Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) - By Caitlyn Robertson Page 0,53

her back. Dex always did that to her. Spoke with the tiniest hint of possessiveness, as if he wanted everyone to know she was his.

“Are you cold?” Without waiting for an answer, he unbuttoned his jacket, slipped it off and placed it around her shoulders.

“Thank you.” She pulled it close, nestling into the thick material. It smelled of him—of warm male, with a hint of his aftershave. It was almost as good as having his arms around her.

There was something bulky in the top pocket, and she undid the button and pulled it out. It was a small bottle of Irish whiskey. “What the hell?”

“I stole it from Cam’s cupboard,” Dex said. “Thought you might need it.”

She studied it for a moment, then undid the top. The sweet, strong smell hit her nostrils, and she placed her lips over the rim, tipped it up and swallowed a large mouthful. It made her cough and the liquid seared all the way to her stomach, but it warmed her right through.

She passed the bottle to him, and he took a swig before passing it back.

They sat silently for a while, listening to the sound of the river chasing itself over the rocks and the low hoot of a morepork celebrating the rising of the moon. Occasionally, they took swigs of the whiskey in turn. He made no move to touch her, and she was glad, because she didn’t want to have to push him away.

Eventually, as her tension eased, she said, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

He rolled his head on the rock to look at her. He looked sad, defeated. “I don’t know where to start. With I’m sorry, I suppose, because I am, more than you can ever know. But that doesn’t come near to making things right.”

“No.” It did help, though, that he was sorry. Ian would never have said he was sorry.

“Do you want me to explain what happened?” he asked.

She sighed. Did she want to hear all the gory details? About how he’d stuck his tongue so far down Cathryn’s throat he could have tasted her tonsils? “Not really.”

“It didn’t mean anything, Honey. I know that’s what men always say and it’s a stupid comment because of course it’s not meaningless to you. But it wasn’t a loving kiss. I was angry and frustrated. It wasn’t a nice kiss. I wasn’t nice to her. I don’t think I’ve ever been nice to her.”

Honey sat quietly, thinking about his words. What could she say in reply to that? That it didn’t matter? Because of course it did—the thought of Dex—her Dex—kissing another woman speared her through the heart every time she thought about it.

“The thing is,” she said softly, “it’s not really about the kiss. I know you might not believe me, but actually I kind of understand. I thought about what might have happened if it had been Ian who had turned up on my doorstep, wanting me back. Of course I wouldn’t want that—I don’t want the bastard within a continent of me ever again. But if he was here, standing in front of me… I know what it’s like, how a person can have a hold over you.”

She took a swallow from the bottle, winced, then passed it to Dex. He took another mouthful and passed it back. She examined the label as she continued. “I had to go through it all again today—at the court house.”

“Oh shit of course, how did it go?”

She shrugged. “We found the woman guilty. I held out as long as I could, but ultimately it was eleven to one, and if I’d refused to change my vote we would have had a hung jury and the poor woman would have had to go through it all again. I feel bad about it, but it’s done now.” She picked at the label on the bottle, trying not to think about the defeat on Sarah Green’s face.

“Anyway,” she continued, “As I said, it’s not really about the kiss, or even about Cathryn at all really. I don’t believe you love her. It’s more about what she said. I suppose all she did was confirm the worry that’s been circling in my head for a while.”

“What worry?”

“That I’m not enough for you,” she said, glad when he didn’t brush her words away with platitudes.

Instead, he said, “What do you mean, not enough?”

She turned against the tree to face him. His eyes, usually the same colour as his cornflower blue shirt, had darkened