Page 104 of Silent Comrade
Red glared until his teammate turned awayand pretended to select clothes from the rack.
“Stand there,” she instructed him. “Ready?”Britt asked Tachi.
Her roommate brandished a pad and paper.“Go.”
With clinical expertise, Britt extended themeasuring tape and called out numbers. “Neck, 17.5 inches. Arms up,please. Chest 46. Arms down. Sleeve length 37.” Like a moron, hedumbly complied as she moved his limbs and body around. “Turn. Neckto waist 21. Turn again. Waist 34.”
When she reached around him at the waist, heinventoried stashed weaponry to try and take his mind off herproximity and floral scent. He started the count again when sheknelt, her face level with his … service weapon.
“Hold still, please.” She reset themeasuring tape.
Rodeo snorted. Asshole.
“Hip 44. Length. Inseam…”
Red put out a hand. “Whoa, there.”
“What? It’s for the project. And yourcomfort. You don’t want the pants to bind, do you?”
Rodeo’s eyebrows shot to the sky. Tachi’sarched glance kept his teammate silent. Smirking, but silent.
Tachi resettled the pen on paper.“Continue.”
Hell.
Britt fluttered fingers at the top of hisinseam and pulled the tape down.
Desperately, Red calculated fuel usage forthe average Humvee going twenty miles per hour in hilly terrain atan altitude of 2500 feet above sea level. In fifty-degreeweather.
“Inseam 34.” Britt pushed to her feet, andhe caught her at the elbow to help her up. Staring at his hand, shegrunted, “Hmmph.”
“Nice numbers, Pudge,” Rodeo quipped.
“You have no room to talk, Jack Links.”Tachi chewed the end of the pen and took a menacing step towardhim. “You want me to share your own fluffy numbers with the class?Or are we going to be body positive and accepting of all shapes andsizes?”
“All,” he said in a sullen voice.
Britt hid her smile. “Do we have Gonzo’snumbers?”
Tachi nodded. “Yes, and I have Kim andDamaris’s numbers ready to go.”
“Are we done?” Red asked. He couldn’t takemuch more of this proximity.
The stare Britt gave him would have withereda lesser man’s balls.
Rodeo pursed his lips as he backed away.“Hoo boy.”
Britt looked at Tachi. “One more outfittonight, and two tomorrow afternoon and evening? Ready for fittingson Thursday. Barely.” She rubbed her eyes.
Red called over, “Hey, Rodeo, pull theblinds. Sun’s going down.”
“Roger.”
“Hey, guys,” Tachi said, tapping the notepadwith her pen. “Don’t forget runway practice tomorrowafternoon.”
“I know how to walk,” Rodeo muttered.
Tachi scowled. “The two of you definitely donotknow how to walk on a runway.”
