Ride For Me (The North Shore Crew #1)

by VR Baucke

  Lil came bounding down the stairs with a spring in her step, apparently not burdened with the same dilemma as her brother.

  “Hey, Sunshine, how are you?” I hugged her and kissed her briefly while Mickey huffed in impatience.

  I spun Lil so her back was to my front, then got down to business. “What’s going on guys?”

  I wasn’t all intuitive and shit, but something in the air felt off.

  Mickey folded his arms and leaned his ass against the bench. “That car was hanging around and it’s making me chary as hell. I’ve noticed it parked in a few different places up and down the street now, but always facing our direction. Describe the car you noticed.”

  I rested my chin on Lil’s head as I gave him the description. “Dark green Holden Commodore station wagon, older model, tinted windows. Other than that, it was run of the mill, factory wheels et cetera, no other mods that I noticed.”

  Mickey started pacing. “It has to be the same car without a doubt. It’s fucking weird I tell you, and I don’t have a good feeling. You sure you have no idea who this could be?” he asked Lil, who simply shook her head.

  Mickey huffed as he snatched up his keys, phone and wallet.

  “Well, I’ve got places to be and people to see.” He aimed a finger at me. “I’m leaving you in charge.”

  “Like there was ever any question about that,” I drawled.

  I ignored Lil’s cry of indignation; Mickey’s comment was vague, plus his body language was shifty as hell.

  “Where you off to?”

  Mickey ignored my question, which only fuelled my suspicions.

  “Well, seeing as I’m ‘in charge’,” I air quoted, “we won’t be climbing out of bed before the crack of dawn to bail your ass out of jail this time.”

  Mickey’s nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. “And likewise, I don’t want our couch to be tainted any more than it already is.”

  Despite his warning, I got the feeling it was issued purely to keep up appearances.

  “No promises either way,” I replied.

  “Hold your tongue mate, that shit I don’t need to know about. I’m outties.”

  Lil and I sniggered as he made his way to the door. He halted and spun on his heel, holding up a hand while listing off the ‘rules’ for the night.

  “I’ll be back late tonight so don’t wait up, don’t leave Lil alone in the house, don’t leave the doors unlocked, don’t put the lights on without closing the curtains first, and for fucks sake, don’t fuck on the couch.”

  “Trust me mate, we will not be waiting up.”

  He flicked me off as Lil pushed him out the door and closed it on his mutterings about how he doesn’t know how he puts up with this bullshit. Lil giggled and securely locked the door then gave Mickey one last wave from the window.

  I needed to feel her body in my hands again, wasting no time in wrapping my arms around her waist, pulling her back to my chest and peppering kisses along the curve of her neck. Her body relaxed for a few moments then tensed again. She spun in my arms and tugged on the zipper of my leather jacket.

  “You’d better take this off, Batman.”

  “Layer for layer, Sunshine. What are you going to remove?” I skipped my sight over her singlet top and tiny shorts, my mouth already salivating either way.

  She snorted. “I’m not cooking while naked. The risk of burns is real.”

  I chuckled against her forehead and dropped my hands to cup her ass. “No, that’s not wise. However, I think you’d cook a hell of a lot better with your shorts off.”

  “Hey, if I’m removing my shorts, you’re removing your entire top half.”

  “Deal!” I declared without a pause and flicked the button of her shorts.

  Lil threw her head back and laughed when I tugged them down and removed them with a growl. When I remained crouched, highly distracted by her underwear, Lil grabbed the collar of my jacket and hauled me to standing. She stepped back a pace and clicked her fingers.

  “Remove it, now.”

  “Damn, you’re feisty. I like it,” I drawled.

  “Just focus on taking your gear off,” she feigned seriousness.

  I muttered under my breath about getting her off as I shucked my jacket then tugged my shirt over my head. I threw them both at the stairs where I’d tossed her shorts then smirked when I turned back to Lil.

  If eyes could fuck, then that’s exactly what hers were doing.

  “Hungry, Sunshine?”

