Raven's Prey

the morning she would find a way of dealing with Judd Raven. Tonight she had been through too much. She needed her rest. With all the doors locked she felt safe enough to go to bed.

----

    It must have been nearly two in the morning when Honor awoke in the middle of the wide bed to the realization that she was not alone in the room. For a disoriented moment she lay bunking in the darkness, trying to remember exactly where she was and why things weren’t right.
    Then she saw the dark, dangerous figure standing at the foot of the bed and her sleep-bemused brain finally began to clear. She struggled up on the pillows with a gasp, her eyes wide and startled in the moonlight.
    Judd watched her as she took in the sight of him standing so menacingly at the end of the bed. One hand rested on a high, carved bedpost and in the other he held a snifter of brandy. His eyes were gleaming jewels reflecting the silvery light of the moon as he stared down at her.
    “You’re sleeping in my bed,” he drawled softly.
    Honor stared at him, unable to move. In that moment she couldn’t have fled, not even to save her own life. She could feel the waves of his desire fanning her like dark wings. The knowledge that he hovered so close sent a tremor through her but it was a tremor compounded as much of remembered passion as it was of fear. She had lain in Judd Raven’s arms once before and it had been ecstasy. For some reason mat seemed to be all her mind wanted to recall.
    Still, a part of her refused to succumb so easily to the illusory love he offered. She would not be a victim again of her own romantic imagination. “No, Judd.” The whispered denial came from between dry lips. Her whole mouth was suddenly dry. Awkwardly she touched the tip of her tongue to the corner of her lips. “No.”
    “But you are,” he insisted far too gently. “You’re sleeping in my bed. I’ve been sitting out in the front room thinking about it for an hour.” He dropped his hand from the bedpost and paced a step closer, gazing down at her hungrily. “Why shouldn’t I pick up where things went wrong? With you in my arms? You were happy that night, Honor. You couldn’t have faked your response. I would have known. You wanted me that night as much as I wanted you.”
    “Judd,” she said, careful to keep her voice very even. Was he drunk? “In the morning we can talk.”
    “It was in the morning that everything went wrong last time,” he mused and came a pace closer. “It will be different this time. I want you to understand how it is for a man…”
    Her innate caution gave way to her remembered hurt and anger. “I’ve already learned how it is for a man,” she bit out scathingly. “You made it very clear the last time. I don’t want another lesson, Judd!”
    “We’re going to start over, Honor.”
    “No, not a chance.” But of course that was why she was there, wasn’t it? He was going to try to reestablish the physical relationship they had shared so briefly in Mexico. But why? Surely this man didn’t lack for women when he wanted them. Hadn’t he once told her he’d had a few interesting affairs?
    “Yes,” he countered, “we’re going to start over and we’re going to start at the point where everything went wrong last time. I want you to understand, this time. I want you to realize how I felt.” He set down the brandy glass on the bedstand.
    Honor drew in her breath, knowing her time had run out. Judd was intent on his purpose tonight. If she didn’t make a move to run now it would be too late.
    But even as she shoved back [_the _]bedclothes and scrambled for the far side, Honor knew deep inside that it was already too late. She didn’t stand a chance.
    He caught her before she had taken more than three running steps toward the sliding glass door, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her back to the bed. He dumped her into the middle of the rumpled bedclothes and before she could twist free he came down on top of her, anchoring her beneath him.
    For a few moments she fought in blind panic, knowing it was hopeless and yet unable to think logically and conserve her energy. It was the same way it had been that first night in Mexico when she’d hurled herself at him in useless attack.
    And just as he had that night, Judd restrained her without hurting her, using his crushing weight and superior strength to hold her flailing arms and pin her writhing legs until her energy waned.
    “Let me go, Judd!
Let me