Ride For Me (North Shore Crew Book 1) Read online

  One moment I was on my feet, the next I had lost all contact with the ground. One leg folded at an awkward angle, my arms flailed and sent bottles in all directions. My long hair whipped wildly around my face before I landed on my ass with a mortified shriek.

  “Shit! My ankle,” I growled and clutched the throbbing joint.

  Despite the pain, I still had the sense to glance around to ensure I wasn’t surrounded by broken glass.

  Mace’s booming laughter commandeered my attention until a deep, cynical voice spoke.

  “Who are you?”

  I snapped my head skyward to see a large silhouette of a man standing between me and the fire.

  “I’m fine by the way, thanks for asking,” I deadpanned.

  The newcomer may have chuckled, though it sounded more like a scoff. He did, however, offer me his hand.

  After a moment’s hesitation, I slapped both my hands in his and hopped slightly as he hauled me to my feet. I was about to release his grasp when a tingling sensation prickled through my palm, causing my fingers to involuntarily squeeze against the unexpected feeling.

  Judging by the stranger’s explosive reaction, he felt something too; he dropped my hands, reared back and drew to full height, then eyed me cautiously.

  I raked my gaze up and down the entire length of his body, automatically assessing and drawing conclusions.

  He was tall and muscular, long, straight nose, dark eyes and dishevelled hair. And, to complete his hostile demeanour, a dark beard surrounded the scowl on his mouth.

  Black. Black everything; motorcycle boots, jeans, leather jacket hanging from one hand and t-shirt that revealed the barest hint of ink at the bottom of one sleeve.

  I swear to God my ovaries swooned as every last hint of moisture left my mouth.

  What an… an...

  ASSHOLE!

  A shadow seemed to shroud his presence, so raw and unreceptive, and I could practically feel it vibrating around his space. His eyes held a hollow soullessness, and he wore sorrow like a second skin, yet his unmistakable arrogance countered any sense of sympathy I felt for him in this moment.

  Despite unwittingly being drawn to this stranger, just looking at him made me grind my teeth together. I scoffed and returned his scowl while popping a hip for added sass.

  “Who are you? Like, Batman or something? Because I don’t believe the real Batman wears a small animal on his face.”

  He laughed for sure this time. A rough, contemptuous chuckle rolled over me and his scowl turned into a smirk.

  “Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine?”

  Before I got the chance to reply, Mace (who was completely forgotten beside us until now) cut in with his voice raised.

  “Lil, this is my cousin, Gage Westbrook. He’s just moved up from Tauranga to work with me and Dad.” Mace glared and angled the top of his bottle my way. “Play nice, Missy.”

  Ignoring Mace’s tone, I folded my arms across my chest, then darted comparative glances between the pair of them.

  Despite being cousins, the physical family resemblance was non-existent. They did, however, possess the same manner of assertiveness in the way they held themselves; both standing tall with their shoulders back, showing that they not only looked powerful, they felt it. But that’s where the similarities ended.

  Snapping from my assessment, I turned to Mace. “I always play nice. You just can’t handle all this badass,” I declared and waved a hand over myself.

  Mace dropped his chin slightly and raised his brows at me. “Lil Bean,” he warned.

  I waved him off with an irritated flick of my fingers, then stepped back a pace. Batman’s presence was too commandeering and suffocating for my liking.

  “Yeah, yeah, whatevs.”

  Ignoring Mace’s growl, I turned on my uninjured heel and crouched to collect scattered bottles. As I stood, I mentally reset my mood to fun-loving and forced the sullen, party-crasher from my mind.

  Taking the deck steps as fast as I dared, I made my way inside to exchange my drinks for non-shaken ones while willing myself to resist the urge to glance back at Gage. He had me unreasonably flustered, and I didn’t like it one bit.

  The feeling of eyes boring into my back made my lungs constrict. I ignored the shit out of them, and I’d be damned if I admitted to emphasising the sway in my hips ever so slightly.

