At first, waking up curled against a man had been foreign to me, but I was quickly learning to like it, and knowing that there were no secrets between us gave me a new outlook. I couldn’t believe that in less than a month, I had my own home, friends, and I was opening up to the man I’d always fantasized about having a future with. 

Sitting up, Carter snaked his hand around my chest and pulled me back down and under him. Braced over me, he moved a hand to wipe my bangs off my forehead.

“Have fun today. I’m going up to the community center this morning then I’ll run by my condo and grab my uniform and switch out my bike. I’m back on shift tomorrow.”

He released me, and I missed the feel of heat from his body as I slid from bed. I headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready, then dressed in what the girls called “official Iron Orchids gear” of jeans and boots. I didn’t have the vest yet, but Ariel promised she’d have it back soon. 

Going downstairs, I smiled at the sight of Carter in my kitchen, standing in front of the coffee maker.

“Morning princess, you look beautiful.”

I shifted my weight from side to side, debating whether he could tell that between my thighs was tingling. He stirred my insides when he swept the pad of his thumb against my lower lip.

My front door flew open and Ariel’s and Stella’s voices filled my house as I gave Carter a wide-eyed look. 

“I unlocked it.” He lifted a brow and gave me a quick kiss. “Morning, ladies.”

Their smiles said it all—they were happy to see him there.

“Here you go.” Ariel thrust my vest into my hands. “It’s official, you’re one of us.”

“I’m part of the gang?”

“Fuck, not you, too?”

I looked at Stella and gave her a high five. When the sound of more motorcycles rumbled up my drive, I turned and headed back over to Carter. “I don’t know how long this is today, but . . .”

“No worries, have fun.”

Trying to keep the girls from hearing, I turned my head away from them. “Was the week everything you wanted?”

“Nooo.” He gave me a wide grin. “It was more.” Carter set his coffee on the counter behind him and then took a step closer, wrapped his hands around my waist, and pulled me in to him. “You and me, I like this shit.” I couldn’t help but smile. Others might not find that romantic, but I found it romantic as hell.

“Soph, let’s go.” Stella snapped her fingers.

Carter’s warm hands lightly squeezed my shoulders as he turned me around and swatted my ass before sending me out to the girls. “Have fun. Don’t get arrested.”

“You are not ruining my fun,” I hollered back at him as I followed the girls out my front door.

Everly and Vivian were riding separately since they lived in the opposite direction and could head home after breakfast instead of coming back to my place, which left Piper, Leo, Stella, and me to ride in the cruiser. Ariel jumped in the front seat before any of us could say anything, which left Leo, Stella, and me crawling into the back. 

“So, how big is your house? From the outside it looks huge,” Piper said.

“It’s enormous. Five bedrooms, remember I’m Greek and we are supposed to have big families.”

“But aren’t you an only child? That doesn’t scream large family to me.”

“Yes, but my parents were madly in love. My bampas—”

“Your what?” Piper asked.

“Sorry, Bampas is Greek for dad.”

“Kayson calls his mom Mana, but he doesn’t call his dad that,” Ariel said, trying to get clarity.

“Kayson’s dad and my mom are siblings, they were born here and are more Americanized. His mana and my father were both born in Greece, so it’s different.”

“Where is your father now?” Piper asked, wanting to understand the size of Greek families.

“He died when I was five from pancreatic cancer.”

“And your mom never remarried?”

“Nope. I don’t think she’s even dated. She is happy and just waiting until the day they are together again.”

“Oh, that is so sad and yet so beautiful.” Ariel sighed.

“We’re getting way too serious,” Stella quipped.

I appreciated the diversion. “Now, about joining Iron Orchids, do I have to go through a prospect phase or anything like performing a ritual that requires I bite off the head of a bat?”

Stella let out a loud laugh. “I think we’ll leave biting off a bat’s heads to Ozzy Osbourne. But, you know, we never even thought about initiation shit. I could have a lot of fun with this.”

“Maybe I don’t want to join you after all.”

Everyone let out a laugh as the car slowed, and I turned to see people move out of the way staring at the cruiser with women in the backseat and its escort of biker women. Moving my hand to open the door, I realized for the first time that there was no latch. Holy shit.

“How do we get out?” I asked as Piper laughed. She got out of her car and stood outside my window, peering in with a wide smile as she held up her cell phone to snap a photo. She was saying something to Ariel when Everly and Vivian joined her and they pointed at the three of us. I was positive that they were discussing who all to send the photo to.

“Oh, hell to the no,” I said.

“Silly girls, they’ve forgotten who they’re dealing with,” Stella whispered. “When we get out, keep your hands together and behind your back like you’re handcuffed. The crowd won’t know. Then follow my lead.”

I gave Leo a weary smile, and she shrugged. “In for a penny, in for a pound.”

There were a few more minutes of fun at our expense before Piper finally decided to open the door. “At least we know that none of you’ve been arrested before. Otherwise, you would’ve realized that you can’t get out of the backseat of a sheriff’s car. Now, come on you hardened criminals, let’s eat.”

Turning my legs out so that I could stand and still keep my hands behind my back, I got out first, Leo and Stella following. All three of us were quiet.

“What are you three up to?” Piper asked, showing her first sign of concern.

“You’re not getting us,” Stella screamed and ran.

“Take that, pig,” I shouted and followed Stella.

Leo didn’t say anything as she followed us, but her laughter rang out between screams of horror from people trying to get away from the escaping convicts. When Stella neared the door, she righted herself, and the three of us went in. Other patrons stared at us in bewilderment. 

