If any other man handed her that line—and they had—she’d pencil him into her uncreative-jerk column. But there was something about the way the word sin rolled off his tongue, as though it were a gooey chocolate treat, one that he’d savor slowly and then lick off his fingers so he wouldn’t miss one drop. It was that kind of feeling. She took a deep breath and tried to wipe the image from her mind. You couldn’t tell anything about a man from the way he said one word. Could you?

She handed his answer back to him. “Different spelling. I spell my name with a c and two n’s.”

“So Cinn is short for…?”

“Cinnamon.” She wanted to relax and smile, but she was having trouble doing both, with the chocolate image still clogging up her brain.

Sparkle tapped an impatient rhythm on the table with one shiny red nail. “Fine, so you’re both named after herbs or spices or whatever. Awesome. Let’s move on.”

Cinn chose to ignore her. She was still focused on Bain. His lips and eyes weren’t on the same page. Once again she was sure those gorgeous eyes hid darkness, a darkness completely separate from the polite interest he was showing in her. “My parents named my sisters and me after healing plants—Ginger, Belladonna, Willow, and me.”

He tilted his head to study her. “Belladonna? Nightshade. Deadly.”

“And also a medicinal extract.” For the first time during this little meet-and-greet session, Cinn managed a sincere smile. “Many things wear two opposing faces.” And if he took that personally, so be it.

His gaze sharpened and then his smile widened into the real deal. No hidden messages or sensual signals. “Very perceptive, Cinn. We’ll get along fine.” He glanced at his watch. “I lied. I do have someplace to be. I’m acting in the first fantasy.”

Sparkle nodded absently, not even bothering to watch as he left. She was staring at Holgarth. “What’s wrong? Only a few halfhearted insults? So not like you.”

Holgarth took a moment to straighten his hat before answering. “You’re right, of course. I have more serious things to think about than a woman who grows plants that feed on sexual energy.” He exhaled wearily. “I’m considering retirement, Sparkle.”

Sparkle sighed as though Holgarth was heading down a well-worn path. “You just won’t let it go. Get this through your head: Ike wasn’t your fault. This was a hurricane so huge it almost filled the Gulf of Mexico. Even you can’t stop a force of nature that massive. You did what you could.”