Queen of Hearts

by Jayne Castle

  "If I said I wouldn't allow you to work again, what would you do?" he smiled challengingly.

  Janna licked her lips quickly and then said very seriously. "I'd...I'd try to adjust..." She was interrupted by Adam's crack of laughter.

  "So noble: Don't worry, little queen. I've worked too hard for too long not to understand how important having a job can be in a person's life. I wouldn't deny you that. You're free to find a position in San Jose if that's what you want. But I can't allow you to spend the next month working three hours' drive away from me! Nor am I going to commute by plane every day. I want you with me from now on. I almost ran off with you that night when I invited you to spend the weekend with me and you refused!"

  "The night you walked me home from the library?"

  "That's right. But I convinced myself you deserved a little more time to come to terms with the situation between us. Of course, Saturday morning I realized I didn't have to worry too much any more about the civilized approach!"

  "Poor Adam!" Janna chuckled ruefully. "I wasn't aware of how much you restrained yourself!"

  "Never more than last night," he put in with a distinct touch of pride, his arms tightening around her in a small hug. "I surprised myself more than you when I sent you off to bed after we'd gone as far as we had in front of the fireplace. I fully intended to make you mine last night, Janna. Tonight nothing will stop me."

  "I didn't ask you to stop last night," she pointed out shyly, not lifting her head to look at him. The memory of how she had practically begged him to make love to her was still very vivid.

  "I know, sweetheart," he replied, his voice deep and velvety. "But I wanted to be sure..."

  "Sure that I really surrendered?" Janna could barely breathe the words.

  "Sure that you really were in love with me," he elaborated gently. He shook his head. "But there couldn't be much doubt left in my mind after your antics last night and this morning! I didn't ask you to go through all that to prove your love! I would have been content just to be able to look into your eyes during breakfast and see the same look I had seen last night. Instead I was treated to that incredible bedroom scene and another, equally amazing skit this morning!"

  "Well? What did you expect me to do last night?" Janna defended herself determinedly. "I knew Christy was going to try something. She told me quite plainly she had a...a plan. What I didn't give her credit for was having a backup plan, too!"

  "Frank's arrival this morning as the outraged father?"

  "Exactly. And don't tell me you could have handled both of them easily without my help! You persisted in thinking dear little Christy saw you as a father figure, of all things!"

  "Don't remind me," he groaned. Then the highwayman's grin flashed into place across the hard features above her and the grey-green eyes darkened with a wickedly satisfied gleam as he held her slightly away from him.

  "But it was worth it," he told her, "to see you behaving so fiercely possessive! My dragon queen in action!"

  "Adam!" she protested, embarrassed. But he only laughed, spinning her around abruptly by the shoulders and giving her a push in the direction of the hall.

  "Go and pack, little queen. We've got things to do today!"

  Janna traveled a few feet, propelled by the casual power of his hands before she could stop and turn to face him.

  "You're sure you want me to turn in my resignation and prepare to move to San Jose with you today? You don't want to...to perhaps wait a week or so and make certain..." Janna's voice trailed off weakly at the hardness which swirled deep in Adam's eyes.

  "Do you?" he asked softly; too softly.

  Janna took a deep breath, knowing she would do whatever she had to in order to hide the steel which surfaced so easily in this man. She much preferred the velvet...

  "No. I'm ready, Adam," she said gently, truthfully. For another instant he faced her and then, apparently pleased with what he saw, he motioned her to hurry.

  The trip back to La Paloma was a much more pleasant experience than the drive to Carmel had been, Janna reflected as they approached the outskirts of the college town. She was mildly tense at the prospect of facing her boss and handing in such short notice, but there wasn't any option. Adam wanted her, almost seemed to need the reassurance the action would provide and she couldn't deny him. It was a strange thing to be so much in a man's power, she though as Adam parked the big car in front of her apartment.

