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Cassie stepped into the room, frowning and presenting, she hoped, a sobering influence to her mother and this male crowd obviously high on testosterone.

“Mother…” she began loudly.

Lucia’s eyes widened as she faced Cassie. “Cassandra! What on earth are you doing here?” She climbed down from the table, then looked Cassie up and down. “Oh, my, don’t you look sexy!”

Damn, the outfit she’d slipped into in a bid to tweak Mike. Not her usual look, although she did love to wear sexy, edgy and flirty clothes. This outfit was very bold, even for her. She’d been wanting to raise a certain male’s blood pressure.

From the way a dozen pair of hungry males eyes riveted on her, her attire accomplished that exact same reaction in them.

“Whoa! Baby!” Kyle let out a loud whistle that the others echoed, along with ear-shattering whoops. “Lucy, honey, is this the daughter you’re talking about?”

Lucy? Her mom hated that nickname, but apparently Lucia was in too good of spirits to take offense.

“This is her,” her mother proclaimed with obvious pride. “My daughter, Cassandra.”

All male eyes traveled over Cassie, making her feel like a piece of meat. She stopped herself from jerking on the skirt hem to cover more of her bare legs. The sensation escalated when Kyle placed one extremely muscled arm about her waist.

“I’m the leader so far, baby. Want to try me out?” He blatantly stared down the deep vee between her breasts.

Curling her lip, she shoved him hard on the chest. The rest of the men whooped, but Kyle didn’t budge.

“Aw, baby, don’t be like that. Your mama tells us that you’ve been without a man for a long time. So don’t play hard to get, okay?” His hot breath fanned her bare shoulders. Swallowing her distaste, she pushed against him again. This time, he let her go. Now free, Cassie rounded on her mother.

“What’s going on here? How on earth did my private life―” she refrained from using the term love life, “―become a public forum?”

Lucia shrugged, looking far from repentant. “It’s been forever since you’ve gone out. After all, the divorce was over a year ago, and you still haven’t started seeing anyone. So I thought maybe if I set you up on a date―”

Cassie sputtered. “A date? You’re looking for a date for me?” She glanced at all the faces leering at her and regretted the impulse that had resulted in this outfit. “Is that what this is about, your attempt to hook me up?”

The men laughed, and one of them, a burly dark-haired man who made Kyle look small, reached out and grasped Cassie’s wrist. “You don’t need to look any further, baby. Let’s dance.”

At the same time, Ernie arrived.

“Let her go!” he demanded.

The man flashed crooked teeth. “Relax, man. I’m just going to dance with her.” The lack of music not stopping him, he began to sway, with Cassie held firmly against his protruding belly. Cassie struggled, but with his comrades’ cheers egging him on, the man didn’t get the hint.

“Let her go!” Lucia demanded. Apparently her mother recognized that look in Cassie’s eyes.

“Let go,” Cassie warned. “Or I’ll be forced to hurt you!”

“Cassandra, don’t you dare!”

She heard the horror in Lucia’s voice, but that didn’t deter her. Neither did her captor’s laughter or his reply. “And what could a tiny thing like you do?”

I’ll show you, pal. She could easily protect herself. Not only could she handle guns, thanks to her mom’s obsession with firearms, but years of attending martial arts classes had earned her a black belt. With great skill and a healthy amount of disgust, she brought one sharp heel down on his foot.

“Ow!” His grip on her loosened, and Cassie grabbed his thumb, jerking it backwards and down while she twisted away from him.

How easily the mighty fall, she thought with satisfaction as he crumpled to his knees. She let him go as an arm encircled her from behind, tugging her up against a hard male body. She gave a token struggle, but her body knew that touch, her eyes knew that hand splayed across her belly.

Mike.

“Cassie, stop it. Hold still.” His breath whispered over her cheek, sizzling her blood in her veins.

Masculine heat seared her backside, seducing her. Mike’s unique scent of sandalwood and Lava soap reached deep into her, sending her hormones racing. She held still, soaking in the sensations. Yummy.

“Hey, man, you can’t just show up and take the prize. We’ve been working hard here to get to do just that.” Kyle snickered as he spoke, but from the way Mike’s body stiffened against her, she could tell he didn’t see the humor.

“This isn’t an auction house and Cassie isn’t a contest prize.” Damn, but his voice sounded almost possessive. If only it was true, she could die now with a smile on her face.

Her assailant stood, rubbed his hand and glared at Cassie with what looked like homicidal intent. Mike swung his body around, putting himself between her and the angry behemoth.

Cassie gritted her teeth. “Mike, let me go. I don’t need your protection.”

His only answer was a snort.

“Mike.”

“You’re a menace, you know that, Cassie? Some things never change. You’re always getting into trouble. You show up in an outfit like that, then beat up the first guy who reacts to it.”

“First of all, he was the second guy,” she snapped. “And second, this isn’t my fault! I have the right to dress any way I see fit.”

“If you could control your mother―”

“Both of you, shut up!”

Ernie’s words slapped like a whip and Cassie clamped her mouth closed. Even the angry hulk thought better and stalked out of the room while the others made themselves scarce. Lucia, however, showed no such restraint.

“Cassandra! Was that the only solution you could think of? A man shows you a little interest and you attack him. You’re not going find someone with that kind of attitude!”

Any other time, Cassie would’ve barked out her disbelief, but with Mike’s arm still circling her waist―did his thumb just caress her bare tummy?―all she could think of was sex, more sex and hey, just for good measure, let’s toss some more mind-curling sex in there!

Sucking in a moan of frustration, Cassie pulled at his hand, and he let her go. Now she could breathe again. She ignored the bereft feeling that invaded her. Instead, she reminded herself of the stark truth.

Kissing you is like kissing my sister. Mike’s words at their one and only close encounter shot through her. She couldn’t bear that humiliation again. Stepping away from him, she instead faced her current mortification―her mother.