  THREE

  Gage

  FUCK. COMING AROUND here was a mistake. I had only moved to Auckland a few days ago and every aspect of my life was in various states of disarray; being in this bullshit city just emphasised that fact. Now, standing with my cousin at some random broad’s house, I regretted my decision even more.

  Mace insisted I make an appearance tonight since these were his best mates, and I would apparently be seeing a lot of them. He had assured me that they were a decent group of people who would do anything for each other. ‘The crew’ they called themselves.

  I didn’t want to be part of their clique, however I trusted my cousin. He knew what had brought me here, and I couldn’t blame the guy for trying to take my mind off things.

  Mace studied me with hope shining in his eyes. His aspiration that I would fit in here made me want to make an effort simply for his sake.

  Our conversation was interrupted by some long-haired bimbo blazing across the deck before crashing at my feet. When she looked up at me with her big round eyes, I felt as if she stripped me bare in that single glance.

  An internal battle waged within me as I tried to summon all composure and not lose my shit by laughing in her face. Laughter didn’t pass my lips often, and tonight wasn’t going to be the exception.

  I glanced at Mace, who wore a shit-eating grin while he laughed loudly. His features were alight and adoring; the girl meant something to him, that much was obvious. The least I could do was show an ounce of gentlemanliness, so I extended a hand to help her up.

  The tip of her tongue darted out as I tugged her to standing, and out of nowhere I wondered what she tasted like.

  Jesus Christ. Get a grip man!

  I tightened my grip on her hands and waited for her to become steady on her feet. That was when I felt it; whatever the hell it was that surged between us.

  I recoiled and dropped her hands like a hot fucking rock. Taking a hasty step back to see her properly, her eyes were wide and her shiny lips were parted in surprise. Those same eyes skipped over my entire body in a way that exposed me infinitely more than it should have. I knew she was judging me based on first impressions. I drew myself to full height and held still under her scrutiny.

  She was hot and intense while unintentionally drawing me in like the fucking sun. Damn, this girl was somethin’ else, that was for sure. I resisted the urge to cover my crotch with my hands, opting to tuck my free hand into the pocket of my jeans.

  Thank Christ Mace finally spoke up before I burst into flames. However, his introductions didn’t provide any further information apart from the little spitfire’s name.

  Lil.

  He said her name was Lil.

  Despite my curiosity, I didn’t want to know more. There was no point; I wasn’t prepared to go down that road again.

  Mace’s introduction caused her eyes to flick back and forth between us and a crease to appear between her brows. I was aware of her having a clipped conversation with Mace, but I couldn’t hear a goddamn thing as I visually drank her in.

  She sauntered back into the house and my eyes dropped to her ass as she excessively swayed her hips, obviously having had a few drinks tonight. No matter how much the little voice of warning inside my head screamed, I simply couldn’t tear my eyes away from her.

  With much effort, I shook off my thoughts and blinked hard before turning my attention back to Mace. What I saw slammed into me like a tonne of bricks. Mace also stared after Little Miss Sunshine with his eyes glazed over. I twigged; it was like that between them.

  I resisted the urge to rub my chest where an unexpected pang rocketed thro
ugh me, then I thumbed towards the house. “Who the fuck was that?”

  Mace scoffed. “That, my dear cousin, is hell on wheels in the form of Lily McMillan.” A hint of pride pricked his voice before he chuckled and took a swig of beer.

  “Christ,” I muttered and ran a hand through my hair.

  One of the guys headed for the house and offered a beer on his way past. I took a long pull from the bottle and tried to wrap my head around what just happened. That woman was one gorgeous train wreck...

  Leaning forward and tilting his drink in my direction, Mace elaborated. “And that was her brother. They’re both my best mates, so don’t get any ideas.”

  I matched his patronising tone. “And you looking at her with your tongue hanging out counts for nothing?”

  “Bullshit I was! She means more to me than you’ll ever know, but she’s family and totally off-limits,” he bit back.

  Frustration lit his face; Lil seemed to be a sore point for him.

  “Riiight,” I drawled. “So, you going to be rude all night or properly introduce me to these mates of yours?”

