Screwing His Wood (DP Construction #2)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

Sara

"Igot it, Ms. Peters."

I swipe my hair out of my eyes and squint into the bright afternoon sunlight as a strong hand grabs my suitcase.

"Oh, thank you, Mikey." I sigh in relief and let out a hard breath from struggling with my unwieldy luggage all the way down the stairs. I'm not usually such a damsel in distress, but I pulled a muscle in my shoulder yesterday, so simple tasks are now annoyingly difficult.

I need to do more stretching. Maybe take up yoga?

Mikey shuts the trunk of my car, pulling me from my thoughts.

"You coming to the game tonight, Ms. Peters?"

"No, but I'm sure you guys will kick their butts."

Mikey is the starting center for the Duhring Park High School boys’ varsity basketball team.

The team has a rigorous practice schedule, and he's maintaining a B+ in my Algebra II class.

I try to make him an inspiration to his fellow teammates who are barely getting to class on time, but it isn't exactly rubbing off.

"Oh, we will. Have a good weekend!" Mikey grabs his athletic bag and continues down the sidewalk, heading toward the school.

A good weekend? Not likely. As if on cue, my phone pings with an incoming message.

Greta

Betty said your car is still in Duhring Park. Have you come to your senses?

I roll my eyes and look around. It's like living in a fishbowl in this town. My apartment is in the building next door to The Reading Grounds, a popular coffee shop right on Main Street, so I'm always out in the open. I sigh and type out a quick response.

Running behind. Leaving now.

One last attempt at reason, Sara. You do not owe anybody this moment.

I shake my head. My sister's response was too fast; she had that text ready to go. I sigh again, biting my lip as I try to decide how to respond.

This weekend is my cousin Caroline's wedding, which is great. I'm happy for her. But the best man at the wedding is my ex-boyfriend, brother of the groom, and the douchebag I wasted six months of my life with before coming to my senses.

The gaslighting, the manipulation, the love bombing, his trying to distance me from my family – our relationship was a textbook case of a toxic narcissist. He was obsessed with my moving in with him.

It pissed him off when I wouldn't co-sign on an apartment, only two months into the relationship.

I almost broke up with him then and there, but he fed me a sob story about his family relationships growing up, so I gave him another chance.

Then, a few months later, when my roommate moved out, he tried to pressure me into letting him move in to my apartment, but I refused again.

I am forever grateful for my intuition. As locked in as I was, something was off.

It just took my brain a while to trust my gut.

I didn't even find out about the cheating until after we were over.

It's been almost four months since we broke up, but I'm now starting to feel like myself again.

I owe it to myself. I'm a big girl, and I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm better off without him.

Damn straight. But that doesn't mean you have to spend a weekend near him.

You and I can skip the wedding tomorrow. I'll get us some spa appointments, and we'll get dinner at a fancy restaurant.

Caroline won't even notice us missing.

He is not going to keep me from spending time with my family, and yes, she would notice.

Fine, she would notice, but she gets it. She's not a fan of him either.

I'm coming.

You still picking Jett up?

Yep.

I check my watch. Damn it. Our brother Jett lives in a remote cabin up the mountain, and his cell reception is spotty. I managed to get ahold of him yesterday to confirm the time, but I won't be able to give him a heads-up that I'm running late.

Can't believe he agreed to come with you.

Me either. But Kyle was afraid of him, so hopefully he'll stay away if Jett is with me.

We can only hope that asshole has some self-preservation. Love you. Drive safely.

Love you, too.

"Ms. Peters!"

I turn toward the sweet voice calling my name, and my heart drops.

Kayley Doyle, a former student, waves at me from the passenger seat of a black Land Rover.

It's not the sight of Kayley that makes me nauseous, though.

Kyle sits beside her in the driver's seat.

He pulls his sunglasses down and throws his arm around Kayley's shoulders as he grins at me.

"See you in Festival Valley, Sara."

Kayley turns to Kyle with a look of confusion, and I realize she has no idea about our history.

Sweet, sunny, gorgeous Kayley, who can't be more than a year out of high school, is dating my ex?

It's enough to take my breath away. But it isn't jealousy rising inside me.

No, it's complete concern for the innocent lamb who thinks it's cool that a man in his late thirties is into her.

"Just dropping Kayley off and then heading out. Hope you don't miss the dinner, Sara."

As Kyle grins at me, a little thought flickers at the corner of my brain. He’s going to make this weekend miserable. Kayley is meant to make me jealous—which won’t and will only make him even more determined to get my attention. The creepy asshole probably knew she was my former student too.

Fury and frustration start a fire in my belly, licking out into the rest of my body so fast that I'm completely blinded to rational thought.

I am so tired of Kyle getting in my head.

I need him to think I'm taken, and it needs to be with someone who scares him.

Someone as big and intimidating as my brother, but obviously not someone I'm related to.

Keenly aware of the ticking clock and a weekend of dealing with Kyle's bullshit, I panic.

It's the only explanation for what I do next.

I lock eyes with the guy coming down the sidewalk toward me just as I throw myself into his muscular arms and plant my mouth on his.

OMG. Please be single.