Always His (Crazed Devotion #1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

months offering me a damn fifty for my trouble?”
    “You just love making this all my fault, don’t you?” Tyler said as he shook his head, acting like I was overreacting.
    “Is there a problem here?” Ryker’s voice caught our attention, and Tyler’s face morphed into an expression of hate.
    “Well, looks like the local hero’s back in town,” Tyler said as he squared his shoulders and faced Ryker. The comparison was humorous. Their builds were similar, but Ryker had at least four inches on Tyler and wore it so much better.
    “This a family matter, between me and Nicole, about our daughter.”
    I couldn’t help the sarcastic laugh that escaped me. They, of course, both turned to look at me. “You’re joking, right? Our daughter? Don’t you mean my daughter? You were just the sperm donor. It takes a whole hell of a lot more than that to be a father.” Tyler had no idea what a sweet little girl Tori was. He had no idea what her favorite food was or her favorite color. He was worthless.
    I saw the anger in his eyes as he took a step in my direction, and everything seemed to move in fast-forward.

I hadn’t intended to say a word. I had watched Nicole ignore me for close to an hour. I watched as she moved around behind the bar in jeans that stretched tight over an ass I remember fondly. She was still the same sinful girl, only now she was a woman.
    A woman I had every intention of making mine again, one way or another. I just had to find the best way to break down the walls she had built up around her.
    The situation was tense enough, and it only got worse when Tyler entered the bar. I gripped my beer bottle tighter as he approached Nicole. It took everything I had not to rush at that piece of shit and bust him right in his cocky mouth. He and I had never seen eye-to-eye, and his connection to my Nicole only intensified my hate for him.
    I did my best to remain seated, but when he raised his voice, I couldn’t keep my distance. Whether she was mine or not, no one was going to mistreat her.
    But everything went to shit real fast.
    Tyler lunged toward Nicole, and she jutted out her chin in defiance. She refused to back down. I, on the other hand, gave him no time to reach his mark.
    I grabbed the back of his shirt and jerked him away from her, spun him around, and slammed his back against the wall. “Wrong fucking move,” I said as I stepped in closer. “You ever lunge at her like that again and I’ll break your fucking neck.”
    “You ain’t shit, Ryker,” he slurred.
    My blood was rushing to my head as I did my best not to wipe that smirk off his face. “Say that again and I’ll be more than happy to prove you wrong.” I held his stare, daring him to repeat his earlier comment.
    “Enough,” Nicole said from my side as she placed her hand on my arm. Her touch soothed me just enough that I looked toward her, temporarily letting my guard down.
    And that was his in. All the coward needed was one moment of weakness, and Nicole always made me feel weakened. Her eyes grew wide as she looked toward Tyler, and I followed her line of vision just in time for his fist to connect with my jaw.
    I lifted my hand to my chin and wiggled my jaw, doing my best to massage the slight ache his punch caused, and chuckled. “That all you got?” I taunted. “I always knew you were a pussy.”
    The rage that covered his features was comical. His face turned red, and he lunged at me, swinging his fist once more, only to miss. I guess I shouldn’t have chuckled at his lack of control, but that shit was funny as hell. He looked like a girl swinging his arms uncontrollably, stumbling around.
    But the humor faded fast when Nicole stepped between us to break up the fight and took a right hook to her eye.
    Anger shot through me as I nudged her out of the way and punched Tyler, laying his ass out.
    “Damn it, baby, are you okay?” I gripped her face in my hands and tilted it up to get a good look at her eye. The corner of it