The evening was a long one. Amazingly, there wasn’t a single scuffle for the rest of the night, but the tension was so thick, Mariah felt like it pushed up against her on stage. There was no reward in the music either. It was the one thing she truly loved, to sing the songs her band played, but tonight it was all exhausting. It felt like a job just trying to get through so she and her band could get paid.

As she and the rest of the band were breaking down their equipment, one of the men from the audience approached her.

“Hey, Mariah,” he said, a small ounce of friendliness in his tone. “Good sound. Guess you know Primeaux is spending the night in county lock-up.”

Mariah tensed. “I’m sorry about that. If he’d have left me alone—” she began.

But the man waved away her excuse. “It’s cool,” he said. “You gotta do what you gotta do. I just don’t understand the hostility, that’s all. The Robinson Street bikers love you. I mean, why bring in a bunch of punks to our scene?” he asked. “If Nelson’s misbehaving, why not let us handle our own, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Thanks for expressing yourself,” she said. “I have to finish up here. Listen…”

“Dalton,” said the biker. “My name’s Dalton, with the Robinson Street bikers.”

“Yeah, well, let me know next time you’re here. I’ll tell the doorman your cover is on me.” She smiled. The guy was harmless. He just wanted to come to listen to the music.

“So you’ll leave the Dark Riders out of this, right?” asked Dalton.

“No,” said Cody from behind him menacingly, “she won’t.”

Without warning, Dalton cocked back and took his best shot. Cody blocked it easily and returned with a punch of his own. It was like bikers had a sixth sense when it came to fights. The action on the stage became a magnet, and within a few breaths everyone from both clubs was in on it.

Mariah and the band pressed themselves against the wall and waited till it was over, terrified a fist might fly out, or worse, a weapon of some kind.

The manager of the bar blasted them all over a loud speaker to leave the bar. He even dropped the lights, and the room was immersed in pitch blackness.

Immediately, hands were on Mariah. At first she was shocked and reached to swat them away. Then in the next instant, she was thrilled. She knew whose hands they were. She recognized Cody’s energy.

Even in the complete blackness of the situation, he found her. He gently drew her back against him, turned her face, and kissed her. Fists continued to fly as his soft warm lips pressed against hers. His tongue snaked in between her lips and tasted. She wrapped her arms around his massive shoulders and pressed her body against hers.

His hands skated down her backside and cupped her ass. He squeezed and he kneaded boldly as their tongues mated, entwining as their yearning for one another grew. Mariah was pretty sure she moaned. For the second time, cops flooded the parking lot of Carl’s. This time they brought paddy wagons.

“Lights!” someone shouted.

On cue, the house lights came back up. Mariah and Cody jumped apart. The bar was completely destroyed. Cops tackled the brawling fighters.

Cody and Mariah stared at each other, almost oblivious to the chaos bursting all around them.

Adam and Cody were on the staged with Mariah and the band. They hopped over Dalton, who was lying on the ground. The two big guys grabbed instruments like they were helping to pack up. They pretended they were part of the band, and so the cops left them alone. Cody and Mariah stole secret glances at each other, each with the same horny expression. When the place was cleared up, the manager, Beale, stormed up to them.

“Here’s your money,” he said angrily to Mariah. “If I find you’re behind all this, you’re never coming back here again. Look at this place!”

“Hey,” said Cody abruptly. “What if my guys and I come back here tomorrow first thing in the morning and fix everything? Materials, labor, the whole nine yards? It’ll be like it never happened.”

“I’m not paying you,” snapped Beale, though he was clearly considering it.

“Not asking you to,” said Cody. “The guys and I’ll fix this, gratis.”

“Fine,” said Beale tersely. “For now, get out of here before I tell the cops you ain’t with them.”

Cody and Adam helped the band load their equipment to carry out to the band’s van. Lenny went ahead of them and started cursing.

“Bullshit! Damn it! What the flying fuck?!”

“What’s going on?” Mariah moved around Cody to see what had upset Lenny so badly.

“Someone slashed our fucking tires!”

All four tires were completely destroyed. She knew the band knew it wasn’t her fault, but each of them cut their eyes at her one by one.

“Hang on, guys,” said Cody, putting a protective arm around Mariah. “We know someone. I can either have this towed to where you want, or I can have four tires out here and you can drive yourself. This is partly our club’s fault. What do you want?”

Lenny sighed, “Thanks, man. I appreciate it.” He glared at the rows of bikes parked across the lot. “Just tow it to my place. I store the equipment. I’ll ride with the tow truck driver. I guess the rest of you all can take cabs.”

Mariah reached into her pocket and split the earnings with the other two. “This happened because of me. Let me pay for this. I feel like this has gone beyond Nelson’s doing stuff to me. This is affecting you. And if you guys want to part ways with me, I understand.” She had a feeling Lenny wanted to call it quits. Or take a break till Nelson disappeared.

But to her surprise, they didn’t feel that way.

“We’re a band and we’re friends. We stick together. We’ll handle this,” Lenny said.

Adam stayed with them until the tow truck took the van and the cabs picked up the guys. Mariah accepted a ride from Cody, telling the others she wanted to make sure none of Nelson’s gang was hanging around her house. She doubted it, because her address was unlisted, but it wouldn’t be hard for one of these bikes to follow a cab. Riding on the back of Cody’s bike was the safest place for her. And the hottest.

Once again she was in a little-nothing dress as she climbed onto the back of Cody’s bike. Like he had eyes in the back of his head, he reached behind him and found the back of her knees, pulling her body close up around his. Mariah leaned into him. She lifted the visor of her borrowed helmet.