  Lil snorted and smiled coyly. “Always.” Her eyes snapped to clarity. “Seriously though, I need to get dinner on, then, we can do…” She waved her arm around. “Stuff.”

  I chuckled and stepped into her space, planting a kiss on her lips that lasted longer than I intended.

  “Let me help.”

  “Okay,” Lil breathed then pointed at the knife rack. “Cut the veges?”

  “Now that I can do.” Grabbing a knife and deftly flicking it through my fingers, I made light work of my allotted task.

  “What are you? A sous chef?” she exclaimed.

  I glanced at Lil’s astonished expression and grinned. “Impressed much?”

  “Yeah, I’m impressed! I haven’t even cut up half the chicken breast.” She slapped the side of her knife on said chicken. “You know how to cook?”

  “Weeell, cook no, not really, but when I was at high school I had a part time job as a kitchen hand at a local restaurant. Part of my job was prep. It’s amazing how fast you learn to chop properly when your fingers are on the line; getting sliced up gets old real fast.”

  “Well, no bloodshed tonight, I’m off the clock,” she joked. “I hope you like curry?”

  “The spicier the better.”

  I side-smiled at her while I continued to slice, dice and be fucken awesome.

  Our arms bumped a little as we worked, and I caught whiffs of her perfume as she moved around me. So many questions raced through my mind as we worked; there was still a huge amount I didn’t know about her, and I wanted to find out everything all at once. Sure, I knew of things and how important her friends and family were to her, but she kept me guessing at every turn. Just when I thought I had part of her figured out, she would surprise me all over again.

  As it was, Lil was first to cautiously voice her own questions.

  “Do you ever wonder why we are so drawn to each other?”

  Jesus, could she read my mine too?

  The thought caused momentary panic within me. Seeing me startle, she hastily added, “Like, you can feel the crazy energy when we touch, aye? And the fact that you just happened to move up here and Mace just happened to invite you round, and...” she frowned looking for the right words. “It seems too coincidental, don’t you think?”

  I nodded slowly, letting her words sink in while trying to formulate a response.

  Carefully setting down the knife then leaning against the bench, I took her in. The mere fact that I had wanted to be around her after all the heartbreak in my life meant that Lil was as rare as they came.

  “That is something I ask myself multiple times a day. I find you in my thoughts more and more when I work, when I ride, and when I sleep. The more I try to resist, the more you pull me in. It just feels… right.”

  That’s the best way I could explain what I didn’t understand. Putting feelings into words was bloody hard and something I’d always struggled with.

  “Gage…?”

  When she didn’t continue, I hummed in response.

  “Who’s Lotte?”

  I felt the blood drain from my face and all rational thought left my mind. Gripping the bench as I fought against the spots appearing in the outskirts of my vision, I focused on forcing the air in and out of my lungs.

  I was snapped back to reality by Lil’s warm touch on my forearm. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t want to ask, but I know she means a lot to you.”

  I couldn’t meet her eyes; I just hung my head as I uttered the most incredulous words
. “Can you read my mind?”

  She startled and shifted her weight slightly.

  “Er, no. Mickey is the only one I share that ability with.”

  The relief from her response was short lived. She had asked about Lotte, and hearing her voice Lot’s name sent me spiralling as bitterness pitched and rolled within my gut.

  “What do you know about Lotte?” My voice was rough, demanding, unforgiving.

  It took every ounce of willpower not to yell at Lil, not to storm from the room and lose my shit. I needed to hear what Lil had to say, and since she had broached the subject using Lotte’s name, the very name neither Mace nor I had given her, I needed to find out how Lil discovered her name.

  Sensing my distress, Lil tugged at the hem of her t-shirt. “I don’t want to upset you, Gage.”

  “Too late. Tell me.”

  I had to strain to receive her hesitant reply over the white noise drowning out my hearing. “Okay. Not long after we first meet, I dreamt of her. Then, when you approached me in the spa that night, I knew she was attached to you somehow.”

  Letting out the breath I’d been holding, I fought hard to find my voice.

