Always His (Crazed Devotion #1)

by C. A. Harms

  “Sometimes I think this can’t be real,” I said as he kissed along my neck.

  “What can’t be real?” he asked.

  “You, us,” I replied. “I used to think about it all the time. You coming back and making everything better.” I swallowed hard. “And then I just finally gave up believing it was a possibility.”

  “Nic,” Ryker said, sounding distressed.

  “I had to, because wanting you was just too hard,” I confessed as my chest tightened and tears threatened to spill over.

  “I’m here, baby, and I promise you, I’m never leaving you again. I love you so much,” he said as he traced my lip with his thumb. “You’ll never know what it feels like to go without me again.”

  There was a long silence between us as we both stared at one another.

  “Stay the night,” I whispered.

  “Are you sure that’s okay?” he asked, and I nodded and arched my neck upward to kiss him once more.

  Waking up to a gorgeous woman straddling my waist as she guided my cock inside her warmth was the most mind-blowing sight. Fuck, I could get used to mornings like this.

  Nicole’s slick warmth slid over me as she bit her lower lip and rocked her hips before pulling back, only to repeat the action again and again.

  “Damn, you know how to make a guy love six a.m.,” I said as I gripped her hips and lifted my own to push in deeper. She gasped and threw her head back.

  “You like that?” I pulled back and thrust upward again before she could answer and almost lost myself when she clamped down on my cock and her pussy pulsed. “Yeah,” I groaned. “You love that.”

  “Ryker,” she called out as she rotated her hips and lost herself in pleasure.

  I released my hold on her and let her take control as she began to fuck me. A wildness took her over and fuck if it wasn’t the sexiest damn thing. Not coming was torture, but I didn’t want this to end.

  “God damn, Nicole,” I growled. “You feel so fucking good,” I said as she worked me over and over.

  “I’m so close,” she said as she began bucking her hips and squeezing my cock. “Oh my God,” she moaned a little too loud, but I was too lost to care.

  “There you go, baby,” I coaxed as she came. “Fuck, that is so sexy.” I flipped her onto her back and drove into her hard and fast, chasing toward my own release.

  I woke up to Nicole sprawled out over my chest, her arm curled around my waist. She fit against me perfectly, as if her body had been molded to mine. It’d been so long since I’d felt this content. Holding her made me want so much all at once. Fuck, I wanted nights like last night all the time. Tori and Nicole were both smiling and laughing, and laughter filled the apartment as I held Tori above my head, pretending she was a plane flying through the air. Her sweet giggles as we played were something I could live with forever.

  But the moment Victoria curled up on my chest and fell asleep, I felt like someone had my heart in their hands and was squeezing it tight. In that moment I knew I had fallen in love with that sweet little angel.

  These two girls had me wrapped around their fingers; I was a fucking goner.

  I lay perfectly still listening to Nicole’s gentle snores. Completely distracted, I hadn’t noticed Tori enter until she climbed up over my legs.

  “Hey, Squirt,” I said, suddenly a little nervous about how she would take me being in bed with her mom.

  “Hi,” she replied as she sat down on my stomach and held her bear close to her chest. My being there didn’t even seem to faze her. She leaned in and whispered, “I had an accident.”

  A million things ran through my mind as I began to panic. What did she mean by an accident? She looked like she was okay.

  But nothing prepared me for what happened next.

  “I peed the bed,” she confessed.

  Suddenly the warmth I felt on my chest became a little clearer as I realized just what was seeping through the sheet that separated us. I had no idea how to respond to this. Having a little person around was completely new to me.

  Nicole’s laughter filled the room, and I felt foolish for my near panic attack.

  “Welcome to the life with a three-year-old,” Nicole said as she sat up in bed. “She doesn’t do it often, but now you’ve been peed on, just wait until she pukes on you. You’ll be wishing it was pee instead.”

