Page 164 of Show Me

“You said spring semester.” Emily rests her knee on the cushion, turning sideways to face us.

“I did.”

Bella studies me. “You’re really doing it?”

“Yeah.” The word comes out steadier than I expected. “I’m signing up next month.”

Emily grins. “That’s amazing.”

Bella raises an eyebrow. “I don’t understand how either of you deal with blood.”

Emily shrugs, causing her ponytail to bob with the movement. “You get used to it.”

Bella looks at me. “What about you?”

I hesitate as moisture fills my mouth. “Honestly… I don’t.”

They both blink.

“What?” Emily tilts her head sideways as she tries to make sense of my response. She’s not the only one.

“I almost threw up earlier this week.”

Bella laughs. “See? I knew it.”

“What happened?” Emily asks.

“I stopped by Dad’s place the other day.” I shake my head as the memory leaves me unsettled. “One of the pigs cut its leg on some fencing.”

Bella winces. “Oh, God.”

“He needed an extra set of hands while he cleaned it before calling Dr. Carter out.”

“And?” Emily presses.

“And I thought I was going to pass out.”

“That’s normal for novices.” Emily laughs as Ben delivers drinks to everyone.

Bella shakes her head. “No thank you.”

I smile, but my gaze drifts without meaning to across the room. Xavier is leaning against the wall, talking to Sam and Jake, who are seated at the table with Dominic. His eyes flick up. Find me. Hold, just for a second. Then shift away as if nothing happened.

Like it didn’t matter. Like he didn’t spend the last two hours in bed with me, rocking my world with orgasm after orgasm. My chest constricts. I look back at the girls before anyone notices.

Emily’s brow furrows. “But you grew up around that. Livestock. Injuries. Typical farm stuff.”

“It’s different when it’s animals you care about.” At least, that’s what I’m telling myself. Because while blood can make me a little queasy at times, it usually doesn’t bother me that much.

And if this is something new, it doesn’t bode well for me. What vet is going to want a technician that needs to hurl in the toilet every time there’s a little blood involved?

Okay, it wasn’t a little blood. The cut was so deep the bone was exposed. And the tendons.

“I did.” I lift one shoulder as I block out the rawness of the injury, which is why it shouldn’t have bothered me. “But outside of delivery, Dad did most of the gory stuff.”

Bella’s winks. “That’s right. You were a regular pig midwife.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not a pig midwife.”