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her.
“How are you doing?”
    “I’m good.” She smiled up at him. Her big
brown eyes seemed almost black in the moonlight, large in her pale face. She
looked ethereal, and suddenly very fragile and vulnerable, and his heart went
out to her. Usually this was the time when he started nuzzling her neck and
pressing himself up against her, kissing her until they broke away breathless
and groaning, but tonight he drew her close to him and rested his cheek on the
top of her head, looking up at the moon.
    “Dex…”
    He kissed her hair. “Yes?”
    “Is something bothering you?”
    He thought about the letter, the words that
circled in his head like flies around rotting meat. “No.”
    She drew back. “Are you…” She bit her lip.
“Are you having second thoughts? Only I’d rather you tell me now than wait
until the last minute…”
    Alarm shot through him. “No! God no.” He
cupped her face in his hands. “Of course not. I love you. I want to marry you.
And I’m desperate to get you in the sack.”
    That made her laugh. “I’m glad.”
    “Jeez, don’t ever think that, Honey. Don’t
worry about me. It’s a busy week for both of us. Everyone gets nervous before
the big day. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want it to happen.”
    “I guess.” She looked doubtful.
    He felt guilty. His fears had manifested as
misgivings, and he hated her thinking he’d changed his mind.
    He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.
“You know the first thing I’m going to do to you when we’re married?”
    The look in her eyes changed, morphing from
worry to warm desire in seconds. “No. Tell me.”
    He leaned closer until his lips brushed
hers and hovered there, exchanging breaths with her. “I’m going to undress you
slowly, and then kiss every part of your body, from your beautiful ears…” He
trailed his lips around to her left ear and pressed a light kiss there. “…down
your neck…” He touched his lips to her collarbone. “…down to your breasts…” He
raised a hand and cupped one, stroking his thumb across her nipple and enjoying
the way her lips parted in response as she drew in a breath. “…and then all the
way down here.” He dropped his hand to her abdomen, then moved his fingers down
to cup her.
    She closed her eyes. “Dex…”
    He ran his tongue across her lips, then
kissed her again, slowly, lingering, as he stroked her very lightly. “You know
what? I bet you taste sweet as.”
    “Sweet as what?” she breathed, clearly
having forgotten the Kiwi penchant for leaving off the last word.
    “Honey,” he said with a grin, holding her
head so he could plunge his tongue into her mouth and stifle her giggle. He
kissed her hard until they were both breathless, then wrapped his arms around
her again. “I love you,” he said fiercely. “And I want you. Don’t doubt it
again.”
    “I won’t,” she said in a small voice.
    He tightened his arms. Nothing was going to
come between them. Not Cathryn, not bad memories, not his past, nothing. He’d
never been so determined about anything in his life.
     
     

Chapter Six
    There weren’t many people at the court
house. Honey had read that over a hundred and twenty people were called each
week for jury service, and yet only thirty or so were sitting outside the
courtroom when she arrived. Most looked as nervous as she felt. The man nearest
her kept fingering the tie at his neck, clearly not used to wearing one. She’d
done the same, dressed up for the occasion in a long black skirt, white blouse
and black jacket. Some people said dressing down in scruffy clothes guaranteed
you wouldn’t get chosen as you looked less trustworthy, but she couldn’t bring
herself to do that. Carrying out your civic duty was an honour, one she would
be proud to do.
    Just not this week, hopefully.
    More people came in as it got nearer to
nine thirty, and by the time the court assistant called them in, about sixty
people filtered through the doorway into the rows of