But I won’t let Sawyer Strong fuck with me the way he used to.
I’m stronger than that.
“I wanted to check in with you before you left,” he says. “How was your first day? Do you have any questions or need anything?”
Wait, what?This isn’t what I expected, nor is it exactly a chase-after-me-in-the-freezing-parking-lot kind of conversation.
Don’t let down your guard.
“My day went well,” I answer with myfuck offsmile.
His eyes sweep over the windows of my car, stuffed full of my belongings I’d thrown in the night before. I step to the side, blocking his view as I straighten my spine, daring him to say a word.
The corners of his mouth tilt down. “Do you want to talk about anything?”
The intensity in his eyes has my stomach fizzing like a bottle of champagne. My heart beats fast, and I don’t understand it.
“Nope. I pretty much remember how the school works,” I reply. “I was only a student here for six years.”
His jaw relaxes and his throat works in a swallow. “Right.”
He rubs the back of his neck, looking lost for a moment. He glances at the school, then back at me. Suddenly, his brows dip and he steps closer, stealing my breath.
“Is everything okay, Brie?” His voice is so deep, so low, so husky. When did his voice get so husky? I feel it between my legs. His voice is thelastvoice I want to feel between my legs.
I step back and raise my chin to look at him.
“Why are you really here?” His voice is quiet, like he’s asking me a secret. Like I should trust him. Like he’s myfriend.
But I don’t.
And he isn’t.
All at once, I understand exactly what he’s asking. The reason he followed me out here in the first place. He wants to know about my past, for me to fess up about Christopher and being pushed out of Everett Academy.
Sawyer Strong, the man, is crafty and patient in a waythe boy wasn’t. I’d caught a glimpse of that our senior year. He knows how to play the long game.
I ought to remember that.
All the frustration, desperation, and anger I’ve swallowed down since yesterday rise to the surface. Without permission, my face screws up into what my little sister Mara calls my Angry Badger Face.
I push off my car and step into Sawyer’s space, my chest brushing his. The sharp intake of breath tells me he wasn’t expecting me to stand up for myself.
Surprise, mother fucker.
Pointing at the school, I say, “In there, I’ll be polite and professional. Teacher-like. My only comfort is knowing you have to do the same. But school’s out, and I don’t have to answer any of your questions. I don’t even have to talk to you. In fact—” I cut myself off and let my actions speak for themselves.
Spinning on my heel, I bump Sawyer out of my way with my hip, almost tipping over in the process, and get in my car.
As I pull out, any satisfaction I might have felt grows hollow when I glance at Sawyer in my mirror. He’s still mostly stoic, but one side of his mouth ticks up, partway to his evil, playful smirk.
Like I played right into his hand.
CHAPTER 6
SAWYER
The soundof brad nails punching into the subfloor echoes off the vaulted ceiling. I don’t waste time looking up at Will’s progress as I grab another panel of plywood, taking care to lay it perfectly in place before picking up my nailgun and methodically driving nails around the perimeter.
