slightly.
She glanced around the table. “You’ve been talking about me?”
“Yeah. Conner here thought someone should check on you in the kitchen when you were cussing so loud,” Lance said.
“We told him that the last time someone should go after you is when you’re cussing. Especially in a room that has knives,” Grant told her.
She rolled her eyes.
“You found the Band-Aids on your own,” Conner asked, his gaze dropping to her thumb. She’d sliced it on the sharp edge of the chili can after she’d opened it.
It clearly bothered Conner that she’d been hurt. And that she’d attended to it on her own. She smiled. That was nice. Ridiculous, but nice. She was a paramedic and it was a Band-Aid. “I have some of my own.”
“I’m telling you, she can take care of herself,” Josh said, reaching for more dip. “If you get in her space, she’ll threaten parts of your body that most men are fond of keeping attached.”
Gabby puffed out an irritated breath. Her family made her sound like a ball-buster. And, she supposed, she could be. Sometimes they needed it. She didn’t like them trying to help because they often made things messier and more complicated than if they just stayed out of it. She didn’t like them hovering and fussing either—or she didn’t think she would like it…it’s not like any of them had ever done it—because they sucked at it. And she could put a damned bandage on her own damned finger. But she wasn’t a bitch all the time. She liked to laugh and have fun. She and her brothers had a great time together. They were some of her best friends.
When they weren’t turning on her.
She glared at them, then glanced at Conner. Who was still watching her, but with something new in his eyes. Concern? That was…weird. Then again, if he wanted to kiss her finger to make it better, she wouldn’t stop him. And if he wanted to keep going with the kissing, she wouldn’t stop that either.
Oh boy.
She looked down at her cards. She was being sucked in. She was going to have to be careful here. She was beginning to think she should feel sorry for all the women Conner flirted with. He was potent stuff.
“I’ll look at the cut later,” Conner said, picking up his cards.
She looked up, surprised. It was clearly not a request. “What?”
“Your cut. I’ll look at it later and make sure it’s okay.”
“It’s okay,” she told him.
“I’ll make sure.”
“Con—”
“Ooh boy, you’re brave,” Lance said. “When she had mono and I tried to keep her company, she threw a bowl of soup at me.”
Conner looked at her, clearly amused.
She rolled her eyes. “You came in, plopped down on my couch and started changing the channel,” she told Lance. “And wouldn’t stop after I told you to.”
“You could have caused burns that would have haunted me all my life,” Lance said.
The soup had been cold by the time she’d thrown it. And the bowl had been plastic. And had missed him by several feet.
Conner shook his head. “You must not know anything about women.”
Gabby snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“Gabby’s not really a woman ,” Lance said, rearranging the cards in his hand.
Gabby met Conner’s gaze and immediately felt warmer from the way he was looking at her. She definitely felt like a woman when Conner was around. She felt like freaking basking in being a woman when he looked at her like that.
She had to shake that off. She was on the verge of babbling and batting her eyes again.
“And you know a lot about women?” Steve asked Conner.
“Raised four of ’em,” he said with a shrug.
Gabby laughed. “And that makes you an expert?”
“Well, his sisters are definitely women ,” Josh said.
Conner raised an eyebrow and managed to look very intimidating with only that.
Josh shrugged. “It’s true.”
Gabby waited to see if Conner would argue. It was true. His four sisters were beautiful, smart, fun, successful and had men wrapped around
She glanced around the table. “You’ve been talking about me?”
“Yeah. Conner here thought someone should check on you in the kitchen when you were cussing so loud,” Lance said.
“We told him that the last time someone should go after you is when you’re cussing. Especially in a room that has knives,” Grant told her.
She rolled her eyes.
“You found the Band-Aids on your own,” Conner asked, his gaze dropping to her thumb. She’d sliced it on the sharp edge of the chili can after she’d opened it.
It clearly bothered Conner that she’d been hurt. And that she’d attended to it on her own. She smiled. That was nice. Ridiculous, but nice. She was a paramedic and it was a Band-Aid. “I have some of my own.”
“I’m telling you, she can take care of herself,” Josh said, reaching for more dip. “If you get in her space, she’ll threaten parts of your body that most men are fond of keeping attached.”
Gabby puffed out an irritated breath. Her family made her sound like a ball-buster. And, she supposed, she could be. Sometimes they needed it. She didn’t like them trying to help because they often made things messier and more complicated than if they just stayed out of it. She didn’t like them hovering and fussing either—or she didn’t think she would like it…it’s not like any of them had ever done it—because they sucked at it. And she could put a damned bandage on her own damned finger. But she wasn’t a bitch all the time. She liked to laugh and have fun. She and her brothers had a great time together. They were some of her best friends.
When they weren’t turning on her.
She glared at them, then glanced at Conner. Who was still watching her, but with something new in his eyes. Concern? That was…weird. Then again, if he wanted to kiss her finger to make it better, she wouldn’t stop him. And if he wanted to keep going with the kissing, she wouldn’t stop that either.
Oh boy.
She looked down at her cards. She was being sucked in. She was going to have to be careful here. She was beginning to think she should feel sorry for all the women Conner flirted with. He was potent stuff.
“I’ll look at the cut later,” Conner said, picking up his cards.
She looked up, surprised. It was clearly not a request. “What?”
“Your cut. I’ll look at it later and make sure it’s okay.”
“It’s okay,” she told him.
“I’ll make sure.”
“Con—”
“Ooh boy, you’re brave,” Lance said. “When she had mono and I tried to keep her company, she threw a bowl of soup at me.”
Conner looked at her, clearly amused.
She rolled her eyes. “You came in, plopped down on my couch and started changing the channel,” she told Lance. “And wouldn’t stop after I told you to.”
“You could have caused burns that would have haunted me all my life,” Lance said.
The soup had been cold by the time she’d thrown it. And the bowl had been plastic. And had missed him by several feet.
Conner shook his head. “You must not know anything about women.”
Gabby snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“Gabby’s not really a woman ,” Lance said, rearranging the cards in his hand.
Gabby met Conner’s gaze and immediately felt warmer from the way he was looking at her. She definitely felt like a woman when Conner was around. She felt like freaking basking in being a woman when he looked at her like that.
She had to shake that off. She was on the verge of babbling and batting her eyes again.
“And you know a lot about women?” Steve asked Conner.
“Raised four of ’em,” he said with a shrug.
Gabby laughed. “And that makes you an expert?”
“Well, his sisters are definitely women ,” Josh said.
Conner raised an eyebrow and managed to look very intimidating with only that.
Josh shrugged. “It’s true.”
Gabby waited to see if Conner would argue. It was true. His four sisters were beautiful, smart, fun, successful and had men wrapped around