  "You go and take care of your business at the library," he instructed, holding the door for her as she climbed out and stretched in reaction to the effects of a long drive. "I've got some business to attend. I'll meet you back here in about half an hour or forty-five minutes."

  "Yes, Adam," she agreed, wondering what the rush was. He was probably anxious to get started back to San Jose and there was a lot to do here before they left. During the drive he explained he'd left one of his newer managers in charge until he could return and she had a hunch Adam was worrying slightly about the business. She should be flattered, Janna decided, that a man who clearly worked as hard as Adam did was willing to reorganize his schedule for the sole purpose of allowing himself time to pursue her!

  She waved as he pulled away from the curb, curious about his 'business', in spite of herself. What did he have to do in La Paloma which couldn't be accomplished on her telephone? Perhaps see the movers and arrange for the packing and shipping of her goods.

  Half an hour later, Janna emerged from the library's administrative offices, extremely grateful for the Head Librarian's understanding. It was true that the summer months were slow ones for the library and there would be plenty of time to find a replacement before the start of the busy fall term; nevertheless, no notice was still no notice! It would seem, Janna decided with a rueful shake of her head, that even in this enlightened and emancipated day, marriage was still considered an acceptable excuse for a woman to quit her job!

  She was making her way across the quad, heading for the street which led to her apartment when she spotted Scott Barrett on the opposite sidewalk. Janna's first reaction was to avoid the man if possible. It might be cowardly, she told herself, but the memory of her undignified exit from the party Saturday night was still too fresh. Scott, however, made retreat an unworkable alternative. He caught her eye and deliberately crossed the pavement to confront her.

  "Hello, Janna," he said coolly, coming to a halt in front of her. "I'm surprised to see you around so soon after your caveman friend carried you off into the night! Thought sure you'd be spending the week with him in his cave!"

  Janna bit back a sharp retort, reminding herself that Scott had good reason to be angry with her. She had left him in an embarrassing situation that night and he, like any other man in similar circumstances, was not likely to forgive and forget. The fact that Janna might have been an innocent victim would never occur to him and, she admitted privately, how could she plead that what had happened wasn't her fault? She had known, hadn't she, that Adam would react strongly to her absence from the apartment when he arrived to pick her up that evening? She had guessed he wouldn't be able to find her but she should have known better, Janna thought with an inner smile. She wondered idly whether or not she'd have occasion to underestimate Adam in the future!

  "I'm sorry about what happened Saturday..." she began quietly, trying to soothe Scott's ruffled male ego.

  "Sorry! You made a laughingstock out of me!"

  "I don't see how you could have been that badly affected," Janna remarked a bit tartly, forgetting her resolution to be pleasant to Scott. "I was the one who got carted out like a sack of potatoes! Besides, it's unlikely very many people even knew I had originally come to the party with you. Shortly after we arrived you disappeared into a corner with that secretary!"

  "Well, if you'd been more pleasant at dinner... Oh, hell, forget it, Janna," Scott grumbled. "Where are you going now?" he added, making a praiseworthy effort to change the subject.

  "I'm on my way back to the apartment, "Janna told him stiffly,
stepping around him and continuing down the sidewalk. To her astonishment, Scott fell into step beside her.

  "I was on my way down to the sandwich shop on the corner to have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat." Scott hesitated. "Care to join me?"

  "No thanks," she replied calmly, wondering why he wanted her company.

  "What was with that guy, anyway, Janna?" Scott persisted, sounding curious. Was that the reason he wasn't leaving her alone, Janna wondered with amusement. Did he just have to know what the other man had that he didn't.

  "I don't quite know what you mean, Scott," Janna said drily. They were getting close to her apartment and there was no sign of Adam's Continental. Apparently he still hadn't finished his mysterious 'business'.

  "I'm talking about the way he barged into a strange party and hauled you away as if you belonged to him!" Scott muttered, following Janna right to her door. She opened it, stepped inside and turned to face him.

  "He's a very direct sort of person," Janna said with a reminiscent smile.

