Handy protection's good before passion (5)
I believe the answer is:
glove
'handy protection's' is the definition.
(item worn on a hand)
'good before passion' is the wordplay.
'good' becomes 'g' (abbreviation).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'passion' becomes 'love' (synonyms).
'g'+'love'='GLOVE'
(Other definitions for glove that I've seen before include "something a boxer uses" , "Covering for hand" , "Hand cover" , "Mitten" , "On-hand children's entertainer?" .)