she didn’t need to choose between the three men. She had them all, and as far as she was concerned, she wasn’t going to give up any of them. That thought settled into her mind as she mounted the steps into the car. Maybe she was making a choice and just hadn’t realized it yet.
Once up the steps and fully into the car, Willow stopped and looked around. Nothing about the car had changed, but there was no one there to meet her. They must be in the back. Sipping the last of her coffee, she tossed the now-empty cup into a trash can to the right of the door and started through the car on her way to the observation deck.
Today was a lot chillier than the last time she had ridden the train. She wondered if the observation car would be as cozy this time. There was quite a bit of cloud cover, and the sun wasn’t streaming down. If they did happen to get naked, she hoped it was warm enough that she didn’t shiver.
She made it to the dining car, and there was still no sign of any of the boys. This was strange. Had they forgotten? No, they couldn’t have. Grace would have said something if they weren’t here. Pulling off her gloves, she shoved them into her coat pockets and continued on. “Jack? Josh?” She entered the observation car and started up the small flight of steps to the deck above. “Mikey?”
When her view of the observation deck was clear, she stopped dead in her tracks, still on the staircase. Heat bloomed inside her.
There, lounging on the bench seats, were her three men. All of them looking like the cat who was waiting on the canary to arrive. Mikey was lying on his side, head propped on one hand, the other hand lazily twirling a pair of handcuffs.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Jack said. He was sitting on the opposite side of the car, elbows resting on his knees. Willow didn’t fail to notice what looked like a piece of black leather stretched between his hands, and he was absently twisting it.
“I’ll go tell George we’re ready,” Josh said, rising from his place beside Jack. “Come on up, Willow. You look like a deer frozen in a pair of headlights.” He held out his hand.
She placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her the rest of the way up the stairs. Once she was standing on the deck, Josh placed a quick kiss on her cheek then headed down the staircase and out of the car.
Mikey shook his head. “I can’t believe how much Josh has changed since you came into our life,” he said, pushing himself up to a sitting position.
“What do you mean?” she asked, unbuttoning her coat, her eyes on the silvery glint of the handcuffs Mikey was toying with.
Mikey shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he doesn’t seem so—”
“Closed off,” Jack interjected.
“Yeah, that’s it,” Mikey replied, pointing a finger at Jack before looking back up at Willow. “He talks more, acts like a regular guy instead of a soldier perpetually at attention.”
“Well, I’m glad I make a difference in his life.” Willow laid her coat over the center ledge. “I’ve been enjoying getting to know you, too.”
“I hope you don’t know all of our secrets yet,” Jack said, standing. He came up beside her, tucking his hand beneath her hair at the nape of her neck. He leaned closer. “We have so many surprises in store for you,” he whispered next to her ear, “it will take years to experience them all.”
Willow’s legs went watery, her eyelids lowering. Jack’s lips so close to her ear, his sensual tone, made her want to strip her clothes off right then and there. It was so freeing to know these men allowed her to be exactly who she wanted to be, doing what she felt like doing, and didn’t judge her at all for it. Just that alone was very seductive.
Josh returned just as the train jerked, signaling they were getting underway. Willow grabbed Jack’s arm to steady herself. “Speaking of surprises,” she said once her body fell into the rhythm of the moving train and she could keep
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