Queen of Hearts (22 page)

"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.

"You had it coming," Adam pointed out wickedly. "You won't ever lie to me again, will you, honey?"

"No," Janna subsided, too happy to wrangle with him at the moment. Then she thought of something else.

"Your brother and Lucy are going to be surprised when they get back and find out we're married!" Laughter bubbled up inside as she pictured Lucy's amazement.

"I doubt it. I told them at the wedding what I intended to do with you," Adam replied lightly.

"You had the whole thing planned?"

"I planned to marry you before we'd even been introduced! The details of the plan worked themselves out as matters progressed!" Adam confirmed.

"I have an idea I should be incensed at finding myself the victim o{ a plot!" Janna grinned wryly.

"You never had a chance," Adam said with satisfaction. "How could I let the only woman I had ever fallen head over heels in love with get away?"

"Oh, Adam! You really do love me?"

"As I have observed before, for a woman with so much education, you can be amazingly slow at times!"

A long time later Janna stood in a darkened hotel room gazing out the window at the glitter of Las Vegas. A band of gold gleamed softly on her left hand and she glanced down at it, a small smile touching her lips.

"In the future I shall buy you nothing but apricot colored nightgowns," Adam's voice came from the direction of the bath, rich and velvety. Janna turned to face him, the softness of the gown's material floating around her ankles. He stood there with the light behind him, a towel wrapped around his flat stomach, his grey-green eyes intent and serious.

"My darling Adam!" Janna breathed, gliding across the room to slide happily into his arms. "I love you so much!" She snuggled against his broad chest. "I don't know why I didn't realize it from the first."

"Just see to it that you don't ever forget it in the future! I couldn't stand that, Janna. You are my love and my life now. I could never let you go'"

"i could never leave you, Adam," she promised gazing up into this rugged face. She knew in that moment that she spoke nothing but the truth. Never would she be capable of hurting him. "All I ask is that you love me and let me love you."