Page 58 of Cinnamon Roll Set Up

I should have gotten it in writing.

Sam walks through the door with another man right behind him. He’s got the biggest, most self-satisfied “Sam grin” on his face. That right there tells me he means to kick up a little trouble.

“Good afternoon, baby sister.”

“Sam.” I am wary, like an explorer wandering a jungle filled with stinging, annoying pests.

“This is my friend, Maverick.” He gestures at the other man, who smiles and gives me a nod. “We’re getting ready to head out on a hike for a couple of days, but he was thinking about picking up something to read first.”

Maverick reaches across the counter to shake my hand. His generous smile is totally the stuff of romance novels. “Sam’s talked about you a lot. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Maverick was in the Army for fifteen years and now works for a private security company down in Austin.” Sam’s smile, on the other hand, is a virtual poke in the eye. “Isn’t that something?”

“That’s…yeah. That’s very interesting.”

If I had a button I could push and go back in time so I could justnevertalk to my brother, I would push it so hard right now.

Maverick laughs. “It’s not all that interesting. We mostly do security for boring tech guys, but it pays the bills.”

“Who did you say makes up the rest of your team?” Sam asks with perfected innocence.

“A couple of guys from the unit I was with back in the day. We already know how to work together, so it seemed like a good fit.”

I just go on staring. This is a thing people really do, and not just in romance book scenarios? Get the unit back together to take on civilian baddies?

“He’s still pretty new to the area. Meeting new people.” Sam ticks his eyebrows at me.

I paste on my customer service smile even though my organs all seize up like they just got doused in ice water. He isnotdoing what I think he’s doing. “That’s really great for you.”

“Isn’t it?” Sam goes on smiling at me. Waiting for me to crack.

“I’m going to take a look around, if you don’t mind.” Maverick nods at me again and steps away into the stacks.

I plant my hands on the front counter and lean toward my awful, scheming, no-good brother. “What are you doing?”

It’s a seething whisper I don’t want Maverick or the people sitting in the café area to hear. If the place were empty, I’d have no problem going full volume, but I’m not going to make a scene. Even though I’d be well within my rights as a disgruntled sister.

“I’m introducing you to your dream man.”

If Sam doesn’t stop smiling soon, I’m going to smack him.

“Why would you do that?” I hiss. “I don’t want that.”

“Isn’t he everything you said you wanted?” Sam at least pitches his voice low, but it’s not nearly whispery enough for me. “He’s former military, older than you, protective, skilled with his hands.”

“Shh—I never said skilled with his hands.”

Sam manages to look solemn. “It should be on the list, George.”

I glance over at Maverick browsing the stacks. He really does look like one of my special ops guys come to life. Tall and broad, with a long-sleeve shirt that hugs his muscular upper body. Hair just shy of close-cropped so he can joke about “civilian haircuts.” A couple of days’ worth of stubble across his jaw.

He probably leans in doorways and growls at guys who look at his woman the wrong way too.

“Are you messing with me? Is he even any of that stuff you just said? There’s no way that’s his name. Nobody’s namedMaverick.”

That’s squarely a romance book hero name, like Knox or Ransom. It’s not the name of an actual human man.

“Oh, it’s his name. And it’s all true. I wouldn’t lie to you.”Sam’s grin reappears, which kind of puts a damper on his whole “wouldn’t lie to you” declaration.

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