I stare out the back of my bus as we make our way to San Francisco. I just stare at the horizon, praying to see his bike appear in my line of sight, praying to see that gorgeous grin as he follows my bus. But so far, I’ve seen nothing but cars and traffic. No bike. No him. My heart sinks, and I reach for my guitar, humming a tune as I keep forming a song in my head. The song that, every time I think of it, reminds me of him.

The stranger who picked me up from the darkness.

“Darkness,” I sing softly. “It has a way of taking a piece of your soul. And Darkness, oh oh, it can haunt you, if you’ll let it, until you’re grey and old ...”

A rumble snaps me from my song and I eagerly look out the window to see Maverick rolling in behind the bus. My heart expands and I can’t wipe the stupid smile off my face as I watch him near. He holds up his hand in a peace symbol and I do the same back, knowing I look goofy I’m smiling so big. My heart does a strange little flip and my stomach feels like it’s full of butterflies.

It’s been so long since I’ve felt anything like it.

And over a perfect stranger?

He grins, big and beautiful, and I wish I could just stop the bus, get off it, and climb onto his bike, riding with him. But I can’t, all I can do is stare at him and smile. I wave lamely and I can almost hear his chuckle. I get an idea, and my smile gets bigger. I hurry off, looking around the room until I find a blank piece of paper. I find a marker on my desk and scribble the words, “I’m playing tonight, in San Francisco. Will you be there?”

I hold the sign up to the back of the window and he leans forward a little, then brings his bike closer. After a few minutes, he nods and gives me a thumbs up. My heart races, an anticipation I haven’t felt for so long. I decide to take it a step further. I’m tired of hotel rooms, so I requested Susan book a holiday house for me as I’ll be staying a couple of days. I need something that feels a little homely. She agreed and booked a quaint little house in the city.

I write down the address on a clean piece of paper. Then I write, “I’m staying here.” I don’t know what I’m expecting. Hell, I don’t even know what I want. I don’t know Maverick, not really, but he’s bringing me life for the first time in so long, and that’s something I am tired of living without. Just having someone to talk to is amazing. It makes everything feel better. So, with shaky fingers, I press the paper to the window and watch his reaction.

He reads the words, and I hold them up for longer than usual, in case he needs to memorize it. He nods, and flashes me another killer grin. I bite my lip and lower the paper, giving him two thumbs up. His grin gets bigger, until it’s a full-blown smile that squeezes the breath right out of my lungs. God. He’s beautiful. And scary. But the vibe he gives out is genuine.

I wish I had paid more attention to vibes before ... Maybe I would have never ended up in so much trouble.

A knock on my door distracts me, and I turn to see another member from my team, Isaac, coming into the room. He’s a talented guitar player, and I wouldn’t be able to do any of my sets without him. Tall, dark, and ruggedly handsome, with the greyest eyes I’ve ever seen on a man, he certainly captures the ladies’ attention. Occasionally, we will jam together and come up with songs. He’s been my friend for a long time.

“Heya, girlfriend,” he says, walking in and flopping down onto the spot by the window beside me.

He glances out and raises his brows. “Holy shit, that dude looks scary.”

I flush but say nothing.

“Can he see us in here?”

I look at Isaac and I can’t hide the stupid smile that spreads across my face. “We’ve been playing together a long time; can I trust you with a secret?”

His eyes light up and he grins, crossing his legs and facing me. “Spill it, sister. Leave nothing out.”

I giggle. “I know him.”

His brows go up and he jabs a thumb in Maverick’s direction. “Biker dude?”

“Yeah. He kind of ... helped me out once and now he follows me and comes to all of my shows. He’s really great.”

“He follows you?” Isaac frowns.

I shake my head and roll my eyes. “Not like that. I ask him to come.”

A semi lie but it’ll make Isaac feel better.

“And he doesn’t freak you out at all? Look at the size of him, Scar. He’s huge. What if he abducts you and takes you away on the back of that bike?”

I smile. “Would that really be so bad?”

Isaac frowns, and scoots a little closer. “C’mon, life here isn’t that bad, right? Being the most famous singer in the country can’t be too hard?”

I raise my brows, and he grins. “Okay, I take it back.” He laughs. “I would never want to be in your shoes.”

“I love singing, don’t get me wrong. I’m just tired, I guess. I want to know how it feels to be free again, you know?”

“The tour will be over soon, and you’ll be back on your ranch in Denver, with your horses, and you’ll not have to worry about any of this for a while.”

“We both know that’s not true, I have an album due out. I’ll be spending every day recording until we go on tour again. It never stops for me.”

He exhales. “No. I guess it doesn’t. Anyway, enough doom and gloom. I’m here to talk to you about Amalie. I hear you requested her in the band.”

My brows knit together. “You know Amalie?”

His cheeks go a little red and my eyes pop wide open. “Oh, my gosh, Isaac. Do you two have a thing or something?”

“No!” he says, shaking his head. “She just ... I’ve seen her play, and well, just seen her ... she’s—”

“Breathtaking.”

He nods and looks to me. “I wouldn’t mind being able to spend a little more time with her, watch her play some more.”

“You must like her, considering you could have any girl you ever wanted at the drop of a hat.”

“But not you, my sweet Scar. Not you.”

He dramatically falls on top of me, pushing me back. I laugh hysterically and slap his chest. “You’re a douche, Isaac. Get off me!”

He chuckles and kisses my cheek. “I’ll leave you to keep perving on your little biker.”

He winks and gets off me, standing and looking out the window. Then, very dramatically, he waves like a mad man. I giggle and stand, shoving him out of the room.

Then, I get right on back to what I was doing.

Perving on that gorgeous biker.