Free Stitched Up Heart (Combat Hearts Book 1) by Tarina Deaton

here. Pack a bag with a few days’ worth of clothes,” Jase ordered.
    “Why?”
    “You’re not staying here.”
    “You said that already. It’ll be fine. I’ll sleep in the guest room until I can get my room cleaned up.”
    He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair. “No. You won’t sleep in your guest room. Not until you get your locks changed and have an alarm installed.”
    “That’s ridiculous.” Bree put her hands on her hips. “The locks still work and an alarm system can take days to get installed. I’m not staying in a hotel that long, especially with my dogs, and Denise lives in a one-bedroom loft apartment above the kennel, so that’s out.”
    “You’re staying with me.”
    “No. I’m not.”
    “Yes. You are.”
    She threw her hands up. “Why are you insisting on this?” In her peripheral, she saw Tim try to hide his smile as he watched them argue.
    Jase leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. His eyes narrowed. “Because someone broke into your house, shredded your bedding and selectively shattered pictures of you and your ex. As you pointed out, this was personal. You’re not safe here by yourself.”
    Her breath caught when she remembered the sight of the ripped bedding. As creepy as it was, she could still take care of herself. “I have a gun, and the dogs will let me know if someone comes into the house.”
    “Not if they’re outside, they won’t.” Jase stood and took a few steps toward her. Bree crossed her arms and tilted her head back a little to keep her gaze with his.
    “I don’t leave my dogs outside; they’re always in the house unless they have to go out.” Bree was becoming annoyed with Jase for pushing the issue. This was her house, dammit. She wasn’t going to be scared out of it.
    “They weren’t today,” Jase pointed out.
    “They were when I left.”
    “Wait. What?” Tim interjected. He wasn’t trying to hide a smile now - he was frowning.
    Bree looked at Tim. “I left the dogs inside this morning, like I always do.”
    “Did you put them out when you called the police?”
    “No. They were outside when I got home. I figured Chad came by, let them out while he was here, and forgot about them. He’s not their biggest fan.”
    “But you don’t know that for sure,” Jase said.
    Bree looked between Jase and Tim’s matching serious expressions. “No,” she said in a soft voice.
    “They’re friendly dogs.” Tim scratched Charlie behind the ears. “Anyone could have let them out the back door to keep them out of the way while they were in your house.”
    Bree’s chest tightened as what Tim insinuated finally sank in.
    Jase drove the point home. “They could have done something else to them to get them out of the way.”
    It was the threat to her dogs that finally made Bree agree to go to Jase’s. She could have taken them to Denise’s and gone to a hotel, but she preferred to keep them near, and Jase was offering her a solution. Maybe not the best solution, but after what happened in his office, then later in her bedroom, a part of her wanted to learn more about this man who could be both demanding and sexy, sweet and attentive. She just wasn’t willing to examine that part of her too closely yet.

    Jase went through her house and made sure all the windows and doors were locked. He examined the lock on the front and kitchen doors. It didn’t look like someone had pried the doors open. He’d pick up a couple of deadbolts from the hardware store this weekend and change her locks for her, whether she liked it or not.
    Grabbing the broom and dust pan from between the washer and dryer in the laundry, he cleaned up the majority of the glass in her living room. He studied one of the pictures of Bree and her ex. The guy was clean-cut - white dress shirt, tan blazer, styled hair. He had an arm thrown around Bree like she was a prize. She looked stiff and uncomfortable, both her arms in front of her, elbows tucked into her