Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) - By Caitlyn Robertson Page 0,65

the time of her life, dancing with her sisters and friends, then coming to fetch him from the bar for a slow dance.

It was growing late, after midnight, and Dex had drunk enough to feel fuzzy at the edges without being smashed. He let Honey lead him to the centre of the floor, and he put his arms around her and drew her close. The band had been replaced by a DJ who now played an incredibly old and corny love song, but Dex didn’t care. Any excuse to get close to her.

She put her arms around his neck. Her cheeks were flushed from the warm room and the champagne and, as she looked up at him, her lowered eyelids illustrated the blend of alcohol and tiredness that made her press herself up against him.

He tried not to groan at the feel of her soft body and instead rested his hands on her back. She reached up to kiss his lips and missed the target a little, hitting the corner of his mouth.

“Are you drunk?” he asked, amused.

“No. No!” She relented. “Okay, a tiny bit. It is my wedding day.”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“There’s so much champagne. It seemed a crime not to drink it.”

“Absolutely.”

“Do you love me, Dex?”

“I do, sweetheart. Can’t you tell?” He pressed his hips against hers as he nuzzled her neck so she could feel the state of semi-arousal he’d been in most of the evening as he watched her dance.

She pressed back. “Mm. I think we should go to bed soon.”

Adrenalin shot through him, making his heart pound, and he raised his head to look at her.

“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” she murmured.

“Me too.” His mouth had gone dry.

“I think they’re bored with us now anyway,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. Nobody was paying any attention to them. Koru had found himself a blonde, surprise surprise, some friend of one of the sisters, and was currently sweet talking in her ear and making her giggle. Missy and Jasmine had been dancing all evening and were sitting this one out, their feet propped on chairs, drinking wine. Jude and Chase—who’d danced with all the sisters one by one that evening so nobody felt left out—were now dancing with Belle and Lily.

Dex glanced around. Cam was dancing with Aroha. No surprises there. But they weren’t canoodling. Cam held her at a respectful distance, and as the song came to an end, he just smiled and led her over to her niece and other friends. It didn’t look like she’d be warming Cam’s bed that night. Would he ever be able to get over Marama’s death? True, it had only been a year. Still, Cam was a relatively young man at forty-eight. Marama wouldn’t have expected him to stay single for the rest of his life, surely?

Or maybe she’d been the sort of woman who’d said, “If I die, I’ll haunt you if you ever sleep with anyone else.” Honey had said her mother was passionate and temperamental, and maybe Cam felt her ghost watching over him, and the guilt would always be too much to overcome.

Honey kissed his jaw, and Dex lowered his lips to hers. It wasn’t the night to be thinking about ghosts and death. The woman pressed against him was very much alive, and would soon be naked in bed with him, and he’d be able to stroke her soft skin and run his hands through her hair. That was all that mattered at the moment.

Honey lifted her head and moistened her lips as she looked into his eyes. Presumably she could feel his growing arousal.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go to bed.”

But first there was the palaver of saying goodbye to everyone, of hearing good wishes and having final bits of confetti stuffed down his shirt, of watching Honey hug each of her sisters and wipe away tears.

Eventually he stood back, laughing, and let her get on with it, leaning against the bar with Jude, Koru and Chase.

“Another?” Jude raised his whiskey glass.

“No, I’m done.” The only thing he wanted now was his wife. His heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t believe the moment had finally come. Jeez, I hope I don’t screw it up.

“You all right?”

He turned his head to see the others watching him with amusement.

“He’s nervous,” Chase said in delight.

“Want some tips?” Jude asked.

“I think I’ll be okay,” Dex said wryly. He held out his hand to Chase, who shook it, to Jude and then to Koru. “Thanks for