laughing, I toss the covers off me and throw my feet over the side. “Thanks for the confidence. I wish I had as much as you.”

“You’re so smart, Em, and I’m so proud of you. Both me and your dad are.”

I look down at my feet and wiggle my toes into the carpet. “Thanks, Mom,” I tell her, my throat suddenly feeling like there’s a lump in it. “I’ve got to go. I have class in an hour.”

“Okay, sweetie. Good luck, and I want to know how it went when I call tomorrow.”

After saying goodbye, I toss my phone on the bed and get up to go to the bathroom. I jump in the shower, then brush my teeth and apply a light layer of makeup. Once I have my travel mug full of blissful coffee, I grab it, my purse, my book bag, and my keys.

On my way to campus, I think about Nathan and wonder when he’ll call me. If he’ll call me, I amend. I hope like hell he does, because I’m not through with whatever we started two nights ago when I danced for him. And last night made me want him even more. The way he made my body feel was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. It was electrifying and intense. I’ve had a couple sexual relationships, but I’ve never had a man look at me the way he did. It was as if nothing else in the world mattered to him in that moment except me giving myself pleasure. Every part of him was focused on me. Not just what my fingers were doing to my pussy, but my face. He liked looking at my expression with each new feeling I experienced.

A horn blares behind me, and I realize while I’ve been daydreaming the light has turned green. Even though there’s no one around to see it, heat creeps up my neck and into my cheeks. I drive the rest of the way trying my best to concentrate on my exam that’s coming up and not the man who’s rocked my world.

Microbiology. My least favorite class and the one I struggle in the most. Not because I don’t understand the material, but because the professor is a hard-ass. While I respect him, I still want to shove my shoe up his ass when I’m up at two o’clock in the morning finishing an assignment I’ve already spent numerous hours on. Luckily, I’ve taken summer courses the last two years so I only have four classes this semester. This is my last year, and I couldn’t be more excited to earn my degree and put it to use.

I do clinicals three days a week, and it’s those days that I enjoy the most. Dr. Morrow was my mom’s obstetrician, so I’ve known him literally since the day I was born. He was also mine with Avery. He’s old and grandfatherly, and I love working with him. But it’s the patients I enjoy the most. Seeing each woman come in every month, their stomach bigger than the last time I saw them. The look on their faces each time we listen to their little baby’s heartbeat. The joy of announcing what sex they’ll have. There’s no better feeling than knowing I was part of the team who helped keep their baby safe in the mother’s womb.

I pull into the lot, park, grab my things, and climb from the car. Nerves have my hands fumbling with my keys, and they fall to the ground. With a huff, I bend and pick them up, giving myself a mental kick in the ass as I do so. This degree is so important. Not only to me, but to my parents and Avery, even if she doesn’t know it. I need this to prove to myself and them that I’m more than what I used to be. I’ve come a long way from where I was when Avery was conceived and born, but I want to be better. For me and my parents, but especially for Avery.

With my bag and purse slung over my shoulder, my back straight, head held high, and with a renewed confidence, I march across campus, ready and determined to ace the exam.

***

I LEAVE PROFESSOR WILKENS’ classroom and immediately dig my phone out of my purse. I look around and make sure no one is around who can look over my shoulder. A smile breaks across my face and warmth rushes between my legs as I reread the text message Nathan sent right as I was taking my seat. The professor came into the room and demanded attention before I got a chance to text him back.

Nathan: I slept with your panties on my pillow so I would smell you all night.

I shoulder my way out of the doors, my fingers flying over the screen as I reply.

Me: I don’t know if that’s creepy or a turn on.

As soon as I hit Send, the word seen appears at the bottom on the screen, then a second later, the little dots start to jump. It’s only a minute before his reply appears, but before I get a chance to look, my name is called.

“Emberleigh! Wait up!”

I look up from my phone and barely stop a groan as Jacob Bennigan jogs my way. He’s a sweet guy, smart, funny, good-looking, and very persistent. He asks me out every other week, and every other week, I decline. He’s all those things, which you would think would make a pretty good package, but he’s also still very much in his party boy stage. Everyone knows the shit that can happen at college parties. A shudder sweeps through me at the memories that surface. I already went through that stage in life, and I have no desire to repeat it.

“Hey, Jacob.” I turn from him to my car door, hoping he’ll get the hint and move on. I hate to be rude, but I’m running out of excuses to refuse his offer to take me out.

His huffing alerts me that my attempt to ignore him has failed. Once I unlock my car, I turn to him.

His eyes, which I know were firmly planted on my ass, lift to mine. At least he has the decency to look apologetic at being caught.

“You have plans this weekend?” he asks, giving me a grin I know works on a lot of girls. Fortunately, it doesn’t do anything for me.

I don’t have plans, but I’m not telling him that.

“I do, actually.” At his crestfallen look, I add, “I’m sorry.”