  "Obviously! Look, can I come in for a few minutes?" Scott asked in such an anxious tone that she sighed and stepped back to allow him through the door.

  "I've got a lot of things to do, Scott," she began firmly.

  "I won't keep you long," he gave her a little boy grin. "I merely want to know what happened between you and that guy. Can you blame me? I'm the one who got left holding the bag Saturday night. As soon as you two had gone everyone in the room turned to me, demanding to know what was going on!"

  Janna winced. It probably had been rough on poor Scott. Perhaps she owed him some explanation.

  "His name is Adam. Adam Halleck. I met him last week..."

  "You've only known him a few days?" Scott interrupted disbelievingly.

  "That's right," Janna retorted airily, shutting the door behind them and leading the way to the kitchen. If she was to take Adam literally, she would be moving out today. That meant she ought to throw away any perishable items so they wouldn't spoil before the movers arrived.

  "Where the hell does he get off acting like that with you when he's only known you a few days?" Scott demanded, watching with a frown as Janna located a garbage bag and began dumping various items from the refrigerator into it.

  "He wants me," she said, sounding disgustingly content and smug to herself.

  "Wants you!"

  "And I want him."

  "I can't believe you know what you're doing, Janna. This isn't like you!"

  "How do you know what's like me and what isn't?" she inquired curiously, frowning momentarily over a thawed chicken. "Would you like this? I hate to throw away good chicken..."

  "No! For heaven's sake, why are you cleaning out your refrigerator, anyway?" Scott appeared to have finally noticed her activity.

  "I'm moving out today," she smiled sunnily at him, adding the chicken to the contents of the garbage bag.

  "Moving!" Scott's voice rose loudly. "Where are you going?"

  "With Adam to his home in San Jose." "What about your job? What about all your friends here? You can't just leave on such short notice...!" Scott appeared rather unnerved by the information. "Why not?"

  "Janna, be realistic. You hardly know the guy..."

  "I've told you, his name is Adam!" Janna instructed firmly, peering into a plastic container and wrinkling her nose at what she saw. Why had she ever saved that particular leftover? "And I've already handed in my resignation. That's why you ran into me on the quad..."

  "I see. How much notice did you give?"

  "None. I told you, I'm moving to San Jose today. Weren't you listening?"

  "Janna, this is unbelievable! You simply can't run off with this man!"

  "Who's going to stop me?"

  "He's not your type, for God's sake!" In his agitation, Scott reached out to take hold of her arm.

  "No? What is my type?" she asked coolly, glancing pointedly down at his offending hand.

  "Come off it! The man plainly relies on the machismo approach with women. I wouldn't have thought you'd be attracted by that. I would have said you preferred an intellectual. Someone who shared your interests and who was involved in a similar lifestyle..."

  "Adam and I have enough in common, thank you," Janna retorted smoothly, wishing her guest would depart and wondering if she would have to resort to asking him to leave.

  "How could you? He looks like a construction worker or rancher or something!"

  "How perceptive of you, Scott. He does happen to be in construction."

  "It's a physical thing isn't it?" Scott growled, his hand on her arm beginning to tighten. "You're old enough to know that just because a man's good in bed doesn't mean..."

  "That's enough, Scott!" Janna finally lost her temper. She'd tried to be pleasant, aware of her part in having created the scene which had so embarrassed him in front of Lis friends, but he was going too far. "I will tell you once and for all how matters stand between Adam and myself and then you will remove your hand from my arm and remove yourself from my apartment! I am in love with him! Do you have any idea what that means? You and your fine notions about modern, intellectually oriented affairs that might possibly lead to trial marriages which might possibly lead to real marriages which might possibly have to be dissolved if careers don't mesh? I'll tell you what it means! I can laugh with him or fight with him or make love with him. And, yes, I can have an intellectual discussion with him, too! No matter what I say or do to him, he won't sulk. He meets me in the middle, giving as good as he gets. I love him so much I'll take him on any terms he cares to offer. I can trust him completely and as long as he says he wants me I'll stay with him! Not let go of me and get out of here!"

