“That can change, if you’re not careful,” Jack said.
“Good thing that I’m always careful, then,” Rock insisted. The tension snapped tight between them, and it felt explosive.
Josie exhaled slowly. “Are we done with the testosterone competition, or do you both need a minute?”
Ember barked a laugh. “God, I love you, Josie.”
Jack didn’t look away from Rock. “You don’t know him.”
“I don’t need to,” Josie said. “I know you, and right now, you’re acting like a caveman.” Rock saw the way Jack’s expression shifted—just for a second, and then it was gone.
“Josie,” Jack said, quieter now, “I’m not doing this here.”
“That works for me,” she replied. Ember stepped forward, sliding herself between all of them like she was used to managing chaos.
“All right,” she said. “New rule. Nobody starts a war in my clubhouse before I’ve had coffee.”
“This isn’t—” Jack started.
Ember cut him off with a look. “Don’t.” He stopped talking because, unlike everyone else in the room, Jack Rodgers actually listened. Well, most of the time.
Ember turned back to Josie, expression shifting just slightly. “You hungry?” she asked. Josie blinked, thrown off just enough to show it.
“Yeah,” she admitted.
“Good—the kitchen is still stocked,” Ember offered before glancing back at Rock. “You’re on perimeter later. Try not to antagonize my family before then.” She was right. Ember had hired him to secure the clubhouse and keep it that way after her sister, Lillith, and her guy, Tank, practically started a fucking war in the place.
Rock’s gaze flicked back to Josie. “Can’t promise that.”
Josie smiled. “Wouldn’t want you to hold back on my account.” And yeah, there it was again—that flicker of something under the surface. It wasn’t fear, not exactly, but something sharper. It was something that said she’d been through enough that a man like him didn’t register as the worst thing in the room.
Rock watched her walk past him toward the back of the clubhouse, and he didn’t miss the way Jack tracked her every step, or the way Ember watched both of them like she already knew this was going to get complicated.
Rock pushed off the spot he’d been standing in, because yeah, it was. And something told him that Josie Rodgers wasn’t just passing through. She was the kind of woman who changedthe balance of a place just by walking into it. And whether she meant to or not, she was about to do exactly that.
Josie (Royal Harlots MC: Yonkers, NY Chapter Book 3) Universal Link coming soon!
What’s coming next from K.L. Ramsey? You won’t want to miss Giving Up the Ring (No Mercy Book 3). It’s coming in May 2026!
ROCCO
Rocco walked out of the mess hall and up the hill to the barracks. He had a 48-hour pass, and he planned on using it to sleep. The rest of the guys thought that he was crazy to waste his leave just to stay on base and sleep, but it felt like ages since he was able to get a good night’s sleep. Most of the guys would take that pass and get as far away from base as humanly possible, but flying from Japan to America would eat up a lot of his time, and he would probably come back even more tired than when he left. A couple of the guys said that he should head into town and find a warm, willing woman, but that just wasn’t his style. He had a girl waiting for him back in the states, and there was no way that he’d cheat on her. In fact, he planned on asking her to marry him once he got home from his current tour.
He walked into the back of the barracks and found his friend, Gunner, standing by his bunk. “I’ve been waiting for you to get back here. Where the hell were you, man?” Rocco wanted to tell him that it wasn’t his business where he was, but he also knew that might not be a good idea since Gunner outranked him.
“Mess hall,” Rocco said. “Did you need me for something, sir?” He sounded like a jerk, but he couldn’t help it. He was exhausted and just wanted to climb into his bunk.
“What the fuck, Rocco? What’s up with the whole sir routine?” Gunner asked.
“Sorry, I’m being an ass,” he said. “I’m tired, and all I want to do is crawl into my bunk and sleep for two days.”
“I guess that means you don’t want to go out with a few of the guys and me, then?” Gunner asked. There was no way that he’d last an hour out on the town with the guys. They all liked to party, and that was the last thing that Rocco wanted to do right now.
“Yeah, I’m going to pass, but thanks for the invitation, Gunner.” His friend looked like he wanted to protest, but unless he was going to give Rocco a direct order, he was going to stick with his original plans.
“All right,” Gunner said, “enjoy your downtime. The rest of the guys and I ship out for the rest of the week tomorrow. Since you have 48 hours, you get to stay put.”
“You sure that you don’t need me?” Rocco asked.
