Page 12 of Forgotten Promise

“I grew up in this society, John,” Benjamin said. “As legacies, we knew there would always be a chance that one of our partners would be the same sex, and especially in modern times, most legacy members make sure they’re prepared for whatever form the trinity takes.”

“Is that your way of telling me you’re bi?” A slight grin crossed John’s face.

“Most of my past lovers have been female, but I have…on occasion…” Benjamin playfully wiggled his eyebrows the same way he used to when they were younger and he teased Kailani. The look was achingly familiar, reminding her of that brief moment in time when she’d been madly in love with him. It took her breath away and her heart panged. She hated that he could still provoke such strong emotions in her.

Love, hate, heartbreak, joy, anger, fun. She’d experienced it all with Benjamin.

“What about you?” Benjamin countered. “Have you ever been with a man?”

John leaned back, resting his arms along the cushions of the couch, his hand resting just an inch or two from Kailani’s shoulder. She was tempted to scoot closer, overwhelmed by the desire to touch him, and to have him touch her. She’d felt an instant attraction to him at the binding ceremony, and it had grown as she got to know him better.

But she kept her distance, aware that she had no right to muddy those waters, especially not until they picked their way across this minefield.

“I grew up in foster care,” John announced.

Kailani’s eyes widened. Family was one of the subjects neither of them had broached before today. Now she wondered if that was because John had been hesitant to talk about it.

“I didn’t realize,” she said softly.

John sighed. “These are the things we should have been saying to each other over the past month. Now…we’ve left it all too late.”

His tone was gentle, but she felt chastised by the words just the same.

She leaned toward him, brushing his hand with her shoulder, closing the distance between them despite knowing she shouldn’t. While Benjamin provoked too many emotions inside her at once, all she felt right now as she looked at John was guilt. “I know. I’m sorry.”

John brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear in a way that was equal parts sweet and sexy. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, then turned his attention back to Benjamin.

Kailani glanced over, saw the dark expression on Benjamin’s face.

“I spent some time in a group home, an orphanage,” John continued. “Hit puberty there. So did the guy I was sharing a room with. We did some exploring. Mainly just touching, hand jobs, blowjobs.”

“That’s it?” Benjamin asked.

John nodded. “That’s it.”

Benjamin considered that, rubbing his jaw. “Even though you’re not a legacy, you must have given some thought since joining about what your trinity would look like.”

“I have,” John confessed. “I’ve thought about it a lot. My desires are very similar to yours and Kailani’s. I want a relationship—physical and emotional—with my spouses. That matters more than what’s in someone’s pants.”

He looked at Kailani, his voice soft. “Kailani, if the Grand Master doesn’t call, if we do get married, are you still refusing to be a part of it, still unwilling to live with Benjamin?”

John had clearly come to Hawaii with an agenda. Given the way she and Benjamin had done all the talking after the binding ceremony, then cut off all meaningful conversation since then, the least she could do was offer him honesty.

She stiffened, aware how cold this would sound, but she had a right to protect herself. And protecting herself meant keeping Benjamin out of her life. “Being in a trinity doesn’t mean I’m obligated to live with, or sleep with—”

“Dammit, Kailani! I’m not going to sit here and listen to this anymore.” Benjamin slapped his palm on the arm of the chair before standing. She stiffened, ready to pick up the fight where they left it a month earlier. “Stop being so obstinate. It’s beneath you.” He stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable. “You can’t still be pissed off about the airport.”

Kailani rose, rage at his dismissal of all the pain he’d caused, making her lean toward him angrily. “You want to talk about the airport? Fine. You wanted to expand Honolulu airport so your family’s airline could have more gates, but it would have increased emissions by thirty percent, and done even more damage to the air quality on that part of the island.”

“We were going to put seventy million dollars’ worth of solar panels on the airport building as part of the improvements!”

Kailani resisted the urge to roll her eyes, keeping her tone cool and irritated. “The fact that you think that’s some magnanimous gift is—”

John raised his hand and his voice. “Enough! Sit down. Both of you.”

Kailani fell silent in an instant, stunned by the vehemence of his tone. She’d formed an opinion of John during their too-brief acquaintance, assuming his success as a detective stemmed from his mild mannerisms and his peaceful way of relating to others. In her mind, she’d placed him in the role of “good cop,” drawing out all those confessions because he was relatable and an easygoing guy.

But now, with his face flushed, his shoulders stiff, his voice deep and loud, she was rethinking that, as she was introduced to the “bad cop” for the first time.

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