  "Yes, Barrett," drawled a familiar voice of steel and velvet from the kitchen doorway, "do as my future wife asks and remove your hand from her person. She is, of course, quite capable of defending herself from your type, but as her soon-to-be husband, I have every intention of exercising the privilege of protecting her."

  "Adam!" Janna whirled to face him, her arm released instantly by a startled Scott. "I didn't hear you..."

  "That's because you were so busy with your lecture on love, sweetheart," he smiled dangerously. "Come here," he ordered.

  Janna met his eyes, uncertain of his temper. Was he angry because she'd allowed Scott into the apartment and thus created the difficulty? Regardless of what he was thinking, she knew she would respond to the command. Setting down the garbage bag, she hurried the short distance to his side, feeling quite relieved when his arm settled possessively around her shoulders.

  "I believe you were on your way out, Barrett," Adam observed with deceptive blandness, shifting himself and Janna slightly to allow Scott access to the door.

  Without a word, Scott moved in the right direction, then he stopped for a second to face Janna.

  "You didn't tell me he was marrying you," he muttered and then he was gone.

  Adam waited until the front door slammed and then he glanced down at Janna standing in the circle of his arm.

  "Are...are you angry, Adam?" she asked warily.

  "Angry? Why should I be angry?" he inquired menacingly. "Just because I can't leave you alone for an hour without returning to find another man in your

  kitchen...!"

  "I can explain!"

  "I'll bet you can. But save it for the drive to the airport. We've got to get moving. The plane leaves in forty minutes!"

  "Plane!" she gasped. 'What plane?"

  "The only plane out of La Paloma which makes connections for Las Vegas. Now get going, woman. Don't worry about cleaning the apartment. I've already arranged to have someone come in and do it. Get what clothes you want from the closet and sign this form for your landlord, stating that you want to break the lease."

  "But, Adam!"

  "Move, Janna!"

  "Yes, Adam."

  It wasn't until she was installed in a seat and the jet had left the ground, however, that Janna finally had a chance to give her version of matters.


  "So you see, I was feeling sorry for having caused him so much embarrassment. I felt he deserved an explanation and..."

  "And in the future you will avoid such incidents like the plague, won't you?" Adam concluded for her, lifting one brow interestedly.

  "Yes, Adam," she sighed, feeling the vibration of the engines and longing to finish her defense so that she could get on to the big question she was dying to ask.

  "I think I'll let it pass this time," Adam announced magnanimously, settling back into his seat. "It was almost worth it to hear your declaration of love!"

  Janna blushed, remembering her impassioned statements to Scott.

  "Adam?" she hazarded after a moment. "What is it, Janna?"

  "Why are we going to Las Vegas?" There, the question was out. She waited tensely for his reply.

  "To get married, naturally. No waiting period as there is in California." He glanced idly at his digital watch. "By dinner time you'll be safely tied to me with the full force of the law. After dinner, I will tie you to me with other kinds of bonds," he added, smiling with masculine anticipation and satisfaction.

  "Married! You mean you meant it when you told Scott you were going to be my husband'" Janna breathed, blue-green eyes shining with her love.

  "He's the second person I've had to set straight today on that score," Adam growled, pausing to smile at the stewardess who was handing him a cup of coffee. "I do wish you'd stop running around announcing your intention to become my mistress! It's becoming embarrassing. Frank Benson nearly bit my head off this morning until I assured him I wasn't really going to let you get away with being anything less than my wife! Told me I'd be a fool not to chain you to my side with every means available to modern man!"

  "But you said you weren't going to m-marry me!" Janna protested.

  "All I ever said was that I was going to make you realize you were mine. So much mine that you wouldn't care whether or not I offered marriage," he corrected her firmly.

  "That was mean!" Janna snapped, wondering if she should waste any time feeling annoyed at having been tricked.