Mariah straddled Cody’s bike and rode once again into the late night. It took a few turns and a swerve to find their way to his home. One thing she learned about riding on the back of a Harley was that it vibrated. Mariah secretly enjoyed riding on the back of his bike a little too much. She wondered if he knew about that.

Cody had a garage in his row house. He rolled his bike right in and closed the door behind them by remote. Panic rushed her, because they were sitting in pitch black and it always made her feel awfully vulnerable. Guys could be lying wait for them. Cody’s words about Nelson’s house being booby-trapped rang in her ears. She wondered if he had given the enemy a great idea.

The lights went on and suddenly his garage was not such a scary place. It was climate- controlled and, while it smelled like a garage, Mariah liked it.

Cody’s row house was empty. She followed him up the stairs to the kitchen. It was just the two of them in what she knew was a three-floor house. Unlike the last time he brought her home, Mariah was clear-headed and alert. She had a chance to experience entering his home for the first time, in a way.

She looked around and creeped on his style. She had seen the house but didn’t really get to study it. The only thing she could think of was Cody was such a biker. She found it very endearing that he had his house decked out in biker memorabilia.

Cody’s place was incredibly neat and tidy. She tried to imagine him doing housework. Vacuuming. She must have been a little slow in checking things out, for he turned to her to see what the hold-up was. She had a goofy look on her face, she could feel it. She was lovesick.

And yet it struck her she had didn’t know many things about him.

“What do you do for a living?” she in a sultry voice.

“What?” He tilted his head.

“I know it’s weird, but humor me. I don’t know what you do.” She smiled.

“I’m an IT jockey. I manage the system at a construction company.”

“Okay.” She nodded.

“Do you approve?”

“Of course I do. You could sell ants as pets for all I care.” She shrugged. “Do you care that I’m just a singer?”

“Singer slash lottery winner,” he corrected.

“Yeah. I forgot about that.”

“Do you have a lot of the money left?” he asked boldly.

She thought that was hysterical. Mariah released a belly laugh. “Yes, kind of.”

“Okay, then I approve,” he teased.

“When was your last girlfriend,” she asked.

“Okay now you’re getting into buzz-kill territory.” He reached for her top and ran a finger over the swell of breast pressing against the material.

She realized he was skirting the answer, and that she had touched on the subject before and he evaded it. She really didn’t want to know. She didn’t need to know. She really believed he was a faithful guy.

With a backdrop of the fireplace mantle set with a couple bottles of Jack Daniels, Cody in his tight fitting T-shirt and his leather vest looked like the classic biker. It never stopped amazing her how absolutely enormous his biceps were.

Absentmindedly, she arched toward him, giving herself to him. She pushed her breasts towards him, daring him. Cody stooped and leaned his shoulder into her and lifted. Mariah was draped over his body. He turned his head and kissed her sweet curves, giving her a playful swat.

“Now your true colors are showing,” she kidded.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with mock insult.

“That you’re kinky. You like spanking women, don’t you?” Her body warmed at the thought. What kind of trouble could the two of them get into?

“Maybe just one,” he replied.

“Oh, very good answer.” Mariah wrapped her arms around his narrow waist as she laid her head on his broad back. She was a willing captive. She would let her biker caveman take her anywhere at this moment. She reached for the hem of her shirt to take it off. It was a little different working against gravity in a different way and being upside down. She tugged and tugged and finally pulled it. It was tricky because it was tight but she did it. She felt like Houdini.

Mariah longed to feel the softness of her belly against the heat of his back. She reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. With the snapping motion of her fingers, she was naked. They were skin to skin. Mariah kissed him. She couldn’t resist pressing her lips against his firm muscles, along his perfect spine.

He had the sweetest, freshest scent. Mariah had an almost animal reaction to it as she buried her nose in his skin him and sniffed.

“What’re you going back there?” he asked.

She giggled against his body. She must have tickled him; she could feel him tighten. He faltered, almost losing his balance.

“Don’t do that,” she said in a state of semi-concern.

Cody clutched the railing as he shivered. “When you talk or laugh, it’s turning me on,” he confessed.