“Y’all are fucking nuts,” Ariel said as she entered the restaurant with the other girls. “Stella was hard to handle before, but I have a feeling that we just doubled the trouble. And Leo? You went along with this?”

Leo smiled and shrugged. “I have my BFF back, she was always a bad influence on me. Who do you think would bring me an outfit every day to put on so that I didn’t have to walk around school in an ankle-length skirt and long-sleeve shirt? I mean, this is Florida. I had an entire wardrobe at her house. Sophie kept me as normal as I could be.” Leo turned and gave me a fist bump.

“Is that Miss Seven Hundred And Fifty Dollars A Night herself?” Ringo hollered from the stage, leaving me to hide behind my hands at the mere implication that I was a prostitute. Stella let out a loud guffaw.

“Let me just sprinkle you with some holy water.” He spritzed some water in my face. “No worries, it is from the garden of Evian. I’m glad you are here. I was just about to debut my latest rendition of a timeless treasure. I was inspired Friday night.” Ringo winked.

“Mr. Sailorman?” I asked.

“Oh, darling, don’t you know it. When the song hit me? All I can say is . . . it was orgasmic.”

Ringo kept talking as we found our way to our table. When we were seated and he started singing, Ariel was the first to catch on.

“Holy shit, do you hear this?” 

I listened closer to the words, recognized it as a church hymnal but being Greek Orthodox it wasn’t a song we sang. As I paid closer attention to the words I threw my head on the table and banged my forehead.

“Oh my God, he is so going to hell for this one,” I said between my gales of laughter.

“At least we will know where to find him,” Stella quipped.

Ringo’s gorgeous countertenor voice was what masked the words he was actually singing.

“Burst forth!” The crowd laughed as Ringo made hand gestures. “He is risen, he is risen.” Ringo’s smiling face and raised brows forewarned us that something major was coming . . . hopefully, not literally. “A triumphant lay,” he sang. 

By the time the song ended, I had tears streaming down my face. I joined in with the others shouting, “Amen.” 

Only to be singled out by Ringo and taught the ways-of-the-gays. “Oh no sweetie, it's not that type of church. We do a different kind of worshiping when we're on our knees.” He gave a guy in the audience an overly exaggerated wink.

Catching on rather quickly, I listened to those around me and corrected my praise. “Hey men.” When the shouts died down, and we returned to our seats I turned to Leo and asked, “Does that song ‘He’s Risen’ really contain the phrases ‘bursting forth’ and ‘a triumphant lay’?” Since she was raised in a strict Pentecostal home, I figured if anyone would know, it would be her.

“Unfortunately, yes. But not in that order and definitely not the same meaning.” Leo shook her head. 

We finished our breakfast and toasted to Piper’s new position as the first female motorcycle deputy for Orange County. 

Ringo’s next song was a dedication to Piper, he sang “If My Sister’s in Trouble” from Sister Act.

“I need a favor.” Everyone stared at me as if I had just announced that I was an alien. “I have an idea for a new book series, and I definitely need Piper and Leo’s help, but maybe the rest of you know someone that you can connect me with.”

“Okay, what is it?” Leo asked. “You know that I’ll do whatever I can.”

“I admire the two of you so much and that your jobs are what most people think of as ‘guy jobs.’ I was intrigued by the idea of a book about women who work in a man’s world. I want to shadow you and show how you manage and not just keep up but excel in predominately male stereotypical jobs. I want to inspire young girls to want to grow up to be mechanics and motorcycle deputies.”

“I’m in. Tuesday is our slowest day; do you want to come in then? I’ll tell my boss. He won’t care.” Leo grabbed her phone to send a text.

“I have to clear it with my chain of command, but I’ll check into it immediately. How about Everly? She’s a fire fighter.”

“Shit, Everly, I didn’t even think about that. I thought of you as a medic.”

“I am a paramedic, I don’t know about other places but here we all take EMT classes before we take fire standards. Once we’re hired on by a fire department, we can opt to take classes such as paramedic training, hazardous material, water rescue, or even medevac, which gives us a raise in salary. I was a firefighter for a few years before I became a paramedic.”

“I had no idea. You’re the best. Will you check to see if I can come spend a day with you? Of course, with all of this I’ll have enough to sell my editor on the idea. If she likes it and they make an offer, we will celebrate, my treat.”

“Well, while we are all here.” Stella gave me a devious smile. “Soph, we need to plan something. Did you know that tomorrow is Carter’s birthday? He’ll be thirty-one. He didn’t want me to say anything, but we all know how well that works.”

“He seriously thought you’d listen?” 

“I know, right.” Her grin got wider. “We need to do something epic. He’s working tomorrow, and I’m assuming he will want to be with you in the evening, so it needs to happen during his shift. Any ideas?”

Everyone tossed out ideas, but since Piper, Everly, and Vivian all had to work tomorrow, that left Ariel and Leo to help Stella and me. 

The last birthday Carter and I were together, he gave me a charm for the bracelet I had on. He’d actually had the pin he received when he graduated from the academy turned into a charm, and it still dangled there. When he had given it to me, I’d almost refused it, but after I left for California, I was so glad I hadn’t. 

Rubbing my fingers across its smooth surface, which at one time had been rough before I had turned it into my worry stone, I couldn’t hold back the happy memories that we had shared, the nights that we had counted down until I was eighteen. With him being a sheriff and me a legal adult, he fought so hard to not move our relationship too far, but God, the things we did to tide ourselves over. Studying the polish on my silverware, I tried not to look at anyone in the face to give my cheeks time to cool back down.

“Yeah . . . I agree, it needs to be epic,” I finally said.