Page 11 of Devil in Her Details

“Are you not going to measure me?”

“I don’t need you to be on full display!”

He shrugged, the muscles in his shoulders rolling beneath his skin like a panther stirring from slumber.

Lord Almighty.

Think about the belt, Lilly. The belt! “What did you have in mind? Where should I measure? Do you want this belt across your waist?” Since the commission was a holder for daggers, that seemed the most practical place to start. But given the man, nothing about him seemed straightforward.

His large hand came up to his shoulder. “Over the shoulder,” he said, fingers dragging across his chest in a diagonal line toward his opposite hip. “Cross-body.” He tapped the spot at his flank where the imagined strap would end. “Anchored here.”

Lilly followed the movement spellbound, imagining the leather crossing that broad chest, already constructing the strap in her mind. Just who was this stranger, and what enemies warranted such preparation? Most men in her circles would bemoan a paper cut. She couldn’t imagine this one bemoaning anything.

She almost felt sorry for Calvington.

Lilly motioned to a stool. “Sit.” He was far too tall for her to accurately measure him while he towered over her.

He held her gaze as he sank onto the stool, knees spreading open as he waited.

So unnerving! So . . . so . . . so speechless! She had no words for the sight before her. Lilly swallowed, approaching her client, forcing her expression into professional neutrality. Yes, he’s just a client, Lilly! She had measured the bodies of men before. It was a triviality. Business. Nothing remarkable. Granted, they had been fully clothed, but that shouldn’t matter. This was merely anatomy.

Merely.

“Arms out.”

He complied, lifting his arms slowly to either side, the motion stretching the hard planes of muscle beneath her gaze. She stepped up to him, the heat from his body seeping into her before she even touched him. Even though she tried hard not to make contact, her fingers still accidentally brushed his skin as she drew the tape around his chest and slid across his muscle. Triviality? Business? Nothing remarkable? She nearly snorted.

And those scars . . .

None of your business, Lilly!

She noted the measurement and stepped behind him to measure across his back. The width was rather concerning. A quick glance at her tailoring frames proved her concern justified. She didn’t have one his size. Which meant . . .

Do not think about it now. Just concentrate.

“How many daggers do I need to account for?”

“As many as you can.”

Correction. That was concerning. Was this a belt for war?

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be writing something down?”

Lilly shrugged nonchalantly though she felt anything but. “I never forget a measurement.”

His gaze fixed on her a moment longer before he turned his attention forward once more. “Then I’m in good hands.”

Lilly pulled a face at the back of his head before she moved to around him, crouching slightly to measure where the strap would fasten along his flank. The position was rather . . . intimate.

Crouching by a man.

Well, if that didn’t bring back horrible memories. At least she was beside him and not directly before him.

Still, this close, he smelled of all things dangerously male. Nothing cowardly about his scent. No indeed. Trouble she ought to avoid at all costs. Noting the last details, she quickly finished the task and retreated to her workstation, her gaze falling on his shirt. That she could imagine gathering the item in her arms and burying her face in the fabric to breathe in his wild scent thoroughly alarmed her. Loving to sleep in men’s shirts was one thing. This urge was quite another!

When she heard no movement from him, she twisted slightly to peer behind her. The man had not moved. He remained exactly where she’d left him, staring at her. Her heart gave a distressing little skip. No man had ever stared at her that intensely.

“I’m done. You may rise.”