Queen of Hearts

by Jayne Castle

  "Does that explain how my bed happened to be prepared last night?" Janna smiled, thinking of how tidy and welcoming the room had been.

  "You've got it in one," Adam commended cheerfully, measuring coffee into the drip coffee maker. "I phoned her after I arrived for our date last night and realized for certain you were going to stand me up."

  "I never said I'd be ready and waiting!" Janna felt obliged to protest.

  "No, but I had told you to be there. That should have been sufficient and it will be next time, won't it?" Adam glanced arrogantly over his shoulder in order to view her reaction.

  Janna felt the wave of red rush into her cheeks as memories of the previous evening flashed across her mind's eye. How was she ever again going to face the people with whom she worked?

  "Are you going to spend the entire day reliving the glories of your big scene from Taming of the Shrew?" she demanded with saccharin sweetness.

  He chuckled. "I'll make a deal with you. Fix my breakfast and I won't mention last night again all day!"

  "It's a bargain!" Janna agreed fervently, coming around the corner of the counter and reaching for the egg carton. She hesitated briefly as he moved willingly aside, assuming a position on one of the stools and leaning on the counter to watch her intently. He had certainly been quick to offer silence on the touchy subject in exchange for his breakfast. A suspicion dawned and she eyed him frowningly.

  "Have I just been set up?" she asked drily.

  "Yes," he agreed with engaging frankness. "I hate cooking!"

  "What a pity. You showed such promise with the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, too!"

  "Now who's bringing up last night's events?" Grey-green eyes followed her as she moved easily about his kitchen.

  Janna grimaced. "How do you like your eggs?" was all she said.

  "I thought,'' Adam remarked much later as he polished off the last of his healthy-sized meal, "that we would drive into Carmel this morning. You'll like it, Janna. Lots of little shops and there's a great place I know for lunch..."

  "How can you talk about lunch after eating that huge breakfast?"

  "You're the one who had the last piece of toast!" Adam pointed out righteously. "But why worry about it? We're going to walk it all off before noon, anyway!"

  And walk it off they did. Adam, following Highway 1 where it clung precariously to the rocky coastline, drove the few miles into Carmel with casual familiarity. Janna spent the trip marveling at the spectacular scenery, awed by the sense of solitude and untamed wilderness. It was an ideal background for Adam Halleck, she thought.

  Carmel was delightful. Countless art galleries, craft shops and elegant boutiques clustered around Ocean Avenue, the main street. Adam parked the car, lifted one brow warningly as Janna automatically moved to open her door and then lowered it as she subsided. It wasn't worth the trouble of defying him over such a small thing as opening her own car door, Janna assured herself as she watched him stride swiftly around the front of the vehicle and knew, even as she thought the words, she was lying. It would have been worth the trouble if she was really determined to fight Adam every inch of the way. But somehow the battle no longer beckoned. When Adam opened the door and extended his hand to assist her, Janna placed her fingers in his once again as she had that morning on the beach. As it had been then, his smile was the reward.

  The hours passed swiftly as Adam and Janna wandered in and out of tiny shops, admired exhibitions of local artists, and investigated display after display of crafts and gifts. Rarely during the process did Adam loosen his hold on Janna's hand and she found herself curiously content to allow him the small possession. Again she explained her lack of will by telling herself that if she attempted to free her fingers Adam would only recapture them. But there was no denying the unreal atmosphere which seemed to enclose the two of them for those few hours. They laughed together over a comic ceramic figure, argued amiably about a work of modern art hanging in one of the galleries and chatted about the famous artists and writers who, at one time or another, had been attracted to Carmel.

  "Oh, Adam! Look at that lovely woven wall hanging," Janna exclaimed at one point, indicating a beautifully designed creation in hand-spun wool. The pattern was an interpretation of an ancient Indian design. "It would be fantastic hanging in the hall above that low table near your bedroom."

  "I would rather have one of your batiks," he commented, obeying her instructions to view the hanging.

  Surprised, Janna glanced up at him. He turned away from the object in question and smiled down into her upturned face. "But if you like this, I'll buy it for you," he offered immediately. There was a hopeful expression in his eyes which Janna didn't completely understand. Did he want so badly to give her a gift? Flustered, she looked away, pretending to be attracted by a painting hanging nearby.