  “Remember how I told you about my serious relationship that ended a few years ago?”

  Lil nodded.

  “Lotte.”

  “I’m really sorry, Gage. I really didn’t mean to pry...”

  I forced myself to reassure her, to fob off how much she had rocked me with that one question. “It’s okay, Lil, you weren’t to know. Now let’s get this cooking before you resort to cannibalism.”

  She cast me a small smile that was marred with sadness. When her hand reached for the pan, I snagged it and squeezed gently. We didn’t talk for a long while after that, instinctively working around each other as we cooked dinner.

  “So…” Lil broke the silence. “Moira’s all that and a bag of chips.”

  I paused, and frowned because I legit had zero idea of what she was referring to. “Moira?”

  Lil turned a stellar grin on me. “Your bike.”

  “Since when the fuck is her name Moira?” I boomed through a laugh.

  “Since I named her when we went for a ride the other day.”

  “You can’t call her Moira,” I deadpanned.

  “And why not?” Lil sassed.

  I gawked at her like she was fucking crazy and spread my arms wide.

  “Why the fuck do you think? Moira is not a suitable name for a badass muscle bike.”

  “Wow. I’m sure all the Moira’s in the world are disappointed right now,” Lil mumbled.

  “I’d rather call her Blanche!” I scoffed.

  Lil’s jaw dropped. “You definitely cannot call her Blanche.”

  “And why not?”

  Lil rolled her eyes like I should know the answer already.

  “Because, Blanche is a Vesper name, not a muscle bike name.”

  I shook my head while stirring the curry. “This conversation is so fucked up. Heaven forbid we have babies and you name them,” I sniggered.

  My heart dropped as soon as I heard what I’d just said. Lil gasped and tried to cover it as a covert cough. Acutely aware of what I insinuated, I cleared my throat and shrugged like it was no biggy; even though it was a huge fucking deal.

  “Hypothetically speaking, don’t freak out.”

  Lil avoided eye contact as she grabbed plates and cutlery. “So, when you gonna let me take Moira for a spin?”

  I choked on an inhale and pounded my chest. “It’s not fucking Moira!” I spluttered then added, “And that shit ain’t happening, Sunshine, so don’t ask again.”

  Lil feigned a pout. “And why not?”

  “Because, only gu-”

  “Don’t you dare say that only guys can ride or I swear I will steal Moira in the night.”

  I swiped a hand over my beard, praying for some goddamn sanity.

  “Christ, you’re going to be the end of me. What I meant to say was, it’s a big bike, Lil, and, well, you’re not big.”

  She snorted and poured two glasses of wine. “That’s a backhanded compliment if ever I’ve heard one. Besides, I’ve ridden Mace’s before.”

  I glared as she beamed me with a wide grin. Regardless of how many beats that look made my heart skip, that shit wasn’t happening.

  “Answer’s still no.”

  “Your loss,” she sang and turned to the fridge, swinging the door wide. Lil bent at the waist (despite not needing to) and graced me with an eyeful of ass and panties that had my jeans growing tighter by the second.

  “I know what you’re doing, Sunshine, and it ain’t gonna work,” I growled without diverting my eyes for a goddamn second.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she snickered.

  With a little bum wiggle that had me hiding my shit-eating grin behind my palm, I continued to watch the spectacle as Lil moved around the kitchen to set the table.

  “Like what you see, Batman?”

  A rumble climbed up my throat. “Don’t tease me, Lil.”

  She motioned for me to sit on a dining chair then straddled my lap. Her lips brushed against my lips, causing my hands to slip to her ass.

  “Make you a bet.”

  “No.”

  Lil nipped at my neck, and fuck me if it wasn’t working.

  “Let me ride Moira.”

  My grip tightened as I summoned as much conviction to my voice as I could under the circumstances.

  “The only way your ass is touching the seat of my bike is while you’re behind me with your thighs squeezing mine.”

  TWENTY-SIX

  LIL

  “THE ONLY WAY your ass is touching that seat is while you’re behind me with your thighs squeezing mine.”