  Nicole walked around the bed wearing only a tank top and a pair of those panties that look like tiny shorts. She lifted Victoria off me and placed the girl on her side like having pee on her hip was nothing. All I could do was chuckle. It would appear I had a lot to learn about kids.

  After Nicole cleaned up Tori and herself, I was finally able to shower.

  As I stepped out of the bathroom, I could smell fresh coffee and the delicious scent of pancakes. I followed the aroma, and when I rounded the corner to the kitchen, I stopped midstride and took in the sight before me.

  Tori was standing on a kitchen chair at Nicole’s side with Nicole’s arm wrapped securely around her. With her opposite hand Nicole held on to Tori’s as it gripped the spatula they were using to flip the pancakes.

  Tori giggled in excitement as they lifted the last pancake from the skillet and placed it on the plate next to them on the counter.

  When I returned to Alabama, I knew Victoria was a part of Nicole, which in turn meant she would be part of my life as well. I had no reservations about accepting that. But never in my wildest dreams did I know I would love her so much. Nicole had always been my one true love. But now another girl held my heart too.

  Nicole looked back over her shoulder and smiled at me. “You hungry?”

  “Yeah,” I replied as I stepped up behind them and leaned over kiss the top of Victoria’s head. I couldn’t help but notice Nicole was watching my reaction to Tori closely. I tickled her side, and she giggled. “Did you make breakfast, Princess?” I asked her as I tugged on her braid lightly.

  She nodded and beamed over her shoulder at me in pride.

  “Well, it sure does smell good,” I added before I leaned to the side and gave Nicole a kiss as well. I took a chance and traced her lower lip with the tip of my tongue, and she opened her lips and sucked on the tip. The response sent a streak of desire through me, and I wished for just a moment that we were back in her bedroom, tucked beneath her sheets together.

  “Ew,” a little voice interrupted my dirty thoughts, and Nicole smiled against my lips. When I pulled back and looked at Nicole, I could tell she was feeling hungry for me too. After all those years without her, it was hard not to touch her and want to be near her every chance I got.

  “Sorry about that, little lady,” I said as I looked back to Tori, who was watching us closely. “But I just love your momma.”

  She smiled and looked between Nicole and me a few times before settling back on me. “Do you love me too?”

  I stared at Tori with a knot lodged in my throat. I took the spatula from her and placed it in the sink to her left, then lifted her from her mother’s arms and held her close, making sure she was looking directly at me when I spoke.

  “Yes, Victoria,” I began. “I love you too. But how could I not? I had no hope when I met you, because you, little lady, are easy to love.”

  Her little features lit up as she smiled wide and wrapped her arms around my neck, squeezing tight. I looked over at Nicole and found her eyes filled with unshed tears as she watched the exchange between me and Tori. Without hesitation I hooked my arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close, and we all shared a hug.

  These two girls had stolen my heart, and there was no way I ever wanted it back.

  I sat at the kitchen table folding socks as Ryker and my dad talked about the game on television. Their voices carried from the living room, and every so often I heard Tori giggle and knew that between my dad and Ryker, she was more than entertained.

  When Ryker told Tori he loved her, my heart ached with such joy I could barely breathe. My little girl was blessed with not only my da
ddy who adored her but now Ryker too. She had those two men wrapped around her little finger, and that thought made all the shit from Tyler seem minor. If he couldn’t love the special little girl we created, the two men in the next room showered her with enough love to make up for him abandoning her.

  My phone rang in my purse only a few feet away, and I reached out to answer it before it went to voice mail. The words unknown number flashed across the screen, so I hit Answer quickly. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Nic.” I cringed at the sound of Tyler’s voice. “Where’s my daughter?”

  “Why do you care?” I asked as I pinned the phone between my shoulder and my ear and went back to folding socks. Tyler always made these random phone calls in order to attempt to get beneath my skin, and I knew this was just another pointless game. He played them often and since Ryker was now back in town, they’d become more frequent.

