Sweet Vengeance by Cindy Stark Page A

He'd insisted it was
the right thing to do.  But she didn't want to go.  Nothing much in her life
felt stable right now.  Nothing but Jase.  It was only when she was with him
that everything seemed okay.
    She
heard footsteps outside the bedroom, but before she could react, Jase popped
his head inside.  Boo came bounding up behind him and settled himself in the
crook between her belly and bent legs.  He swiped his pink tongue across her
face before she had time to move out of the way.
    "Good
morning."  Jase was fully dressed in jeans and a dark blue T-shirt that
showcased his muscles and made his dark eyes seem darker.  He smiled at her, but
it didn't reach his eyes or touch her heart.  "It looks like Boo gave you
your morning kiss so I won't need to."
    "Funny,"
she said as she ruffled Boo's soft fur.
    "You
need to get up and get dressed."  Jase barked out his orders, seeming
every bit the rough vigilante, and Allie couldn't help but wonder where her
warm snuggle-buddy had gone.  "Max has already been here, and he'll be
back in an hour to drive you out to Jenna's."
    Boo
jumped over her and settled behind her as she rolled onto her stomach, burying
her head under the pillow.  "I don't want to go," she said, her face
against the soft sheet.
    "You're
mumbling."
    Allie
swiveled her head and poked her face out from under the pillow.  A little zing
slid through her when she caught Jase visually stroking her bare legs.  She
shifted, making the sheet ride higher up her thighs, enjoying the look of
desire on Jase's face.  "I don't want to go."
    He
seemed distracted by her bare skin and didn't immediately reply, giving her an
idea.  If she played her cards right, using every bit of ammunition she had at
her disposal, maybe she could convince him to let her stay until she left for
college.  She wouldn't resort to sex to influence him, but she'd do almost
anything else to not be thrust out into the dangerous world that lay beyond
Jase's door.  She slowly slid the front of her foot up the back of her leg and
down again, caressing it. 
    Jase
blinked and then jerked his gaze to her.  "Stop it."
    "Stop
what?"  She widened her eyes in innocence.
    "You
have to go.  It will be better for you."
    "How
can it be better for me?"  She sat up in bed, determined to give it one
last fight.  "I'm safe right here."
    "You'll
be safer there.  You're too close to me, too close to my men.  It's better this
way."  He tossed her a dark T-shirt similar to the one he wore. 
"Here.  Wear this.  Max will be here soon."
    "You
already gave me some shirts yesterday."
    He
frowned at her.  "This one will fit better."
    She
frowned back, feeling agitated that he wouldn't agree to let her stay. 
"The others fit just fine."  She held the shirt up against her. 
"This one's too big.  It looks like one of yours."
    "Does
it matter?  It's a shirt."  His dark eyes turned black.  "Put it
on."
    His
dismal mood didn't frighten her, and she wasn't finished yet.  "Why does
Max have to drive me?  Why can't you?"  She'd wondered if Jenna really was
his girlfriend and wouldn't like Jase showing up with another woman. 
    "What
difference does it make if Max drives you or if I do?" 
    "I
want you to."  Not only because she felt safer with him, but she would
miss him.  In the short time she'd known him, she'd become attached.  It was
probably that stressful-situation-attachment kind of thing.  Whatever the
reason, it didn't matter.
    The
frustration on his face was evident, and she enjoyed a small amount of
satisfaction.  He opened his mouth to reply, just as his cell phone rang.  He
narrowed his eyes at her as he pulled the phone from his jeans pocket and
answered it.
    Allie
frowned and ruffled Boo's fur while she half-listened to Jase's end of the
conversation.  There had to be a way to convince him to let her stay.  Just for
a little while. 
    "When
did this happen?"  Something in the tone of Jase's voice caught both Boo's
and her