Under His Protection (Protect and Defend 1)

“Um, well, I was looking for a change.” Suzanne shifted in her chair, her gaze dropping to the tabletop. “I was sick of my life, sick of men, sick of everything going wrong so I came here. I’d come here once before, a long time ago when I was a little kid. I’ve never forgotten the island.”

“Most people can’t, once they visit.” Blake sighed wistfully. “I adore it here. It’s almost…magical.”

Suzanne’s gaze lifted and Blake swore she saw a flash of—what? Fear? How strange. “I love it here too. I’m living in a little shack that’s drafty and freezing cold, and the job I have doesn’t pay a whole lot, but I’m happy. I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

“That’s all that matters then.” Blake had no idea what it was like to suffer, money-wise. Being cold and having no money? Something she’d never experienced. But feeling lonely, unloved and unwanted?

Oh yes, something she experienced on a near-daily basis.

“I had a, uh…boyfriend like that.” Suzanne nodded in Mason’s direction once again. “Intimidating, always bossing me around. I let him get the best of me for far too long, but now I’m here. All by myself and loving it.”

“You sound incredibly healthy.” Making Blake feel incredibly screwed up.

Suzanne shrugged and sipped the last bit from her coffee cup. “Oh, I still have plenty of issues. No one is perfect.”

“Yes, least of all me.” Blake laughed.

“You look pretty perfect to me.” Suzanne studied her with a sharp eye. Blake got the distinct feeling this woman didn’t miss much. “Your clothes are expensive and you’re wearing diamond studs in your ears that are at least a carat each. You’re pretty. You seem sweet, and you have a handsome man chasing after you.”

Blake leaned across the table as if about to share a great secret. “I don’t really like that the handsome man’s chasing me.” Oh, how she lied.

“Hmm, well maybe you should become anti-man like me. We can start a club here on the island.” Suzanne smiled and grabbed her book, stuffing it into the oversized brown purse at her feet.

“Sounds like a plan. And trust me.” Blake paused, suddenly filled with apprehension. She really wanted this woman to like her. “I’m not perfect. I’m far from it.”

“You don’t have to defend yourself. I was just teasing you.” Suzanne stood. “I hate to be rude, but I have to go. I need to be at work in ten minutes.”

Blake stood as well, realizing she practically towered over the petite woman. “Where do you work?”

“At the Whitney Café on Third Street. I’m a waitress. Hard on the feet, but the tips are worth it. Though everything’s slowed down, now that tourist season is over.”

“Oh, I love the Whitney Café. They have the best sandwiches.”

“Well, come on by sometime. I’ll hook you up, get you a free drink or something.” Suzanne smiled and waved. “It was nice meeting you.”

“Nice meeting you, too,” Blake called, watching Suzanne exit the coffee shop.

She couldn’t help but notice the way Mason studied Suzanne as she walked by him, his gaze lingering on her form. Not in a sexual manner, more in a “Should I cuff you and stuff you” sort of way.

Blake rolled her eyes. Typical. The man was suspicious of everyone. And she wasn’t about to let his overly protective nature ruin her good mood.

She wanted to hug herself. Even though the conversation had only lasted ten minutes tops, she felt like she’d just made a friend. An actual, real life friend who didn’t care who she was or that she had more money than she ever knew what to do with.

This moment was a first. And she didn’t want to let it go.

* * * *

Blake exited the coffee shop a half hour later, her stomach full, her caffeine fix handled. Mason sat on a park bench a few feet down from the shop, the local newspaper folded and clutched in his hand. He stood and approached when he saw her, an expectant look on his face.

“Ready?”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Depends.”

He removed the sunglasses, tucking them into the front pocket of his flannel shirt and for a moment, yet again, she forgot how to breathe. Would she ever be able to get over his outrageous handsomeness? Or would this happen every single time she found his intense gaze locked on her?

“Could you look a little...” She waved a hand in his general direction, trying to pretend everything was normal. That he wasn’t pinning her, devastating her with just one look. “Less intimidating when you’re hanging around? You’re ruining it for me.”