  “Because I wanna see her. I got something for her,” he slurred, and I rolled my eyes. It would have been a damn miracle if he was able to stay sober for one day. Hell, he was the one who got me drunk that night we were together anyway. I was too young to buy alcohol, and he willingly offered. Now I know it was a just a ploy to get me inebriated, which led to me letting my guard down.

  “You’ve been drinking,” I replied with annoyance.

  “Just a few beers with my brother earlier,” he explained.

  “Tyler, it’s only two in the afternoon. What did y’all do, shots for breakfast?” I had stopped folding laundry and closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. His shit was so exhausting.

  “I wanna see her,” he said, straining to keep his voice as steady as possible. “And I wanna see you. I think we should work things out for our daughter.”

  I didn’t mean to laugh, but honestly I felt like this had to be some kind of joke. “Work what out?” I asked. “Tyler, there is nothing to work on. We were never a couple, and we never will be. If you want to know Tori, then that’s a different story, but you and I will never be more than just two people who share a child.”

  “This has to do with him, don’t it?” he asked, anger lacing his tone.

  “Are you kidding me right now?” I hung my head in frustration. I knew his so-called attempt to be there for Tori had everything to do with Ryker and nothing to do with love for his daughter. “When you sober up and decide you want a relationship with Tori, then call me. Other than that, just stay the hell away.”

  I ended the call and tossed the phone back in my purse. Almost instantly it began ringing again, and I chose to ignore it.

  “Everything okay?” my dad asked from behind me, making me jump in surprise.

  “Just Tyler and his weekly attempt.” The closeness I had with my dad made him feel as if he was my best friend. He was always there for me, through the good and the bad.

  “That kid is a mess, sweetheart,” he said as he squeezed my shoulder.

  “Don’t I know it.” I looked back at him, rolling my eyes in irritation. Tyler was a subject we discussed often.

  “Things appear to be going well between you and Ryker,” he said as he took a set at my side.

  I couldn’t help but smile.

  “And there’s my confirmation,” he said with a chuckle. “It’s good to see you smiling.”

  “Feels good,” I confessed.

  “You gonna tell me about it?” Ryker asked as we drove back to my place after dinner at my dad’s.

  I looked over at him with a confused expression, and he kept his eyes forward as he drove down Montgomery Lane. “Tell you about what?” I asked, and that triggered a look.

  “About your phone call from Tyler earlier.” He wasn’t smiling. Ryker’s face had always ticked when he was irritated or angry, and that hadn’t changed in five years. His jaw was set, his nostrils were flared, and his eyebrows were scrunched. He almost looked like a scorned child.

  “It was nothing,” I said, attempting to brush it off, but it only backfired.

  “Nothing,” Ryker repeated as he turned into the parking lot of my apartment building. “Well it sounded like a helluva lot more than just nothing.”

  “He just—”

  Ryker placed his truck in park a little rougher than I’d expected and turned to face me.

  I was suddenly happy Tori had fallen asleep in the backseat on the way home.

  “What happened between you two, besides the obvious?” he asked as he looked back at Victoria. “I mean, I don’t need the details about how he slept with my girl but—”

  His girl? “We weren’t together.”

  “No, but you were still mine, and that fucker knew it.”

  Since Ryker had returned, he’d been so sweet and kind. Now he was being possessive and protective, like the Ryker I remembered.

  “He always used to make comments about you when we were together. He was just waiting for the chance to get to you, and he took it,” he said as his eyes met mine. “What I wanna know is, was it more than just that one time?”

  “No,” I replied, still wondering how the hell we had gone from relaxed and peaceful to on edge. “I was upset and drinking one night, and things just happened. But it was never more than that, before or after that night.”

  “So what was the call about?”

  I was half tempted to tell him to stop being an ass, but I figured in his current state that may have the opposite effect I was hoping for. “He wanted to see Tori and he said he and I should work things out. As if there was anything to work out.” Ryker kept looking at me. “He was drinking, like he always does. There wasn’t much more than that.”

