Honor felt the rising tension in him and knew it was mirrored in herself. “I love you, Judd,” she whispered. The humor faded from her eyes to be replaced by passion.
“You couldn’t love me any more than I love you.” The laughter had left his dark eyes, too, and she could read the desire that took its place.
“I used to spend a lot of time wondering what you were thinking,” she confided, running her hands in small, intimate circles across his bare shoulders.
“And now you seem to be able to read my mind.”
“We’ve become very close,” she said simply.
“I like being close to you, Honor Knight Raven.” He slipped off his towel and stretched out beside her. “I’ve never experienced anything else like it in the whole world.” He reached out and pulled her toward him, his hand curving lovingly around her hips. Then Judd took her mouth once more, his arm extending behind her head.
Honor moaned as the fires began to burn in her blood. Her fingers splayed against his chest and her legs flexed to curve between his. “Judd, oh, [_Judd!” _]She moved her hand down the broad planes of his chest to the hard line of his thigh and then she pushed at him gently, urging him over onto his back.
Judd fell against the pillows willingly, a warmly passionate smile edging his mouth as Honor leaned over him. “Ah, sweetheart, you make me feel so alive,” he breathed as she began to rain tiny kisses down the length of his body. He pushed his fingers through her hair, delighting in the texture of it as she gently made love to him. “Alive and happy. That’s how you make me feel, honey.”
She gloried in the response of his body, delighting in the surging strength of his manhood as he stirred beneath her touch. The feel of his hair-roughed skin made her moan softly. Her teeth sank tantalizingly into his thigh.
“Take me, Honor,” he growled, his hands going to her waist. “Come here and [_take me. _]You’re driving me wild.” He lifted her effortlessly, settling her astride his hips.
Honor felt his hands moving on her as she knelt above him and she knew a restless, hungry urge to make Judd lose control completely. She loved it when he seemed to be unable to withstand the temptation of her. Eagerly she sought to tease and torment him until he groaned beneath her. Hands fluttering lightly over his skin she set a heady rhythm with her body, one he was obliged to follow.
“You’re a witch,” he murmured huskily, midnight eyes flaming darkly. “You know I can’t resist you.”
“No?” She smiled down at him with dreamy wickedness.
“Are you going to tease me all night long?”
“Yes, I think so. I like teasing you.”
“You have since the beginning, haven’t you?” he accused thickly.
“You respond so well to teasing,” she murmured and deliberately ran her fingers through the curling hair on his chest. Beneath her his hips arched upward, trying to force the pace of the slow lovemaking. But Honor stayed firmly in control.
“Sweetheart, put me out of my torment,” He reached up to pull her closer but still she resisted. “My God, I want you so!”
“This is a new game I just invented.” Honor slowed the pace still further, well aware of his mounting frustration.
“Raven-baiting?” he mocked heavily. “Don’t you know I always win when we play games?” He twisted beneath her.
“Judd! No, wait!” But it was too late. Honor found herself flat on her back being crushed deeply into the bedding as Judd stretched out along the length of her. His gentle aggression sent a thrilling excitement through her and she was helpless to halt the loving assault.
“Part your lips for me, honey,” he ordered roughly as he lowered his head.
Wordlessly she obeyed, loving the taste of him. Her arms wrapped around the bold contours of his back and she sighed into his throat.
“Now part your legs for me,” he growled.
She felt the fierce surge of satisfaction and anticipation in him as she again obeyed. He came into her with a passionate ferocity that made the breath catch in her chest for an instant. Then she was caught up in the swift, spiraling climb to the heights.
There was no other bird that could master a raven in the air, she remembered dimly. And she was held tightly in her raven’s talons. Faster and faster they flew until the warm lightning caught them both. Then they clung together through the slow, languorous descent. All the way to the ground Honor heard her name on Judd’s lips. It was spoken with reverence and love and happiness and sheer, masculine possession.
Honor’s eyes flickered open to find Judd propped on his elbow beside her, gazing down at her love-softened body. There was deep contentment and a trace of loving amusement in the hard lines of his face. His fingers idly stroked the scar on the inside of her wrist.
“Honor,” he vowed huskily, “I’m going to do my best to make you happy. I know things started off badly between us and I know I’m not the kind of man you always dreamed of falling in love with but I’ll—”
She put up a hand, covering his mouth and stopping the words. Her eyes smiled lovingly. “Are you worried about not being romantic enough for me?”
He nodded mutely.
She grinned. “Don’t you know how marvelously romantic it is for [_a _]woman to be abducted by the man she loves?”
He looked taken aback. “It is?”
“Definitely. We’ll have to do it every other year on our anniversary.”
“That sounds like an interesting sort of game,” he decided, his eyes full of laughter.
“One you should excel at You’re a born hunter. A bird of prey.”
“Ummm, maybe, but I think I prefer what happens after I get my hands on you to the hunt itself. Making love to you is a much more enjoyable pastime than hunting you down.”
Judd leaned over and emphasized his words with a slow, possessive kiss and Honor gave herself up in complete trust to the embrace of the raven she had gentled.