Raven's Prey

answer all the questions that had been[
_]raised. Maybe I should have instantly believed your tale. Maybe one of your ‘friends’ would have believed it without question. But I’ve been living by myself for a long time. I’m not used to placing unquestioning trust in another human being. I had to find out for myself what was going on.”
    “So I gathered,” she managed faintly. And he wasn’t accustomed to falling in love, either, she decided silently. He probably didn’t even have the vaguest idea of how to go about doing that. “What happens now, Judd?” she asked starkly.
    “Now we start over. You belong to me, Honor. I realize I’m not what you’ve been looking for in a man. You’ve made it damn clear you think I’m a mercenary; bastard who knows nothing about the sensitive side of life. And you’re probably right. But I’m not going to let you walk out on me again. Do you understand?”
    “You can’t keep me here indefinitely against my will, Judd,” she pointed out carefully, at a loss to comprehend her own feelings in that moment.
    He touched the side of her face with rough fingers. “I only have to keep you here long enough to convince you that you have to stay,” he said simply.
    “I’m not staying with you, Judd. I won’t live with a man who doesn’t know the meaning of love.” She met his eyes unflinchingly, refusing to give way beneath the grim determination she read in his gaze.
    “You have to give me a chance, Honor,” he said softly.
    “Why?”
    “Because you’re too soft, too gentle, not to give me a chance now that you’re no longer blazingly angry with me.” He rolled off the edge of the bed and got to this feet. “Good night, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    Honor stared after him in confusion as Judd quietly let himself out of the room.

Chapter 9
    T he next morning wariness replaced the confusion Honor had been feeling during the night. It was an innate, feminine caution and it was again tinged with resentment. But as she climbed out of bed and padded over to the window a lot of the feelings of anger were directed at herself.
    How could she have been so weak as to let herself be seduced by Judd Raven a second time? There wasn’t another man on the face of the earth who could have managed to do that to her! What was it about this one?
    Several birds had landed in the courtyard garden and in the bright, early-morning light they hopped cheerfully about having breakfast. These were cute little creatures, though, not menacing birds of prey. They feasted on berries and seeds and warbled sweetly. If a raven had appeared in their midst they would have scattered in a flash.
    Her mouth curving wryly, Honor turned away from the window and started toward the bath. She could feel the memory of the night imprinted on her body. There was a lingering, tantalizing ache in the muscles of her thighs and it seemed to Honor she could vividly remember the sheer weight of the man who had swept her away in the darkness.
    What was she going to do?
    A shower made her feel somewhat revitalized and by the time she emerged from it the aroma of sizzling bacon did its share to lift her spirits. Judd was cooking breakfast.
    But by the time she had dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved checked shirt with a mandarin collar, Honor was no nearer a solution about how she should handle the situation. Clipping her amber hair at the nape of her neck, she slipped into a pair of sandals and let herself out of the room.
    She could, in the light of day, simply demand to be released or threaten to call the police. Would that faze Judd? She remembered that he had seemed intimidated by Craig Maddock and decided that calling the cops might not make much of an impression on her captor.
    She could try running again. Her mouth twisted in disgust. Fat lot of good that would do if Judd decided to come after her, which he undoubtedly would.
    She could try screaming for help every time they came within earshot of a stranger. [_If _]they came within earshot of any passing strangers.
    Or she could give Judd his chance. What Honor didn’t quite understand was what he intended to prove. She wasn’t sure he did, either.
    But he had given her a chance in Mexico. He had allowed her four extra days and during that time she had managed to at least put a few doubts in his head about Garrison and Prager. If she hadn’t been given that chance, she might very well be dead by now. Judd hadn’t trusted