  He stared at me in silence, making me feel slightly uncomfortable.

  “What?” I asked when I’d finally had enough.

  “I think I’m gonna head back to Huntsville,” he replied, and my heart sank. “Gotta work in the morning, and it would be easier if I was at my uncle’s.”

  “Why are you being an ass over some damn phone call?” Forget trying to keep the peace. Ryker had just killed that thought. “He called. So what? He said a bunch of shit he won’t remember when he sobers up, and you’re being a dick about it.”

  I grabbed my purse and climbed out, then opened the extended cab door to get Tori.

  “Let me help you,” he said as he started to get out.

  “Don’t bother, I got it,” I said, ignoring the look he was giving me. I had no idea what the hell was going on, and I just wanted to get inside and close the door on this bullshit.

  He stood at the side of his truck and watched as I walked up the stairs to my apartment. “Nicole,” he hollered up, but I just kept walking. He already had the chance to talk about whatever was bothering him. But instead he pulled this caveman, she my woman bullshit.

  Okay, I didn’t handle that very well with Nicole. Actually, it backfired in my face. I sometimes forget she isn’t the same timid girl she was all those years ago. So acting like some dominant dick was probably not the best way to handle things. But nothing pissed me off more than knowing that sack of shit had his hands on her. It made me nauseous just thinking about it.

  And now he wanted to start coming around playing the I wanna see my little girl card. He didn’t give a shit about Tori. The fucker was just trying to get under my skin by coming after her and Nicole.

  The thought of Tyler hurting either of them made me want to beat his ass. The smug bastard thought he could play these fucking head games, and there was no way I was going to sit back and allow it.

  So that was what I was doing now. Driving around town searching out that piece of shit. If Nic knew I was out looking for him, she would probably be even angrier than she already was. But he and I had to have a long-overdue talk. The problems between us stemmed from long ago, before Nic and even before we were on the football team. He had hated me from the first time we met, and things only escalated from there. He wanted to be the big shot, the guy everyone loved and wanted to be like. But when he found he had me as competition, fuck, the guy couldn’t let shit g
o. He was always looking for ways to get beneath my skin, and I knew he was using Nicole to do just that. It was about me, not her. She was his way of getting in one last jab.

  I was just about to give up and go back to Nicole’s place to beg for forgiveness when I was lucky enough to see him pulling into the parking lot of Morgan’s Pool Hall as I was pulling out of it. The front of his truck almost took off the front of my pickup.

  I threw my truck in reverse and circled back, then parked in front of him. Stupid fucker was so lit he almost fell out of his truck as he climbed down. An empty beer can fell out, and he kicked it, sending it under the car beside his. He was pitiful, and there was no way in hell I was going to let him get anywhere near that sweet little girl again. I didn’t give two shits that he was her father. She wouldn’t get hurt in any way by this tool.

  “Well,” Tyler chuckled as he braced himself against the car next to his. “If it ain’t the man who thinks he can stroll back into town and take what’s now mine.”

  I chose to ignore his dig and moved on to what I’d come here to say. “You and I have some things to talk about,” I stated as I squared my shoulders and crossed my arms over my chest.

  “Yeah,” he replied as he also squared his shoulders and attempted to puff out his chest. “Like how you think you have rights to my daughter and Nicole. She gave up on you long ago, after you left her. But I comforted her, so no need to worry.”

  He smiled, and it took all I had not to knock that grin right off his face. Normally I wouldn’t take the bait, but I was out of patience with this sack of shit. “If she gave up on me, then why am I the one in her bed at night?”

  His cockiness faded and turned to anger. I just needed one sign of aggression before I laid his ass out. Somewhere in his warped mind, I figured he really thought Nicole had feelings for him.

  It was pathetic actually.

  “Maybe for now,” he said as he rested back against the car. “Enjoy it while it lasts, man, because it will end. You’ll fuck it up.”