  "No thanks," she said hurriedly. "I only thought it might look nice in your home. It wouldn't go at all well in my apartment."

  "But since you are going to spend a great deal of time in my home, it makes sense to let you choose a few things for the place," Adam said softly, following her new focus of attention.

  "Adam, please!" Janna began in a low, choked tone, refusing to meet his eyes. "Don't spoil my morning!"

  "Does it really spoil your morning to remind you that there are going to be many more such mornings?" he persisted, closing his fingers more tightly around her hand as they walked out the door of the gallery and started down the sidewalk.

  "I don't want to think about your...your threats just now!"

  "They aren't threats, Janna. With you I make promises."

  The quiet words unnerved her. Janna stopped suddenly, heedless of curious shoppers who found themselves abruptly having to find a path around two of the largest people on the sidewalk.

  "Adam Halleck, I've told you I don't want to think about the future at this moment! I happen to be enjoying myself in spite of the overly dramatic manner in which I arrived to spend the weekend. If you have any consideration for me as your guest, you will stop reminding me that your only interest is revenge!"

  "You're wrong, as usual," Adam retorted, his tone rising forcefully as he glared down at her. "I intend to teach you a lesson, alright, but I wouldn't bother to spend the time and effort if the result wasn't going to be a hell of a lot more satisfying than something as short-lived as revenge!''

  "People are starting to stare," Janna hissed furiously. "So what?" he snapped carelessly. "I've got more important matters to worry about. Besides, you're the one who started this argument!" "That's not true!"

  "Yes it is and by God, you're going to admit that much at least before we budge one inch!" With a profoundly annoyed expression, Adam hauled her into his arms and kissed her bruisingly.

  "Adam!" Janna yelped helplessly, vividly aware of the amusement in the faces of the people she could see out of the corner of her eye. But he ignored her outrage and deepened the kiss. "Stop it!" she gasped when she was able to free her mouth momentarily.

  "As soon as you apologize for provoking me," he vowed, one hand going to the back of her head and anchoring it so that she couldn't avoid his lips.

  "Yes!" she squeaked, desperate to put a stop to the embarrassing scene. "I apologize! For heavens sake, let me go! There's probably a law against this sort of thing!"

  "I doubt it," he replied seriously, humor lightening the annoyance which had marked his expression moments before. "Even if there was, I'm sure any police officer worth his uniform would understand that a man still has some rights over his woman!" He released her, retaining a firm grip on her wrist.

  "I have never been embarrassed so much by a man in my life as I have been by you! One of these days I'm going to be pushed into doing you a severe injury!" Janna grumbled as she pulled away, leading him down the sidewalk and trying to avoid the smiling eyes of those around her who had witnessed the small scene.

  "You're welcome to try, of course," he smiled agreeably. "Just keep in mind that I always give as good as I g
et!"

  For some reason his comment stayed in Janna's head as they continued their perusal of the picturesque town. It was true, she realized with a slight sense of shock. Adam never backed down. No matter what she said to him he refused to be quelled. In spite of the frustration and outright anger she had experienced around him, it was a relief to encounter a man who didn't sulk when she gave him the sharp edge of her tongue. And there was a strange sense of pleasure which she hardly dared to admit at the knowledge that she was at long last dealing with a man who was her match in every way. Her match? she wondered wryly as she examined a crystal dragon in one of the shops. Or her master?

  "That looks like something which stepped out of the last science fiction fantasy I read," Adam remarked, taking the delicate crystal figure from Janna's hand and holding it up to the light.

  "The novel about the planet on which war games are played out for real?" she smiled unthinkingly. "I read that one, too." She watched the light flash through the small dragon. It was a beautiful thing and the admiration she felt must have shown in her eyes because an instant later Adam was walking over to the counter and pulling out a great deal of cash. So much money for such a tiny work of art, she thought anxiously, watching as the dragon was carefully wrapped in tissue and placed in a sack.

