Hunk for the Holidays by Katie Lane

my ass. They probably used names like that to make up for their deficient equipment. Of course, he didn’t really care for the idea of Cassandra seeing their equipment, deficient or otherwise. Probably because his own equipment was still hard and vying for her attention.
    Man, he needed some fresh air.
    James moved to the side door and stepped out. It was bitter cold, but it felt good. A group of smokers sat in Adirondack chairs on the back patio. He nodded to them, before walking out to a stone bench. There was still snow on the ground from the last storm, so he stayed on the swept path. The cold erased the last of his hard-on and cleared his head enough so he could think.
    His mind moved over the last couple hours of his life, settling on the last twenty minutes. Just who does the little wildcat think she is? He quickly answered the question. Cassandra McPherson, that’s who . Obviously, she was more spoiled and headstrong than he’d first thought. Of course, from what he’d seen and heard tonight, she really didn’t have much choice. With four brothers and a business filled with hard-ass construction workers, a woman had to be tough. But did she have to be so bullheaded?
    Laughter swelled up inside of him, and he chuckled. He liked her. Really liked her. He liked the cocky way she carried herself and her outspoken bossiness. And he liked the fact that she drank Coors and had a mean right hook. He liked that she wasn’t caught up in her looks and didn’t seem to have a clue how nicely she was packaged. And she was packaged nicely. Long legs. Sweet breasts. Pretty eyes. And great lips. But as much as he liked her physical traits, he liked her personality more.
    Which was why he couldn’t take her to bed. At least not until she knew who he was. Of course, once that happened, she’d probably dump him flat for carrying on this charade for so long. But he could be persuasive. He’d built a million-dollar company on his ability.
    If he could do that, he could tame one very sexy wildcat.
    He stood, confident that he had his thoughts in order, his mind made up, and his lower half frozen into submission. As soon as he had Cassandra alone again, he would tell her exactly who he was. But for now, especially while she was with her family and friends, he would bide his time and be as charming as possible. And while he was at it, he might check out a few trash cans.
    Just in case.
    Unfortunately, before he could take more than a few steps, the McPherson Welcoming Committee came striding down the path, four broad-shouldered-men deep. And it was hard to be charming when you were concerned about getting your ass kicked.
    Shoving his hands into the front pockets of his tuxedo pants, he tried to act as nonchalant as possible.
    “Nice evening.” It was a stupid thing to say considering that it wasn’t much over ten degrees outside.
    The herd of Cassandra’s brothers moved around him, pretty much blocking off all exits. They didn’t look happy.
    It was Jake who spoke first. “I’m sure you realize that Cassie is our only sister.”
    James nodded, mostly because he figured he wouldn’t get his lights knocked out for a nod.
    Jake continued. “That makes her pretty special to the entire family.”
    Again James nodded.
    “We feel very protective over h—”
    “Shit, Jake,” Matthew jumped in. “Just get to the friggin’ point, would ya?”
    “Don’t interrupt, Mattie,” Rory warned.
    “He’s right,” Patrick stated as he glared at James. For being so young, he was already a big man with wide shoulders and a broad chest. With his long golden hair, he looked more Scottish than the other brothers. He also looked meaner. “Jake’s beating around the bush,” he grumbled.
    “What do you want to do, Patrick? Kick his ass and then talk to him?” Rory glared at his brother.
    “Leave out the talking part and you got it right,” Patrick said.
    “That’s enough, Paddy,” Jake intervened. “No one is kicking anyone’s