  I needed a distraction, and being scrutinised by strangers seemed the best way to go about it after meeting Sunshine.

  “I’ve just been letting you warm into it. Little ol’ Lil back there is nothing compared to the whole crew together. And it’s rare that we are, because Nico is usually away.”

  “Away?”

  “Army,” Mace explained.

  He gestured towards the fire pit and walked me over. “Yo guys,” Mace yelled over the music and laughter. He rattled off a round of introductions, and as he spoke I exchanged bottle salutes and head nods while trying to remember everyone’s name and occupation.

  Nico was in the Army, Trav was a piss-head mechanic, and Kimmie liked to get her freak on with a pole between her thighs.

  “You’re so full of shit, Mace!” Kimmie shouted and pegged a half-eaten sausage at him.

  It hit him in the chest, leaving saucy spots on his light-coloured shirt. A glare accompanied the action before she turned her pretty smile on me. “I’m a photographer. It’s nice to meet you, Gage.”

  Mace let out a string of expletives and fingered the greasy stain. He licked his fingers before wiping them on the side of his jeans, then stabbed a finger at Kimmie.

  “That’ll keep, lil’ Kim.”

  She giggled and wiggled her brows at him. Lil and her brother strode across the lawn together, both of them scowling and ignoring each other. Mickey stopped at my side and offered his hand.

  “Mickey is a Firefighter,” Mace explained as the guy openly sized me up.

  Mickey said an icy, “Mate,” before releasing my hand and throwing himself onto a couch.

  “And last but not least, this is Lil. But you two are already acquainted,” Mace chuckled, obviously thinking he was a fuckin’ comedian.

  Little Miss Sunshine didn’t acknowledge me as she wove through her friends towards the spot Kimmie created for her. She did, however, spare me a single glance when I sat in the only seat left; a tatty old armchair directly next to her. Her focus appeared to remain firmly fixed on Mickey, as if they were having some sort of silent argument.

  Her being distracted gave me the perfect opportunity to study her a little closer. Initially, I thought she was a brunette, but now next to the fire I saw her hair was a stunning deep shade of red. Her ripped jeans gave me teasing glimpses of her legs, and her dark top totally exposed a smooth shoulder. A whiff of vanilla breezed my way, and I bit back an involuntary groan. Usually perfume of any scent made me want to gag; it always reminded me of someone I couldn’t forget.

  A swift backhand to my chest jolted me from my assessment.

  “Eyes up here, Batman,” Lil drawled and cocked a knowing eyebrow at me.

  Her teasing eyes sparkled as they danced over my face. I hid my smirk behind my bottle, analysing her as I drank. I then pointed at my chest.

  It had the intended effect; her eyes dropped to the spot she just backhanded, then lingered for a beat much too long.

  I flicked my forefinger upwards and mimicked her words in a dry tone.

  “Eyes up here, Sunshine.”

  Our gaze snagged and locked. Neither of us seemed to be able to look away. As much as I needed to break our trance, I never wanted it to end. The seconds stretched into what felt like minutes.

  There was something oddly unique about her that I couldn’t put my finger on. Something I had never stumbled upon before. I wasn’t used to feeling like this; stumped, blindsided, perhaps mildly flirtatious, plus shit scared for what that meant.

  FOUR

  Gage

  MACE TOOK MY attention away from Neek and the girls dancing when he plonked himself down beside me.

  I rolled my head his way. “So, is this what your ‘low key’ barbecues are normally like? A pack of raving lunatics?”

  Mace barked a loud laugh. “There’s been some crazy shit that went down in the past, but this is a little more loose than normal since Neek just got back.”

  I watched Lil being tossed around on Neek’s back. She raised her arms above her head and laughed loudly as her long hair whipped around her face. I was starting to see how much of a free spirit she was.

  Mace chuckled again. “Aside from Trav, Lil’s normally at the centre of the mayhem.” Casting me a pointed look, he continued. “Thought I should give you fair warning about that.”

  I stiffened. My throat became tight and my heart thumped faster. “You don’t need to worry about that, cuz. It’s too soon.”

