Page 8 of Eye Candy

No, the only thing I wanted to do was make my dad regret using my kidnapping as a way to get him his current job. The Laina that played nice before was gone.

Tessa left the house around two to go to the gym. My dad made enough money being mayor that she didn’t need to have a job. Kieran told me that only meant she had to be the face ofthe family, put in the work and the smiles at charity events and homeless shelters and anywhere else she visited to boost my dad’s numbers in the city.

There were a lot of downtrodden folks here, it was undeniable.

I took a real shower for what was the first time in forever, though it was a little difficult doing it all with one hand. I couldn’t get the bandages wet, not until my nubby fingers had healed. They would take a lot longer than any other wounds on my body, mostly because the fingers were just gone.

Yeah, I wasn’t used to it yet. I didn’t know if I’d ever get used to it.

When I was getting changed in my room, I caught myself standing in front of the closet. I’d just gotten out of it, a shirt in my hand, when I’d turned around and stared at it, memories flashing in my head.

Coming out of the shower, getting changed into my pajamas, hearing the TV’s volume all the way up. Walking to the closet, once I saw the door hung open a few inches, and pushing it wide open, seeing nothing but shadows inside. And then the black hood, and a strong body—

“You all right?” Kieran’s voice asked. He stood under the archway of my bedroom door, hands in his pockets, watching me with concern.

It was like I jumped back into my body, whirling around, turning away from the closet and meeting his concerned stare. “Yeah,” I spoke quickly, too quickly. “I’m fine. I was just… I was—” I didn’t know how to finish that without sounding insane.

I wasjust remembering the night my life changed forever, just thinking back to the first moment the Devil made himself known to me. How the fear had been mixed with something else inside of me… acceptance?

“Right,” Kieran spoke, nodding along sagely. “I totally get that way, too.” He flicked a thumb over his shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to change rooms? This house is pretty big. I can have all your stuff moved by the time your father gets home.”

“No, I’m good.”

Kieran didn’t answer right away. It took him a few moments to say, “Okay, if you insist. You should probably get dressed if you want to fight evil today, though.” He shrugged, turned, and walked away, right as I glanced down and realized I still held onto my shirt—meaning we’d just had that entire conversation while I stood there in pants and a bra.

Wonderful. That didn’t scream insanity or anything, and it definitely wouldn’t make things awkward between me and Kieran.

He wasn’t an ugly guy, though. As much as he annoyed me sometimes, he was sort of cute. And if I wanted to use him in my plan against my dad… I should probably start now, awkwardness aside.

So, I wriggled into my shirt and hurried out into the hall. I walked after him, turning into a room a good ways away from mine. My feet skidded to a halt when I took in his room. It was so…

Bland. So bland. No aspect of his personality at all decorating the walls.

“Uh, excuse me,” Kieran spoke, standing near his dresser. “Did I say you could come into my room, hmm?” He had untucked his shirt and taken out a gun, setting it on top of the dresser.

“Well, no, I was just—” I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to say, but any other words refused to come out of my mouth when he started to unbutton his shirt, starting at the topmost button, near his Adam’s apple.

He let out a short laugh. “I’m going to hop in the shower now, if that’s okay with you. Just a quickie, I promise.” He winked at that. Like, he actuallywinkedwhen he said that, and he winked atme. “Unless I’m not allowed to have a shower.” His shirt was halfway unbuttoned, revealing a deliciously toned pair of pecs.

Was he so muscular before? I couldn’t remember. Maybe I’d found him too irritating to pay attention to his physical features.

“Uh, no, no. You’re allowed. I just… I forgot why I came in here.”

“Yeah, I bet you did.” Kieran finished taking off his shirt, tugging it off his arms. All the while, I couldn’t stop my eyes from dipping lower than his chest, taking in the six pack of abs on his stomach. He wasn’t a bad looking guy at all.

“I had a question I was going to ask you, but I can’t remember it.”

His chest hummed with a noise that made something in me twist, something in my lower half. “Did you, now?” He slipped off his shoes and bent to take off his socks, then he went for his belt, undoing it all without taking his eyes off me, almost like he was trying to tempt me. “Do you think it’ll help you remember it if you watch me undress, or are you just curious?” He had his belt off and placed it beside his gun.

This was a dangerous game I played with Kieran, a game I never would’ve been caught dead playing two years ago. But I wasn’t that girl anymore. I wanted to fuck. Shit. Up.

So, I said, “A little of both.”

That got him to grin hard, and he said, “Okay, well I hope you like the show.” His fingers worked on the button to his pants, and then the zipper. We both pretended we didn’t notice the slight bulge in his pants at that time.

Maybe the new me liked dangerous games, because, I couldn’t lie, I got a thrill out of watching Kieran take those pants off, standing there in nothing but his boxer briefs, his cock pressing against the fabric, growing harder and harder as the seconds ticked by.

He hooked a thumb into the waistband of his boxer briefs, saying, “On second thought, maybe it won’t be such a quick shower after all.” He took a hesitant step toward me, his voice dropping to a whisper, “I’d hate to still be worked up by the time my sister gets back—your stepmom, in case you forgot. That makes me your step-uncle, right?”

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