Raven’s Prey(22)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

“Are you ready to go get a bite at the cantina?” Judd asked, interrupting her thoughts. It was almost six [_o’clock. They _]had spent die morning walking by the stream and like everyone else had stayed inside during the hot afternoon. Conversation between them had grown increasingly sparse as Honor exhausted her options. She was abandoning hope of communicating meaningfully on a verbal level.

“Yes, I’m ready.” She followed him out into the warm evening and together they walked down the street to the cantina.

“You’re awfully quiet, Honor.” Judd pushed open the door and led her to a familiar table. Across the room the older woman who ran the place waved a hand in greeting.

“I’m getting scared,” Honor said simply.

He gave her a sharp glance. “Don’t be frightened. I’ve told you I’ll stay with you until we get the whole mess sorted out at the other end,” he reminded her a little roughly.

She shook her head forlornly. “You just don’t believe me, do you?”

“Let’s say I’m reserving judgment at this point,” he temporized.

She recognized that some progress had been made if he was no longer flatly denying the possibility that she’d been telling him the truth. But that wasn’t going to do her much good. Honor smiled wanly. “By the time you satisfy yourself as to the truth of the matter it will be too late to do me much good. Judd, before you hand me over to Leo and Nick will you please give me back the bullets to my gun?”

He stared at her. “Hell, you’re serious, aren’t you? What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me to look after you in the event you’re telling the truth?”

“How can I risk my neck in the hands of a man who doesn’t trust me?” she asked bluntly, hazel eyes glittering with repressed anger and frustration.

“Honor… Forget it. Just forget it,” he muttered and some of his own frustration and anger began to show through the wall of his self-control.

Was he really that upset about the situation? Honor wondered. If so it was the first indication she’d had that he might be experiencing some inner turmoil over the matter.

But there was so little time left. So little time.

The silence between them lengthened and Honor did nothing to terminate it. Normally she pushed the conversations, often initiating them and keeping them going when Judd became reticent: Tonight she made no effort and Judd didn’t seem to know how to take over, although he tried a couple of times.

“Damn it, why aren’t you talking to me tonight?” he finally demanded in something close to exasperation. “You’re usually chatty enough! You’ve been getting quieter and quieter all day. Sulking?”

Honor blinked balefully, recognizing that the taunt[_ ]was designed to draw some reaction from her. “I guess so. I’m just a spoiled, neurotic brat, remember? I’ve[ _]probably been too long away from my psychiatrist.”

He glared at her and then abruptly threw some money down on the table. “Let’s go. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” Reaching down he snapped the beer, her third, out of her hand and yanked her roughly to her feet.

“Mr. Macho ” she complained as he strode out of the cantina with her in tow. “Do you always treat your women like this?”

“Only when they’ve had one too many beers,” he gritted, tugging her down the street toward the shack they shared.

“Surely even you wouldn’t deny a condemned woman her last beer?” she taunted. “Or are you so cold and unfeeling that you’d do something that mean?” She wasn’t drunk, but she was feeling a little light-headed with despair and panic. It was making her reckless and desperate. This was her last night with Judd. Her last chance to turn him from enemy to friend and everything was going wrong.

The reaction to her taunt was more than she had expected. Much more. Judd had let other, similar remarks pass without much more than a verbal warning but tonight his self-control was not as firmly in place as it usually was.

At least that was the only explanation Honor had for what he did next.

“Damn it, [_Honor Knight” he rasped, jerking her to _]a halt in front of her cottage and spinning her around to face him ‘That’s enough out of you! I’ve had it with your sharp little tongue, do you hear me? You want to find out just how cold I am? I’ll show you!”

She had only time enough to recognize the masculine frustration and grim determination in him before she was swept against his chest in a sudden, savage embrace. “Earlier you accused me of not talking enough!” she got out just before his mouth closed over hers. “Now you’re saying I’ve got a sharp tongue. Make up your mind!”

His answer was to seal the remainder of the heated protest deep in her throat. With grim intent he took her mouth, folding her arms behind her back and holding her helpless.

Honor sensed the will to dominate in him, but she also was made violently aware of the depths of his hunger. This wasn’t the enraged, irrational lust she had provoked the first night, nor was it the cold, deliberate attempt at seduction which had comprised his second kiss the other morning. Whatever this was, it was real. Deeply sensuous, primitive and real.

The heat in him seemed to flow out to envelop her as he slowly and intently took command of her tips. She could feel the warmth emanating from the whole length of him and the strength in his arms seemed elemental and strangely reassuring.

He was going to make love to her tonight Honor knew it now as surely as she knew the sun would rise tomorrow. There was nothing she could do to stop him and, heaven help her, nothing she [_wanted _]to do to stop him. The passion between them had been evident that first night, even though it had taken a violent form. Although she had tried to ignore it in favor of developing other avenues of communication, Honor had been aware of its existence from the start. And so had Judd, she decided. So had Judd. He wasn’t as cold and unfeeling as she had accused him of being.

No man who was truly cold and unfeeling could be generating this level of sensual tension within her. On that thought her mouth opened under the impact of his and she heard the low groan of desire that came from deep in his chest.

As his tongue hungrily invaded the territory behind her lips Judd released her hands, which he had been holding captive behind her back. Shakily Honor moved her fingers to splay them against his bard chest and she moaned softly.

“Judd, oh, Judd…!”

“Hush, Honor. You wouldn’t talk to me earlier and it’s too late now.” He used his teeth in an incredibly gentle, amazingly erotic caress against her throat and when she cried out in a tiny voice he slid his palms down the length of her back.