Pound (Powertools - The Original Crew Returns #4) - Jayne Rylon

About The Book

The original Powertools crew is back in a brand new series!

When James was a kid, he aspired to be a superhero’s sidekick. He’s never enjoyed being the boss. Not on while working for the Powertools and not in his love life. Fortunately, his husband and wife are far better at assuming control than he is.

With each of his spouses stepping up to be the foreman of their own crews, James is left wondering what there is for a cute, hyper-organized, former construction worker to do in Middletown. Sure, he could play house husband for his spouses, and the rest of their sometimes lovers, while taking care of their ever-expanding family. But after decades of swinging a hammer for a paycheck, he’s hungry for a higher purpose.

James has read enough comic books to know he should be careful what he wishes for. Because when someone threatens one of their own, he will do anything—including calling in some of their more qualified friends to help—in order to figure out who wishes they would turn around and go home before they’ve barely unpacked their moving boxes.

This is a standalone book set in the Powertools universe. All your favorite Hot Rods and Hot Rides characters will be making appearances as well. So come make new book boyfriends or hang out with old ones!

Additional Information

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1

James sat behind the steering wheel of the sensible hybrid sedan he drove to and from work. He’d just pulled into his driveway after a never-ending day. He didn’t have the energy to get out and inspect the damage he’d done to one of his spiffy retro hubcaps when he’d accidentally backed over a four by four on his construction site earlier that afternoon. It was probably just a scratch. At least that was what he’d told himself as he’d turned up the radio to obscure the metallic grinding noise the wheel made during his trip home. He’d have one of their mechanic friends at Hot Rods take a look at it the next time he was over at their garage.

He didn’t want to give his husband or wife the satisfaction of saying I told you so since they’d gently pointed out that his teeny vehicle might not be that well-suited to his profession.

Okay, so its low clearance and stock tires were better suited to the paved parking lots of upscale organic markets than muddy, raw terrain dotted with construction debris. It reminded him of a termite trying to lift an entire log by itself—underpowered, out of its league, and too cute for all that mess and chaos. But then again, so was he.

James posing as a foreman of his own crew… It just wasn’t a good fit.

No matter how hard he tried to force himself into a hard hat mold, it ended up more like attempting to stuff that square four by four he’d turned into a speed bump into a round hole that also just happened to be his ass. He winced, imagining being impaled by mega-splinters and the mortifying emergency room visit that would ensue if he tried something so unwise. Cringe.

Even a stunt like that would still be less painful than compelling himself to get up and go to a job he despised, day after day after day.

He’d barely survived today and it was only Monday. The thought of having to do it over again in another twelve hours made his stomach churn. Dread sapped energy from him, leaving him deflated. His forehead drooped onto his arms, which were draped over the steering wheel.

The twenty years or so he had left in him before retirement seemed like an eternity when he considered it might be like this all the damn time. He collected what scraps of motivation he had remaining and attempted to muster enough give-a-damn to propel himself into the house, but it was no use.

He probably had been sitting there for nearly a half an hour when his wife Devon rolled into the driveway of the house their friends Joe and Morgan had rented, which they were all sharing for a bit until they could figure out the long-term logistics of their move to Middletown.

Devon emerged from the monstrous black pickup she’d purchased. Somehow the sprays of mud over its sleek paint job seemed