“You mean like this?” she teased, “A, b, c, d, e, f, g?”

“That’s it,” he replied playfully. He didn’t wait to climb the stairs. He rolled her body against the thick brown carpet.

“If you’re going to torture me here,” he promised with sex in his voice, “you’re going to get it here.”

The stairs actually created a promising set up. Her buttocks fit perfectly on the tread. She was fully supported as she spread her knees for him. She had already pushed her ultra- tight jeans down to her ankles as they both watched each other undress.

They were face to face as he extended his palms on the stair above her and lowered his body until he was inside of her.

“I decide on my favorite part about having sex with you,” she whispered into his ear. “But this is one of them.”

“This what?” he asked lazily. He was getting her to talk graphically about what they were doing.

“When you’re inside me, fucking me,” she said. “I love it.”

“I don’t know,” he said, his voice becoming harder to understand. “I might like it more.” His pace picked up.

Mariah was careful not to rest the small of her back against the riser of the stair. She didn’t want a rug burn on her spine. She pushed one foot on the stair and wrapped her other leg around his lower back. She pressed on him and pushed him inside her as deeply as he could go.

Something about the surface she was sitting on or the angle was doing them both in. They weren’t going to last. Mariah was drawing up, pushing against him. She attacked him from this angle and made wide sweeps with her hip. Cody countered her with fluid motion. He pistoned into her body, his eyelids fluttering.

Mariah was so steeped in pleasure she could hardly think to move but she managed to, grinding against him as they slammed together. He nuzzled her, and the electric reaction of his stubble against her delicate skin sent her over the edge. She clutched around him, her core seizing involuntarily with the grips of a powerful orgasm.

“Oh fuck,” she screamed. “I can almost not handle it.”

“Almost there,” he grunted. “Just a little more. Keep going.”

He needed her to keep moving so he could join her in ecstasy. Mariah swung her leg up and over his head until she was all the way around. Her bottom was now practically in his face. That’s what did it for him. Cody erupted, shattering with rapture as he came inside her. He cried out, shaking the walls of his home.

Mariah giggled. The neighbors, if they cared, were going to think she was being killed. If she was dying, it was the best way to go. Each time she had sex with him, she reached the sweetest level of contentment that she ever knew possible.

She melted against the stairs and he atop her gingerly as they allowed their pleasure to bathe them. From somewhere around the foot of the stairs, Mariah got a text. She recognized Charlie’s ringtone. Cody and she both cackled.

“It’s gotta be four o’clock in the morning,” he growled. “Who the hell is texting at this hour?”

“Look who’s talking about being awake,” she laughed. “What’s worse is I wanna get it.”

“Okay,” he said, kissing her on her forehead. “We’re already in a rut if we’re chasing texts so soon after sex.”

“Aw…” She ran her hand down his bicep. “Then I’m not looking at it.”

“Now I’m curious,” he said. “Go get it and meet me in bed.”

Mariah grabbed her phone and read it as she walked up the stairs to Cody. She shrieked. The news was very good.

“Hey!” she said. “Lenny’s awake!” She was completely unaware of her nakedness. She wandered his house without care of curtain coverage or Cody. She appeared at his door.

“That’s great news, baby.” He had pulled back the covers for her.

Mariah climbed on the bed to join him, snuggling as he gathered the covers around them both. “And here’s an old text. Did Adam contact you?”

“No; why?” he asked sleepily. “And after this we put the phones away. Lights out.”

“My guys contacted him right away after you left. They played a little together. Adam’s pretty good, and he’s willing to fill in until Lenny’s better.”

“Well, isn’t that nice,” he mumbled, almost teasing her.

“Yes,” she said, cozying into him. “I’ll be back to work in a few days. Your friend is in our band. You’ll have to be our manager,” she kidded.

“As your new manager, then, I’m not booking you at any biker bars.” He pulled her tight against him.

“Yeah, those bikers, they can be trouble,” she teased.

“You have no idea.” He hid his head under the covers and began sucking on her nipples.

Just when she thought she was about to succumb to having been awake for nearly twenty-four hours, Cody pulled her against him.

They made love until they passed out.