  Gah, his words just obliterated my will to ever wear panties again. I hid my smile by ducking my head and gently biting Gage’s neck again, secretly smiling when his breath grew ragged and strained.

  His hands moved from my ass, smoothing their way up my back in a way that had me arching into his touch before they wove through my untamed long hair. With a gentle tug, he tilted my head to meet his gaze. Despite the jovial twinkle in his eyes, there was an unmistakable edge of warning blackening those same depths.

  “You’re not gonna seduce me into agreement, Lil.”

  I climbed off his lap while offering a proposal. “If I can touch Moira before you stop me, then I can take her for a spin.”

  He shook his head and stood, making me feel much smaller than I was. “It’s not Moira. You’re a shit stirrer, Sunshine!” he leered. “And my answer remains no.”

  I couldn’t stop the devilish smile forming on my lips. “I’ll stop calling your bike Moira if you win.”

  His eyes snapped from my legs to my eyes. “You’re on.”

  Gage moved a mere split second after I ran for the door. Blindly grabbing at the dining chair as I pass, I tipped it into his path. It hit the floor with a loud bang and I heard Gage curse loudly as he jumped over it. That small moment of distraction bought me enough time to unlock the door and leg it across the deck.

  A sinuous forearm snaked around my waist just as I reached out and slapped Moira’s handgrip. Gage let out a grunt then a string of expletives as he swung me with the momentum I’d gathered, holding my back tightly against his front when we came to a stop. We both puffed heavily from the excursion, then a giddy giggle escaped my lips. I’d just nailed his ass.

  Gage’s low growl vibrated against my back before I felt his teeth nip my neck.

  “Dirty tactics. I’m gonna have to teach you a lesson.”

  “I thought you’d be more onto it after growing up with three sisters,” I teased, tilting my head to grin up at him.

  He set his chin on my cheek and scratched the shit out of my skin with his beard. As I laughed and struggled in his arms, he spun me so our chests bumped together. That’s when I caught the pain in his gaze. The twisted torment that transported him a million miles away while physically remaining presen
t with me. The suffering I saw had the playful smile slipping from my face.

  “Hey,” I said softly and reached up to touch his face. “Are you okay?”

  He forced the misery from his features, however, the detachment in his eyes persisted. His voice was flat, void of all feeling and emotion while he locked eyes with me.

  “Just figuring out how to tell you, you ain’t riding my bike.”

  “Na uh, deals a deal, Batman.”

  The nickname accompanied with the little slap to his chest roused the smallest of smiles to his lips before the frown resumed.

  “Some deals are made to be broken.”

  I scoffed. “The only people who say that are the ones who lose!”

  “Sweet baby Jesus,” Gage muttered and slipped a hand from the small of my back to scrub it over his face. “Why the hell did I agree to that,” he reprimanded himself.

  When his attention fell back to me, the intensity and conviction radiating from his expression caught my breath. “You’ve got me doing all kinds of crazy shit, and I’m torn between loving you and hating you for it.”

  I froze.

  Did he mean loving me loving me? Or was he just saying that to emphasise his irritation. My feelings for him were growing stronger each day, much past the liking stage, but had definitely not reached the loving stage yet.

  “Hey, Lil! Where’d you go?”

  “Huh? What?”

  From the look on his face, he knew exactly where my mind had wandered, and that he also realised how his words had come across.

  “Were you talking to Mickey?”

  I frowned until comprehension took hold. I smiled shyly and made light of the situation by flicking his nipple.

  “Not just then. I uh, just had a silly moment. Ignore me,” I added, waving him off. “Now, more importantly, back to Moira.”

  Gage was visibly relieved for the change in subject, however he strode over to stand protectively in front of Moira with his arms crossed over his chest. His shirtless physique drew me in; the arms, biceps, pecs, broody scowl, penetrating eyes, the tats…

  “When you’ve finished eye-fucking me, I’m gonna reiterate that you ain’t riding my goddamn bike.”