Under His Protection

Under His Protection

Karen
Erickson

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Protecting the vice president’s daughter is Secret
Service agent Mason Russell’s top priority. With the election
looming and the party’s hold shaky, Mason’s been given an important
assignment – rein the controversial party girl Blake Hewitt in.

He’d like to rein Blake in all right. Keep her under
his control and naked beneath him at all times. Blake is the
sexiest thing he’s ever seen but she’s strictly off limits. Though
she tempts him like no other.

Banished from the capital and sent far away to the
family’s vacation home, Blake seizes her chance. She’ll make Mason
hers no matter what it takes. But the noble Mason doesn’t make it
easy, and danger lurks where they least expect it…

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Under His Protection (Protect and Defend
Book 1)

Copyright © 2012 by Karen Erickson

Smashwords Edition

Cover Artist – Kim Killion @ Hot Damn
Designs

This ebook is a work of fiction. The names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's
imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be
construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead,
actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their
content.

Published in the United States of
America

First electronic publication: April 2012 by
Karen Erickson.

www.karenerickson.com

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for respecting the author's work.

Chapter One

“I can’t believe you did this.”

Blake Hewitt stared at her hands clutched in
her lap, the sound of her father’s angry voice making her throat
close. She refused to look up, didn’t want to see the
disappointment written all over his face.

She’d seen enough of that to last a
lifetime.

“Why did you do it, Blake? You know how
delicate circumstances are. The election’s in a couple of weeks and
we’ve been struggling. Then you go and do
this
.”

The loud slap of the magazine hitting the
center of his desk sounded and Blake jumped in her seat. Gritting
her teeth, her lids lifted, allowing her gaze to focus on the
tabloid magazine facing her.

With a candid shot of her on the cover in a
most provocative pose. The headline screamed, “Blake Hewitt
Revealed!”

She looked away. It hurt too much to
remember that night. A night that had been all in good fun with the
few close friends she had.

Her friend Shannon invited her over for a
barbecue and swimming. Not necessarily unusual in D.C. when the
city was in the throes of an Indian summer. She had a few drinks,
become a little loose. Stripped down to her American flag
bikini—the swimsuit chosen since it was just so ironic, she
couldn’t resist—she’d been hot and wanted to jump in the pool. Hey,
she was amongst friends, so why not?

But she hadn’t been amongst friends. The
photo on the cover of the popular trashy magazine more than proved
that. And the two-page spread filled with various photos within the
tabloid confirmed it.

She could trust no one.

Blake frowned, sadness filling her. She
hoped whoever sold the pictures was well compensated. She hoped the
money they made had been worth it.

“Where in the world were you anyway?” her
father demanded.

“It was a party at Shannon’s house. You
remember Shannon, don’t you?” Shannon’s father had been a diplomat
and they’d known each other since they were teens. “It was a small
gathering, just a few friends.”

“People you didn’t know were there.”

“And people I did know. I thought…” Blake
paused, swallowed hard. “I thought I could trust them.” She winced
when she heard her father’s disbelieving grunt.

“Please. Haven’t I told you before you can’t
trust anyone? The campaign’s winding down and we’re being
scrutinized like bugs under a microscope.” Her father grunted with
disgust. “I swear, it’s like you did this on purpose. Mocking our
country with the stripes of the American flag draped across
your...posterior, stars placed directly over
your...
God.
”

Flinching, she finally looked up at her
father, watched as he scrubbed a hand over his face. He was
exhausted. The election campaign was taking a toll on his health
and mental state. She wished she could comfort him, give him a hug
and whisper she was sorry.

But he would just push her away like he
always did. He wouldn’t believe her. In his eyes, she always
screwed up. Always made a mess of things, and this latest endeavor
was no exception.

He still hadn’t forgiven her when she
graduated from college with a degree in political science and
instead chose to work in a museum. She’d earned that degree only to
make him happy, obtaining her minor in art history to please
herself.

She was working on her father’s campaign
because he asked her, trying yet again to please him. How she hated
being in the public eye. The attention, the photographers, all of
it made her agitated, withdrawn. Many believed she was a snob.

At least the media wouldn’t call her the ice
queen any longer. Now she was the new party girl.

She didn’t know which moniker was worse.

