This Blood That Binds Us (This Blood That Binds Us, #1)

by S.L. Cokeley

A smile like that was going to haunt me for more than one reason.

From the look on her face, she could kick my ass and eat me for breakfast. I liked that in a woman.

I couldn’t shake the notion that she may be the coolest person I’d ever met.

I could see why he would be popular with the ladies. No doubt, Aaron had a natural, boyish charm about him. Against my better judgment, I had to admit he was attractive.

he was a little too excited when he delivered his next line.

But I was determined, drunk or not. Nothing was going to hurt her with me around.

I forced myself to think only about the wall in front of me and not the cute girl hugging my back. I definitely didn’t want to think of how warm she felt or the feeling of her breath on my neck. No. The brick was a really nice shade of red, and the rain made the color pop away from the mortar.

“How did I end up in some angsty teenage novel?” She looked up at me through wet eyelashes. “This is not what I wanted to do today.”

“I just don’t want this to be weird. You know, with vampires in the movies, it’s all like . . . sexual.”

She looked a thousand times better in my shirt than I did.

I was lost in her blue eyes and the way she was looking at me. She was opening up to me, and we were clicking. Talking with her felt easy. Easier than it had been with any girl I’d ever met before. The more I thought about it, the more my heart kicked my rib cage.

“Calem. That’s my real last name. Aaron Calem at your service. Let’s add that to our secrets list.”

“You’re saying this isn’t like Twilight, where there are little covens all over the place?”

“Look what I found. Isn’t it great?” “It’s . . . a giant gummy bear.”

Learning one of Kimberly’s favorites felt like a privilege not a lot of people got.

her blue eyes sparkling in the twinkle lights ahead. I wanted to drown in them,

The rage bubbled in my chest. I tried to stifle it, but the thought of them together kept bringing it to the surface. I didn’t like William. Vampire or not. He wasn’t good enough for her. I wasn’t either. She’s ours.

I was pathetic, absolute putty in her hands.

“Are you sure you’re not just jealous you weren’t the only one to taste her?”

but I couldn’t focus on anything other than Aaron’s hand on mine.

“Do you think there is any universe in which I’d let something happen to you?”

Aaron stopped to pluck a huge white peony. He brought it up to his nose to smell it before handing it to me. “You’re

doomed to receive flowers from me now until the end of time since I know which is your favorite.”

“No matter what happens . . . if we have to leave, I promise that I’ll come back for you. I would never leave you here alone, and I won’t just leave without telling you. So, if I disappear because something happens to me, I just need you to know how important you are and that I wouldn’t abandon you.”

“I’m just happy with my choices. I don’t want to run away from this . . . from you.” Aaron’s eyes pierced right through me. Crickets echoed in our silence. “You don’t want to run away from . . . me?”

“Come on. Fight with me. I’m an idiot. Just tell me what I did, and I’ll fix it.” Aaron stayed by the flickering flames.

“Stay away from her, or I will fucking kill you.”

“Because, if this is the end . . . at least we won’t be alone. I won’t leave you here alone to die. No way.”

“I’m sorry for everything. I really screwed your life up.” I smiled, wiping a few tears. “No. You didn’t. I’d do it all again. All the good. The bad. To meet you.”

I thought we’d have eternity together, but forever turned out to be pretty short.

“Well, you’re nice to look at, Burns. What can I say?”