Nobody's Obligation (Swimming Upstream #2) Read Free Page A

across her well-endowed chest before landing on the wet spot on the top of her breast, which left it clingy and transparent. A shallow groan tumbled from the back of his throat as he forced his eyes higher and met hers.
    Tyler gulped down his embarrassment. He’d been caught blatantly ogling her. He’d come to see her, to yell at her and make her apologise. Yet somehow, without even trying or knowing it, she had completely turned the tables on him.
    Her eyes went wide as she realised who was standing before her. An involuntary gasp choked out only seconds before she paled and fell to the floor in an unconscious pile.
    Dumbfounded, Tyler just stood there staring at the woman at his feet. It was definitely not the reaction he was expecting. Rubbing at the stubble coating his chin, he shook his head, forcing the confusion aside and compelling him to action. As quickly as he could, he stepped over Ava’s crumpled body and pushed open the door.
    “Someone help!” he called out, barely recognising his own shaky voice as it echoed down the empty corridor. “Please.” Hoping someone, anyone heard him, he refocused all his attention on Ava. She needed him, whether she knew it or not. Guilt was spurring him to action. “I should never have fucking come,” Tyler swore angrily at himself.
    “Everything okay in here?” a bald gentleman asked, poking his head through the gap in the door. Tyler watched as his face fell as he observed the situation. “Shit!” He turned towards the open door and called to someone else. Turning his attention back to Tyler, his face softened. “What happened?” He was a conundrum that Tyler couldn’t quite figure out. He looked powerful and important, but Tyler didn’t see any judgement in his face.
    Tyler felt off kilter. “Not sure. She opened the door and in the next breath she was out cold,” Tyler explained as the man with the very expensive wristwatch checked her pulse. Tyler stepped back and watched. He wasn’t sure what to do or even what to say, and that wasn’t a feeling he was used to. No one had ever made him feel off balance before.
    “Christopher, need a hand?” a voice cooed through the door as two men stepped in and assessed the situation.
    “Thanks. Go find someone to help and grab a glass of water. When she comes to she’s not going to be feeling one hundred percent and someone’s going to need to watch her,” the man known as Christopher said. His authority wasn’t in Tyler’s head. It was oozing from his every pore. Tyler was fascinated how the others just fell in line.
    “Patrick, you grab the water, I’ll go find someone,” a man with short brown hair directed.
    “Actually, Michael, can you sit with her and I’ll go?” Christopher asked, standing up and stepping back.
    “Sure,” Michael agreed, shrugging out of his jacket and crouching down beside Ava’s limp, unresponsive body. “Anyone know what happened?” It was only moments before all three men glanced up into Tyler’s bewildered face. Tyler watched as three pairs of eyes settled on him before exchanging knowing glances.
    Tyler wanted to scream, no one was telling him anything. Wide grins broke out across the faces staring at him while they all seemingly ignored Ava.
    “Yep, that’ll do it,” Michael said with a chuckle as he reached for Ava’s wrist, wrapping his long fingers around hers as he checked her pulse.
    Frustrated and feeling helpless, Tyler lashed out without thinking. “Someone want to tell me what’s so fucking funny?”
    With a throaty laugh, Christopher offered his parting words. “Michael, you’re up. I’m going to get Amanda.” With that, Patrick and Christopher vanished.
    Ignoring Tyler’s bulky frame hovering over him, Michael instead focused on Ava and bringing her back to the land of the living. “Ava! Ava,” he cooed softly as he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Come on, Ava. Time to wake up now.”
    Tyler watched on helplessly, his stomach cramping