“Do you remember the way to my place?” she asked, hoping that that didn’t sound too much like a come-on.

“The way to your place is burned into my memory,” he said boldly.

His words electrified her, catapulting her into an erotic zone, and every move and nuance from there forward became foreplay for her. This sort of thing did not happen to her often. Mariah felt like she’d just raided a bowl of buttercream frosting. Her insides were liquid and her entire body, inside and out, turned ultra-sensitive. As her breasts pressed against the hard expanse of his back, she grew intensely aroused. She laid her head against him like he was her man. For the few nerve-wracking minutes to her place, he was.

She just hoped no one took it out on him that she was riding with him. Nelson would soon know, like he had before. The scenery of old Baltimore at night was romantic, if not a little dangerous. Some parts of the city were just plain unsafe to be in. She just hoped that no one was following them. It didn’t matter what kind of fighter Cody might be. It wasn’t just the rival bikers; Mariah could feel it in the pit of her stomach that they needed to roll along.

But Cody took the back way to her place. He ran a few stop signs, cautiously, until they were out of harm’s way. The longer route gave her a chance to adjust to the jolt of attraction for him that she was wallowing in. It slowed things down a bit. She did her best to completely enjoy it.

Yet there was something intensely sexy about a guy who knew his way around. Or maybe Mariah just found everything about Cody Dallas incredibly hot. He tooled around into the older suburbs that led to her place without asking for one suggestion. And there were no do-overs. Mariah was impressed and dying to feel his lips on hers again.

He pulled his bike into her driveway. Mariah dismounted first. She reflexively lowered the hem of her Lycra dress that had hiked up and snuggly fit her curves. She could see the slightly elongated shadows of her legs as cast from the white street light shining behind her. In the heels, even in the distorted shadowing images, her legs looked good and she was glad.

She was more pleased when the first thing he did when he removed his helmet was walk all over her with his eyes. He looked like he was going to eat her for a late supper. Mariah could only hope.

They locked eyes, both of them floating on the thick, intoxicating attraction they had for one another. They stepped toward one another. One of his hands cupped the back of her head, and the other grazed the flatness of her stomach as he pressed his lips to hers, finally.

Mariah opened for him as his hot, wet tongue glided around her mouth. Every stroke of it made her shiver. She never had such a powerful reaction from someone she kissed. But their chemistry was wild. He had her head spinning and her body melting.

“You wanna come inside?” she asked huskily.

“More than you know,” he murmured. He laughed softly as he stroked a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Helmet hair,” he teased. “Yes, I want to come inside your house. I want have a look around and make sure that all the windows and doors are locked, but then I’m going to head home.”

Mariah’s heart sank. She was not one to climb into bed with someone easily, but for Cody Dallas she would make the exception. She thought they were on the same wavelength. Her disappointment must have shown on her face.

He winked at her. “You drive me crazy,” he confessed. “But with you, I have this overwhelming urge to be a gentleman. So I’m going to make sure you’re safe and hit the road while I’m able.”

“Understood,” she said in a sulky voice. Her body, just seconds ago titillated with a pure erotic rush, was now slammed by intense frustration. She was more than disappointed, even though he was completely worth waiting for and he was more than right. It was crazy to jump into the sack with a guy she had the hots for but didn’t really know.

But she was going to at least get a little more from him. Once they were inside, she offered him a drink.

“I know you can’t stay stay,” she said sweetly. “But can I get you a nightcap?”

Cody veered from his inspection of the bottom floor to charge toward her, and kissed her passionately. He clutched her face with his fingers and wrapped his tongue around hers.

Mariah responded, turning her face this way and that, trying to taste him every way she could. She pressed her soft body against his cut from stone. Finally, he broke the kiss, looking her directly in the eye.

“You know I would love to stay stay,” he said lightly, teasing her sweetly. “I would love to stay for a drink and for other stuff. But I’m at my personal limit to drive. What I want to do is take you to dinner tomorrow, if you’re not playing anywhere.”

Mariah could hardly think with this mammoth gorgeous biker’s face to close to hers. His lashes were longer than hers, and if he were any closer he could tickle her with them. “Yes,” she barely managed.

“Yes, you are working tomorrow?” he said with a smile.

“No,” she amended. “I’m not playing anywhere. Yes, I’d love to go to dinner.”

He kissed her tenderly; his fingers dropped to her breast and found her nipple. He gave it a mild tweak, sending an erotic pulse throughout her. “Okay, now let me check the rest of the house. This place has a basement, correct?” he asked in a whisper.

Mariah was so doped from making out with him she didn’t answer straight. “I think so,” she said with a nod.

He winked, and flashed even, white teeth. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll figure it out.”

As soon as Cody left the room, Mariah did a little end-zone dance. She didn’t even care if the rooms he checked were in perfect order. She was ridiculously happy that he was there.

When he returned, he pulled out his cell phone. “Call me right now,” he said softly, standing closer than he actually had to.

He recited the number and she dutifully dialed.

“Good,” he praised. “Now add me to your contacts.”

She did as he said; the thought of his voice commanding her sent thrills through her body. Would he be this… this dominant during sex?

He winked, smiled, and leaned into her to kiss her. It was so wonderful to be kissed by him. She let herself be lost in the feeling, his touch shooting tendrils of desire everywhere throughout her body.

Another bad night ended as a good one, all thanks to Cody Dallas.