Page 29 of Devil in Her Details

An arched brow directed at him.

He wanted to return that look with a smile.

But Reaper accusing him of flirting had set him on edge. He didn’t flirt. What the devil did that even entail? But he was doing something. The devil only knew what, though. He could not make sense of it either. Lilly Trenton stirred a dangerous sort of curiosity inside him, a desire he found difficult dismiss. But would dismiss. Right after he received his belt an retrieved his dagger. Until then, their business remained unfinished.

“Don’t pretend you can’t hear me,” Reaper hissed. “You miserable bloody cur.”

She bit her lip at the insult. Probably to keep from laughing.

Dagger sighed. Should he just throttle his brother right now?

“Good friends?” she whispered so softly her voice was barely audible.

“Brother,” he mouthed back.

That got her attention.

Her eyes narrowed. “The one who told you about me?”

Nothing seemed to escape this woman’s notice. He should have found this sharpness troublesome. Instead, he found her keen mind far more enticing than he ought to. “The very one.”

Dagger could practically read the calculation forming in her eyes.

“Should we invite him in for a chat?” she asked with a sly grin.

Instant aversion rose, and a muscle jumped in his jaw as he bit down against the brutal rejection forming on this tongue. The thought of Reaper’s prying eyes in this chamber felt like a deuced physical intrusion. “My brother is a scavenger,” he said, keeping his voice still below a whisper. “He doesn’t leave a stone unturned, and right now . . . do you truly wish his gaze on you?”

She blinked up at him, surprise flashing in the depths of her gaze. “It’s almost as if you know what he may find.”

“I have my own observations,” Dagger hedged, not wanting to reveal too much too soon. While Reaper would absolutely leave no stone unturned, if Dagger were being honest, he didn’t want his brother near Lilly. Who knew what that reckless fool would do? Or say. A deeper part sneered at himself. You just want her for yourself. He ignored that mocking voice.

“I see,” she murmured. “Well, I’d like to hear about those observations sometime. But first, I have a proposition.”

“I’m all ears.” This could be good. Or damnably bad.

“I wish to hire you.”

Damnably bad, then. “Hire me? I hesitate to ask for what.”

“To protect me.” No hesitation.

Dagger’s brows furrowed, his gaze searching hers. “Protect you from whom, exactly?” Did she have more aggressive suitors?

“Nothing and no one in particular,” she admitted. “I am still a bit apprehensive about my little problem you took care of and would rather set a plan in place than be caught off guard.”

Wise. “And I’m that plan?”

She nodded. “You seem more than capable enough.”

No. Say no. But some dark, satisfied part of him liked that she’d turned to him and no one else, common sense be damned. “And what will you pay me for my services?”

“Do you not mean how much?”

Dagger hitched the corner of his lips up in devilry. Just how far would she go for his services, he wondered. “No, I mean what.” He crossed his arms. “Money can’t tempt me.”

Her brow rose in a wry imitation of his smile. “Is this evening the score for our trade as payment in services? I don’t see what I can provide for you.”

“No score to even.” Though Dagger couldn’t deny the sharp satisfaction of this reversal of roles. “I have enough blunt to last me lifetimes.”