Read Online Blood Tied by Jacob Z. Flores - Free Book Online Page A

for a bit more too.”
    I forced the sensual curve of his lips from my mind and focused on his words. I’d heard Pierce and Dad talking about an electronics company in Silicon Valley a few weeks ago. They had a computer chip that was supposed to revolutionize the industry. “And you didn’t know who I was when we met yesterday?”
    “No, I didn’t.” He stared at me as if I’d just thrown a bucket of water on him. The cocksure demeanor vanished as if it had never been there. “Just what are you accusing me of?”
    That was a good question. Why was I acting like a conspiracy theorist? “I guess I find your sudden presence here too coincidental for my liking.”
    Ben’s lips parted in the smile that he’d first flashed at me over his coffee. It made my head spin. “That’s right,” he said, once again drawing closer to me. “You’re tightly wound. Like a Chihuahua.”
    I crossed my arms. If one more person compared me to that rat breed of a dog, they’d find themselves turned into a permanent ice sculpture. “You don’t know me well enough to make such an unflattering observation.”
    “Maybe not,” he answered. He leaned against the island and ran his index finger along my forearm. I held my breath as his touch sent chills down my spine. “But I remember how you responded to my suggestion of going back to your place. Way too serious and responsible to cut loose and have fun.”
    “Then why did I fuck you stupid after you showed up at my place?” I asked with one raised eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like someone who can’t cut loose.”
    “That was lust,” he said. “Pure and simple. That’s not really cutting loose. Most guys are occasionally led around by their boners. Otherwise we wouldn’t be men, or warlocks, would we? Those types of casual encounters are easy for someone like you.”
    Ben’s comment halted the seductive burn his finger had ignited across my flesh. “What the hell does that mean?”
    He held up his hands to indicate he meant no offense when it had been nothing but offensive. “I’m not judging. I’ve known lots of men who prefer the old come and go. They get their rocks off and then have no desire to see you again. It’s hard for guys like that to deal with anything other than superficial, anonymous encounters because they can be forgotten as soon as it’s over. But seeing me here upsets that for you.”
    Ben couldn’t be more wrong if he tried. My sex life could never be described as a series of random one-night stands. Especially since I didn’t really have a sex life.
    “You’re really starting to piss me off.” I pulled my arm from his wandering finger and took a step back, the reins once again safely in my hands. “You don’t know a damn thing about me.”
    Despite my strident tone, his smile never faltered. Was he enjoying this? “Maybe not, but I’d like to,” he said, kissing the back of the pendant before tucking it beneath his shirt.
    I eyed him suspiciously. “You’d like to what?”
    “Get to know you better,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He slid into the space I’d created between us, and the scent of copper grew even stronger. What kind of cologne was he wearing? “I’d like to get past the protective iceberg you’ve built around yourself. The one you use to keep others, including your family, at a safe distance. I want to get to know the real Thad Blackmoor, the one no one else gets to see.”
    How did he know these things about me? Was I that much of an open book? “This doesn’t make any sense,” I finally replied.
    “What? That I want to get to know you?”
    I shook my head. “That you would want this from someone you don’t even know.”
    He grinned at me as if I’d just said the cutest thing in the world. “That’s what getting to know someone is all about, right? I know real emotion is scary for someone as protective of himself as you are, but why not give it a shot and get to know me?”
    “Because this