Page 56 of Forgotten Promise

Benjamin chuckled, pouring John his requested black coffee. He poured a second cup for Kailani, adding cream and sugar without asking her preference, before handing it across the aisle.

“Thanks,” she said, her voice husky from sleep, and so damn sexy, John felt his dick stir as he recalled Benjamin’s hand around her throat. He’d never indulged in breath play, but now all he could think about was how much he wanted Benjamin to teach him. Fuck, he wanted to try everything they’d rattled off on that fake list of theirs. Well, maybe not the furries thing.

Benjamin offered Kailani one of his pastries, but like John, she declined.

John breathed in the dark, rich scent of his coffee, taking a sip. “Beats the hell out of the swill they serve at the precinct.”

“It’s Finca El Injerto. I have it imported from Guatemala.”

Kailani rolled her eyes. “Pretentious much, Mr. Dara?”

Benjamin chuckled. “Don’t complain, tree hugger. It’s certified carbon neutral.”

Kailani’s eyes widened. “Wow. I’m surprised you even know what that means.”

John shook his head at the way the two of them continued to pick at each other, though he noticed their comments felt more teasing today, less contentious. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

What they needed was time. Time to just sit down and talk. He couldn’t help but feel like they were one good conversation away from resolving so many of the issues between them.

And while he was tempted to get the ball rolling now, one glance at Kailani’s face told him it wasn’t a good time. She kept sneaking peeks out the window and at her watch, her knee bouncing nervously. Her anxiety was almost tangible and it wasn’t fair to launch into life-altering topics while her thoughts were consumed by her responsibility as keyholder.

He thought he and Benjamin had done a pretty good job distracting her yesterday afternoon, and while the three separate bouts of sex between the three of them was off-the-charts, he was smart enough to know it was basically the equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.

Once this was all over, John was going to do what he should have done back in Boston. Demand that the three of them hole themselves up somewhere, shut out the world, and just talk. And maybe fuck. He wouldn’t mind an encore of last night…every night for the rest of his life.

Kailani looked at Benjamin. “How long until we land?”

“Two hours. Maybe a little bit more,” he replied.

She sighed, tapping her toe impatiently.

Benjamin lifted his hand, calling out the flight attendant’s name. “Joan?”

She came back to clear his plate, tucking the table away. “We won’t need you again,” he said. “We’d like some privacy.”

“Of course, sir.” Joan returned to the front of the plane, pulling a retractable door closed across the bulkhead.

Benjamin rose from his seat. “Why don’t we move to the back? We’ll be more comfortable there.”

The rear of the plane not only boasted a bar, but there was a long leather couch along one wall that was roomy enough for the three of them to sit comfortably if they desired. The chairs across from it swiveled toward the aisle so that the entire back of the plane resembled a cozy sitting area, perfect for conversation and relaxing.

John and Kailani followed Benjamin, who claimed one half of the couch. Kailani sat next to him—progress, John thought—while he took a chair across from them, twisting it until he faced them.

Kailani flipped her hair over her shoulder, her knee resuming its anxious bouncing. “This is taking too long,” she said quietly.

“Kailani,” Benjamin said. “It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours yet. We’ll land in two hours, go find the last keyholder, then hop right back on this jet and return to Hawaii. I told the pilot to refuel immediately. We can’t go direct; we’ll have to stop for a quick refueling on the West Coast. Barring any more weather delays, we should be back on the island by six p.m. island time tonight. It’s going to be okay.”

She blew out a long breath, her shoulders still too stiff for John’s liking.

“I think Kailani needs a distraction,” he suggested. He was using sex as his weapon, but he felt no remorse in doing so. Last night had felt like a minor breakthrough, and he was ready to see if he could knock down a few more bricks in the wall between them.

John was aware the society was in peril, and while he was concerned about that, all he’d been able to think of when Benjamin put an actual timeline on today’s itinerary was that maybe tomorrow, after they’d gotten back to Hawaii and Kailani did her keyholder thing, they could have an actual conversation, without a crisis or problem distracting them.

Speaking of distracting…

“Distraction?” Kailani asked softly, just breathlessly enough that he could tell she knew what he was suggesting.

Benjamin rested his arm along the back of the couch, just shy of touching Kailani, and John closed his eyes wearily.

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