Under His Protection (Protect and Defend 1)

Adorable and troubled—all because of her stupid, foolish moods.

“Nothing,” she murmured before taking a deep breath and flashing a t

oo-bright smile. “I’m tired. I think I’m going to take a nap.”

“Blake.” He stopped her from walking away, his fingers curling around her forearm, his thumb brushing against the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist. “What just happened there?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not now. I can’t do anything about it and neither can you.” She gave a gentle tug but he wouldn’t let go. No, he held on tighter and pulled her to him, so hard she collided with his hard chest. He stared down into her face, his gaze roving over her every feature before settling on her mouth.

“Don’t shut me out,” he said, his voice low and husky, whispering along her every nerve ending. She loved his voice, couldn’t imagine what it would be like to never hear it again.

Her heart felt empty just thinking about it.

“I’m not shutting you out.” Liar. “I’m tired, Mason. I want to go lay down.”

They stared at each other for a too long, too quiet moment but she didn’t look away. Neither did he. They were both being stubborn, waiting for the other to cave and she refused to do it first.

No way could she tell him how she felt, only to have her words thrown back in her face. The humiliation, the heartbreak that was bound to come would happen soon enough. She wasn’t in the mood for a big confrontation today.

“Can I join you?” He asked the question carefully, as if he didn’t want to offend and she closed her eyes for the briefest second, wishing she was strong enough to tell him no. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts, analyze her ridiculous feelings. Figure out what she was going to do with them.

But instead she said yes, and he grinned. A dazzling, gorgeous smile that made her smile in return and when he clasped her face with his hands and drew her in for a kiss, she returned it, saying to him with her lips and tongue what she couldn’t say with words.

That she loved him.

* * * *

Blake was hurting and he didn’t know why.

Thrusting his fingers through his hair, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched her sleep. She looked like an angel. Her long blonde hair was strewn across the pillow, waving and curling about her head in haphazard waves. Her lush, pink mouth soft and vulnerable, her lips parted with her even, gentle breathing.

He wished he could kiss all of her troubles away. Offer her comfort by way of his body. Not his heart, never his heart, it would be foolish to offer that to her.

The way she’d looked at him earlier, though. When she’d told him he was good for her. He wanted to say she was good for him in return. But the look on her face had scared him. She’d appeared so hopeful, her eyes shining, her expression dreamy. As if he was the reason for that dazed look on her face.

It was getting too heavy between them and it made him nervous.

This was why he didn’t do serious relationships. This was why he didn’t have any type of relationship anymore whatsoever. They caused him nothing but heartbreak. Nothing but trouble, nothing but pain and he was deathly afraid what might happen when it was over with Blake.

Because it would be over, of that he had no doubt. It couldn’t last, no matter how much fun they were having, how compatible they were. They were from two different worlds, worlds that clashed and collided with each other, but once the battle burned out, it was done.

Their moment together was dimming. Time was coming to an end and she’d need to return to DC soon. She didn’t want to go. Neither did he.

They both much preferred their simple little cocoon versus the bustle of politics and big city life.

What would happen when the relationship ended? Would Blake freak out? When they returned to Washington and he resumed his normal duties and she her regular life, would she chuck him under the bus and reveal their affair? It would ruin him. He’d probably be taken off presidential and White House protection forever. Transferred out, reassigned to some shitty, boring town where nothing happened. Or worse, they’d ship him out of the country and put him on dangerous counterfeiter detail.

Even though Blake was a grown woman with a mind of her own, they’d still blame him. And he was willing to take full responsibility, despite the humiliation. The vice president would know Mason had sex with his daughter. He didn’t think he could face the man if he ever found out.

Mason sat there, felt the edge of the mattress sink lopsided with his weight and he rested his hands over his face. What had he done? Why had he taken such a risk? All for a woman he wanted to get naked with—had it been worth it?

He remembered the raw emotion he’d seen on her face just moments ago, the subtle tremble of her hands and arms when he drew her into his embrace. The tumble of feelings that had consumed her, he’d seen them written all over her face. She’d looked so sad, so lost and it killed him that he was the one to make her look like that. Feel like that.

Was it all a ruse to get him to feel sorry for her? He wanted to believe in Blake, wanted to feel secure that she would never betray him, never go crazy on him. He’d had a few girlfriends in his past that went a little psycho, one in particular who’d lost it when he informed her he had to move due to a promotion.

She’d already been resentful that he spent all of his time working. She’d also hoped that he was planning to take their relationship to the next level, i.e. an engagement. That had so not been in the cards for him.

When he’d told her about the promotion, she went ballistic. Had even gone to his workplace and tried to badmouth him, not that any of his superiors had listened. Her betrayal had been such a violation of their trust, their relationship. She’d been a woman he’d cared about deeply.