“The president called a meeting with the
immediate staff. We’re creating a plan of attack—all because of
this cover.” James Hewitt stabbed the magazine with his finger. “I
can only hope we’ll be able to salvage the last few weeks of the
campaign. We’re going to have to work extra hard now.”

Despair filled her. The president had become
involved? The very last person she wanted to offend. “I didn’t know
this was going to happen. It was just an innocent moment, some fun
by the pool with friends,” she said, feeling stupid. “I’m
sorry.”

Her father glared but didn’t say a word,
ignoring her apology completely.

Disappointment flooded her. No matter what
she said or did, she could never please him.

“You’ve gone too far, Blake,” her father
finally said, his voice low as he watched her, his expression
stony.

“They must’ve used a camera phone. I never
noticed anyone taking pictures.” She glanced at the offending
photo. The quality wasn’t that great. The angle was awkward and
slightly out of focus. “Why would anyone sell pictures of me
anyway?”

Okay, she knew why. Easy money, plain and
simple. A seemingly innocent, fun evening had turned into a huge
deal. A giant mistake.

One she could never repeat again.

“Honey,
everyone
cares about what you
do these days. You’re young, single, pretty and in the public eye
constantly. They make pointless reality stars into the next biggest
thing, so why can’t they do the same to you?”

Her father had a valid point. One she didn’t
like to face.

“Just send me away,” she said, her voice
soft, pleading. “I’ve done more harm than good, and I’m sorry. I
know you don’t want me here.” It hurt to admit that, but she spoke
the truth. He didn’t want her around, not really. When was she
going to get it through her thick skull?

Her father didn’t care about her. He was
obsessed with his campaign, his career, his public appearance.
Garnering his attention resulted in his disapproval, no matter what
she did.

“And where the hell was Russell?” her father
asked, startling her from her thoughts. “Why didn’t he stop you
from making a mockery of yourself?”

She couldn’t help the warmth that suffused
her at the mention of Mason Russell’s name, despite her father’s
insulting tone. She barely contained the shiver that stole over
her.

“He was there.” Oh yes, he’d been there, in
the shadows, always discreet. He’d stood outside, his big hands
clasped in front of him, sunglasses hiding his spring green eyes.
She had no idea if he’d watched her since he always wore those damn
glasses.

But she swore his gaze had followed her
every move that afternoon. Felt the hot, ravenous stare of the
Secret Service agent assigned to her protection like his hands had
literally touched her. Drop-dead gorgeous, the man was
one-hundred-percent off limits. Besides, he never seemed to notice
her anyway, despite her constant, pitiful attempts trying to get
his attention.

The overenthusiastic political zealots who
trailed after her family during the campaign were the reason she’d
been given extra protection in the first place. An official
executive order had come down six months ago.

She was glad for the protection. People went
a little crazy over politics, especially considering the current
economic climate. She certainly didn’t think her life was in
danger, but she did feel safer having Agent Russell watching over
her.

He had no idea she had a crush on him—and
she wasn’t about to tell him, either. It was her dirty little
secret. Her father would kill her if she was caught fooling around
with the help.

“I know he’s not your babysitter, but he
should’ve contacted me,” her father muttered, shaking his head.

Irritation filled her. “He doesn’t tell me
what to do. He’s there to make sure I don’t get shot or abducted by
some psycho.” There was no doubt her father
did
consider
Mason Russell her babysitter and it made her nuts. His entire staff
thought Mason was her keeper and she hated it.

Hated it and savored it all at once. Maybe
she wouldn’t mind Mason being her keeper—in bed.

Irritation filled her. She really needed to
stop thinking of him like that. It was pointless.

“I don’t appreciate you using that tone with
me,” James admonished, his voice cold. He shook his head and leaned
back in his chair, the springs creaking with the movement. “I want
to talk to Russell.”

Blake lifted her chin, anger and
disappointment surging through her. “Why?”

“Because clearly you can’t take care of
yourself, so I’m going to ensure someone else will do it for you.
When you leave, tell him I want to speak with him. Now.”

And just like that, her father dismissed her
without another word. He reached for the phone on his desk, picked
up the receiver and punched a few buttons, ignoring her as if she
didn’t exist.

Tears prickling the corners of her eyes, she
bit her bottom lip. Desperate not to show any sort of emotion in
front of a man known for his cool, calm demeanor, she fled her
father’s office without a backward glance.