Under His Protection Read Online Free PDF Page A

been caught.
    Aching arousal spiraled through her every
time their gazes met. It was palpable, this energy between them. He
liked to pretend it didn’t exist, she could tell.
    But she had a couple of extra tricks up her
sleeve. He couldn’t ignore her the entire time they were together
on the island, not even Jerry around to interfere. She needed to
take advantage of the situation handed her.
    Blake couldn’t believe she was even
contemplating this, but she needed to take advantage of her private
time with Mason.
    “Everything looks good. I still need to do a
more thorough search, though,” he declared as he started down the
hall. “Which bedroom is yours?”
    “Last door on the left,” she called as she
walked toward the window that faced the backyard and in the
distance, the Pacific Ocean.
    It was gorgeous here, a place she’d loved
visiting since she was a child. Her grandparents had owned it
originally, leaving the property to her mother when they’d both
eventually passed on. Her mother never came here though, and had
given Blake her full permission to use the property whenever and
however she wanted.
    So she did.
    “I put your luggage in your room,” Mason
announced as he strode back into the living room.
    “Thank you.” She left the window and walked
toward the couch, stopping just behind it. Brushing a hand across
the back of the dark brown suede, she wasn’t quite ready for him to
leave her yet. “I hope you brought jeans.”
    “I did.”
    “And T-shirts maybe?”
    He gave her a non-committal shrug. “A
few.”
    “Good. You stick out in your fancy
suits.”
    “I know.”
    “I should’ve warned you. I came prepared.”
She gestured at herself.
    Not saying a word, his warm gaze did a slow
perusal, starting at the top of her head and then wandering down,
lingering on her breasts, her hips, her legs.
    Her body warmed beneath his blatant stare,
tingled in all the right places. God, she both hated and loved it
when he said nothing, just let his eyes and facial expressions do
all the talking.
    Mason said so much more when he didn’t
speak.
    “Want me to walk you over to your cabin?”
The property consisted of two wooded acres and two cabins. The main
house was larger, at nearly two thousand square feet, while the
second cabin was small but quaint and a little less than half the
size.
    “I’ve got it handled. I’ll be back in a few
minutes to finish my search. There are a few things I need to take
care of first.” He started to go and she went toward him, following
him to the front door.
    Desperation clawed within her and her mind
raced. How could she keep him here longer? Where did all of her
grand plans go? The ones she concocted on the plane ride over? All
sorts of delicious scenarios, including her jumping him the second
they arrived on the island.
    None of them were coming to fruition. She
was such a chicken.
    “What are you doing for dinner?” she
blurted. Gah, she wanted to smack herself in the forehead, stuff a
sock in her mouth, anything to stop her saying such stupid stuff.
He was going to turn her down, she just knew it.
    “I’m staying in, though I’ll do one last
pass through the house before bed time. Call me if you need
anything.” He turned on his heel and exited the cabin, not even
giving her a backward glance.
    She watched him leave, anger simmering low
in her belly. He’d just walked away from her, didn’t even give her
a chance to say anything. Dismissing her like everyone else.
    It frustrated the hell out of her. Was she
so unimportant that everyone forgot her the second they turned
away? She hated the way it made her feel. Despised more she allowed
it to happen in the first place.
    Determination filled her and she went to her
bedroom. Rifling through her dresser, she finally found what she
was looking for. A cream colored satin and lace nightgown with
matching robe she’d bought to wear for an old boyfriend she’d
brought to the island long ago. The price tag still