Page 57 of Eye Candy

Fang returned shortly, carrying a small, rolled-up measuring tape, a different notebook, and a pencil. He opened the notebook and set it on the couch beside my knee, placing the pencil on top of it before unrolling the loose measuring tape and kneeling before me. He was such a tall guy, he looked almost silly on his knees, but when he grabbed my left wrist, I hitched a breath.

I kind of liked how Fang looked on his knees.

“You’re healing up well,” he whispered, starting to take measurements. He wrapped the tape around my wrist first, then jotted down the exact size in millimeters. “Does it still hurt?” He measured the length between my wrist and the first knuckle on my pinky after that.

“Not really,” I told him, watching him work. If I didn’t watch him work, I’d just be watching him, and if I was watching him, certain thoughts would rise up in my head. With how strong yet soft his hands were, I knew he wore gloves any time he was working with metal; those gloves protected his hands. They’d definitely feel nice on other parts of me…

Shit. No, no, no. Bad Laina.

“It’s weird, though,” I went on as he carefully wrapped the tape around what was left of my pinky. It didn’t hurt, but it did feel odd. “It’s like half the time it still feels like my fingers are there. I forget they’re gone, and then I look down at my hand and suddenly remember.”

Fang nodded, as if he understood. “I’m sure that’ll happen a lot in the future. You are lucky, Princess, that you lost the fingers above the first joint, otherwise, if they would’ve beendown to the knuckle, I wouldn’t be able to make the new fingers as usable.”

Lucky. I didn’t know that I’d ever call myself lucky. With everything that had happened in my life, luck had nothing to do with it. Luck had never been a part of my life.

Once Fang had gotten all the measurements he needed, he redid them a second time to double check his originals. I didn’t know how long it took, but he seemed very focused on getting every measurement right—which made sense. It wasn’t a mask he was making me; it was fingers.

As he finished up double-checking his final measurement, I said, “We never discussed payment.”

Fang wound up the measuring tape and set it on his notebook. In the next moment, he’d moved it all to the coffee table, on top of his sketchbook, and he was sitting down beside me once again, silver eyes on me. “My fee is typically a pretty steep one—”

With the kind of work he did, I understood why. “I’ll get my dad to pay you whatever you want.” At this point, I didn’t care how much he’d charge. I’d beg my dad to pay if I had to. He was the mayor; he was probably one of the highest paid people in this city, besides the criminal underworld kings, that was.

“I think you and I could work something out, so you wouldn’t have to involve anyone else.”

I swallowed, noting the intense expression on his face. His jaw was clean-shaven, his cheeks gaunt. He had high cheekbones, which lent to an imposing face, and with that everlasting smirk… I think I knew what kind of arrangement he meant even before I asked, “What do you want?”

He flashed me his fangs in a wide smile. “Awe, Princess, playing coy with me, even though we both know exactly what it is I want? You’re so adorable.” Fang leaned into me, angling his head down as two of his fingers pinched my chin and forced me to gaze into his eyes. “I really could eat you up.”

He kept saying that. With him, it had to be meant both literally and figuratively—not something you could say about most people.

When I said nothing, Fang murmured, “I told you from the very first time I saw you. I want you to be my princess.” The fingers on my chin dropped, and my lungs burned when those fingers fell to my throat, dancing along my collarbone.

“Is this an offer you give to any pretty girl who wants to hire you?” I had to ask, even though it was a struggle to. I was drawn to Fang, it was true. Did Lola know this would happen when she gave me his information?

He chuckled, and the fingers on my collarbone swept back, pushing my pink and blue hair off my shoulder to expose my neck to him. “It’s not, actually. You’re the first… and, hopefully, only.”

“Why? Why do you even want me like that? You don’t know me—”

“Don’t I? I hate people. It’s why I’m always here, keeping myself busy. But when I answered the door and saw you standing in the alley, I could feel it. You’re different, Princess. We’re all monsters in this city, so when you find someone who calls out to the monster in you, you act. You pounce and take them under your wing.”

“I’m not a monster,” I whispered, wishing it was true.

“Aren’t you? A normal person wouldn’t want claws like that,” he spoke of the second drawing he’d shown me. “There’sonly one reason anyone would want claws that sharp: to tear into your enemies and make them bleed.” Fang paused, letting his words sink in. “It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve made someone bleed, am I right?”

My heart beat fast for a whole different reason now. I wanted to squirm away from him, but I was rooted in place on the couch, lost in the depths of those metallic gray eyes as they bore into me, all too knowing. “I’ve never hurt anyone else.”

“But you’ve drawn blood before,” he spoke, knowing things he shouldn’t know. His hand dropped to my left, and he took my hand in his. “Your own.”

Just because I’d told Mike the truth didn’t make it any less hard for me to hear from Fang. “How do you—”

“How do I know? Princess, you’re right-handed. The cuts were clean. It’s at the perfect angle. You did this to yourself,” Fang spoke with a knowledge of me he definitely shouldn’t have. “Everyone else is too overjoyed to have you back to truly pay attention. No one questions you, and that’s where you get off, skating under the radar.”

I had to tear my gaze off his, lowering my eyes to my left hand. Fang’s hand curled around it, like he wasn’t about to let me go… like he didn’t think any less of me, even while knowing the truth. He wasn’t furious at me, like Mike had been, only accepting.

“I won’t ask you why,” Fang whispered. “Your reasons are your own. But please, if you ever feel the need to spill some blood again, come to me. I’ll let you take all the blood you want from me.”

I inhaled sharply. “Fang.”

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