Just Count on Me: Counting on Love Prequel by Erin Nicholas Read Free Book Online

about,” Conner said, biting into a sandwich.
    Gabby snorted. “You had that teeny tiny cut on your hand from the other night but you whined and moaned to the nurses about it enough that they had to look at it, and treat it, and ask you all about how you got it.”
    “It’s hardly teeny tiny,” Conner said, clearly offended. He held up his hand with the white bandage around it.
    “For God’s sake,” Gabby said. “I saw the cut before you got it all dolled up. It hardly needs that much bandaging.”
    “It might be a little overkill,” Conner admitted. “But it makes the girls feel good about helping me.”
    Sierra laughed. “I’m not even completely convinced you got that cut at the fire. I mean, what the hell were you doing?”
    “Oh, I heard the whole story,” Ryan piped up. “Straight from the horse’s ass.”
    “I think the term is horse’s mouth,” Conner said with a frown.
    “Whatever.” Ryan gave his friend and partner a grin. “I believe you cut it with the knife you were using to free one of the victims. Wasn’t that it?”
    “That was it,” Conner said with a nod.
    “A young girl, right? She was really scared and told you over and over how strong and brave you were?” Ryan went on.
    Conner narrowed his eyes slightly, but he nodded again. “Yeah, that’s about right. She was about seventeen and really freaked out.”
    “And you freed her from what exactly?” Gabby asked. “The group with Sara was blocked in, but no one was really trapped, right?”
    “The tie on her hoodie was caught in the hinge on a door,” Ryan said.
    “The tie on her hoodie?” Gabby asked. “You mean the drawstrings up at her neck?”
    “Yeah.” Ryan managed not to smile.
    “But—” Gabby started.
    “Hey, I’m a dedicated professional,” Conner said quickly over the top of her. “Nothing is too small a need. I’m there for people no matter what.”
    Ryan grinned. Conner could certainly bullshit with the best of them. “That’s really big of you. No wonder you’re everyone’s hero.”
    Sierra chuckled. “Well, that and you telling everyone that you’re their hero.”
    Conner moved in closer to Sierra and gave her a little smile. “Oh, come on, Sierra. If you know that if you were tied up—no matter what the reason—you’d want me there.”
    Ryan grabbed a brownie and settled back to watch the exchange. If anyone could take Conner Dixon down a peg or two it was Sierra and Gabby. They worked right beside Conner and Ryan, just as hard, just as heroically. They were not easily impressed by muscles and bravery.
    She crossed her arms. “And what might these reasons be?”
    “Well, one reason would be something dangerous that would require me to barge in to save your pretty butt.”
    “Okay.” Predictably, Sierra looked less than awestruck. “And the other would be?”
    “Well, depending on what you were tied up with and what you were tied up to…”
    She stared at him for a second. Then burst out laughing. “You’ve got absolutely no ego problem do you?”
    Conner grinned. “I want to be sure you know that I’ll be there for you, no matter what your needs are.”
    Sierra patted his cheek. “Conner, I’ve seen you covered in blood and vomit and …well, you remember the call for Mr. Harrison.”
    Conner grimaced. As did Gabby and Ryan. They all remembered Mr. Harrison’s trip from his apartment to St. Anthony’s. And the clean-up required afterward.
    “I just can’t look at you as a sexy, hot, demigod anymore,” Sierra told him.
    Conner looked at her for a heartbeat, then said, “ Anymore . That implies that you did at one time.”
    Sierra sighed. “I know it’s important to you to think that, so I’m willing to go with it.”
    “He’d think it whether you “let” him or not,” Gabby muttered.
    Ryan laughed out loud at that. The girls headed into the kitchen area and Ryan popped another cookie in his mouth.
    Conner sighed and slumped into the seat across from