  I had no intention to pursue someone when I didn’t plan on entering into a relationship.

  “Gage.” Mace seldom used my given name. “It’s been a long while, I thought maybe—just maybe,” he emphasised then paused to mull over his words.

  I cut him off before he could even go there. “No.”

  Mace scowled briefly before cracking a grin. “Bro, anyone with eyes in their head could see you two had a moment over there.” He pointed back towards the house. “I could’ve cut that sexual tension with a knife, and it was outright fuckin’ awkward to be standing around as a third wheel.”

  “I said NO! Jesus, I’ve only been up here for a few days. Enough of this conversation already!”

  Christ, he was grindin’ my gears by not letting it drop. I had to nip his ideas in the bud before they caused problems.

  “And I’m not blind either, anyone with eyes in their head can see how into her you are.” Bomb dropped, waiting implosion.

  “Bullshit,” Mace snarled and scrubbed his hand over his face. Realising he still had a drink in hand, he downed it and turned back to me. “Don’t get me wrong, I love her to bits, but it’s not like that.” He was right up in my face now. “She’s helped me through things, things that you don’t know about. Hell, things that no one in our family fucking knows about. And for that, she means the world to me. End of.”

  Shit. That came as a surprise. Mace seemed to have his life together and under control, now though… It seemed that I wasn’t the only Westbrook with skeletons in their closet.

  I lowered my tone. “Everything okay, cuz?”

  “Dandy,” he snapped.

  The conversation was now closed until another time and place.

  I eyed him warily, then nodded. “Okay, I get it.”

  “Good.”

  Mace stood abruptly like he was about to storm off, but paused and deftly jumped over the back of the couch.

  “Another?” he asked from the chilly bin.

  Checking the level of my second beer, I accepted. When Mace didn’t reply, I glanced over to see him standing tall and alert. Mindlessly passing me the fresh bottle, he turned and casually strode towards the house.

  No sooner had he reached the steps, light raindrops began to fall. Mace folded his arms over his chest and grinned. Turning to look behind me, I found Trav standing with the garden hose at the rear of the garage and pointing it skyward.

  I was up and moving
as Trav aimed the hose at Nico and the girls. Lil and Kimmie let out a delayed ear-piercing squeal, and that seemed to be the signal to unleash chaos.

  Taking a running jump over the fire, I cleared the shortest distance to the house and arrived on the deck slightly puffed from my unexpected sprint—complete with beer still in hand.

  Strings of expletives and roars of laughter filled the yard while bodies sprinted in all directions.

  “You’re an asshole, you know that, right?” I growled at Mace.

  “Hey, there was no way I was hanging ‘round out there when I could be sitting pretty, and dry, up here.”

  Lunging at his shoulders, I pulled him into a grapple, inducing a minor scuffling match. Despite us being similar height, his shoulders were broader. The physicality of our jobs meant that we were strong, but when it came down to it, we both knew that Mace would eventually get the upper hand; I wasn’t into pumping weights like he was.

  Our wrestle ended when Mickey snuck around the corner of the house and turned the hose on us.

  “Shit!” was all he managed to laugh before Mace stalked towards him.

  My ass was staying put. I leaned against the weatherboards and was soon joined by Nico. Together, we silently watched mayhem reign, and before long we were both in fits of laughter.

  Doubling over and gasping for breath, I realised I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed like I meant it. The awareness sucker-punched me right in the heart. I really hadn’t allowed myself to relax—let alone smile—more than a dozen times over the last few years. That thought was enough to sober me immediately, leaving me overcome and overwhelmed.

  With what? I wasn’t sure. It may have been bitterness over the friendship they all shared, it may have been because they had accepted me without question and treated me like any other member of their crew, or it may have been guilt because for a split second, I was actually bloody enjoying myself.

  Quietly slipping into the house, I searched for the bathroom. By the time I returned, the party had moved in-doors and the fire pit lay dark and smouldering outside. Kimmie handed out towels and demanded the removal of wet clothing. No way I was sticking around any longer.