  "Here, my fierce little dragon queen," Adam smiled, taking her hand and thrusting the sack into it. "Something to remind you of this morning." He forced Janna's fingers closed around the paper bag as if he would make her accept the gift regardless of her feelings in the matter. But it wasn't the physical pressure he used which convinced Janna to thank him in a warm, quiet voice, it was the anxious expression buried deep in the grey-green eyes. An expression which said he didn't want to have to force the gift on her but rather hoped she would accept it willingly. Janna found herself unable to inflict the small hurt her refusal would cause.

  What was the matter with her today, she demanded silently as the look of satisfaction replaced the anxiety in

  Adam's eyes. She was not reacting as she should to her captivity. Every hour saw the steel strands of Adam's bonds wrapped more tightly around her. There would come a time when she would be unable to put forth the effort escape required. The certainty was frightening when she thought about it and Janna deliberately refused to consider the matter.

  "I'm hungry," she announced determinedly as the lunch hour arrived.

  "I told you that you would be by the time we had hiked all over town," Adam laughed. "It happens that, due to my superior forethought and planning, we find ourselves standing quite near the restaurant I mentioned this morning."

  "In other words, you were getting hungry, too?"

  "Exactly." Adam led her inside the expensive looking, intimate cafe where the head waiter greeted him smilingly, showing them immediately to a table for two by the window.

  "I'm impressed," Janna giggled as the waiter removed himself.

  "You should be. I've had to tip that man a fortune down through the years to bring him to his present state of fawning servility!" Adam complained good-naturedly as he picked up the menu.

  The food, as Adam had promised, was excellent and as Janna finished the last of her glass of white wine the prospect of the afternoon ahead was a pleasant one. Once again she deliberately closed her mind to what the night might bring.

  "I vote we head back to the house and I'll give you a tour of the beach," Adam suggested, rising to assist her to her feet.

  "Alright," she agreed with a meekness which astonished her. Did she really want to spend the afternoon on an isolated beach? Yes! The fiercely feminine part of her leaped at the notion. Common sense was crushed beneath the weight of womanly emotion.

  They spent the afternoon hunting out fascinating tidepools, bird-watching, and scrambling over sea-dampened rocks. Time passed much too quickly and when the sun began its magnificent descent into the ocean Janna had the feeling of being caught off-guard. She had known the evening was approaching. It had a habit of doing so ever day about this time, she mocked herself. So why should she feel as if it had taken her by surprise? The magic day was over and now the possibility of paying for it loomed ahead.

  "What's wrong, Janna?" Adam asked quietly, sensing the way her fingers stiffened in his as they walked back toward the house.

  "Nothing," she insisted briefly, a brittleness in her words that betrayed far too much.

  "Good. For a moment there, I thought you were getting nervous about spending the evening with me," Adam mocked gently, pulling her closer and releasing her hand to put his heavy arm around her shoulders.

  Janna flashed a quick, uncomfortable look up into his bland face and then glanced away immediately.

  "Why should I be nervous?" she argued logically. "You've already given me your word not to...to attack me!" Who was she trying to convince?

  "I certainly did," he chuckled, opening the door for her and flipping on a light switch. It wasn't fully dark yet and wouldn't be for some time but evening shadows had settled on the gracious room. "Therefore I can only conclude you're a trifle worried about attacking me"

  "Adam Halleck, you are the most arrogant, incorrigible..." Janna began, rounding on him, hands on her hips.

  "And I'm very loveable too," he interrupted, backing away in a parody of terror. He laughed at the violent little frown on Janna's face and made for the hearth. "I can see where you might be worried about not being able to control yourself around me," he went on wisely, going down on one knee to begin the process of building a fire. The warmth of the day was seeping away and an evening chill would soon make itself felt this close to the ocean.

  "If I were you, I'd recognize defeat when I saw it," he went on, setting the kindling in a neat nest. "Think how pleasant surrender will be, Janna."

  The masculine superiority in his tone was too much for Janna. Her nerves were already on edge and Adam's mockery was the match needed to start the fire of her temper.

  "Don't you dare talk to me as if you know I'll find it impossible to resist your domineering, chauvinistic, unromantic lovemaking..." She broke off, furious at the lack of attention he was paying her. Adam seemed vastly more concerned with starring his fire than exchanging verbal sallies at the moment. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

  "Go ahead," he invited quietly, not looking at her as he struck a match.

  "Go ahead and what?" she demanded angrily, towering over him for once as he knelt in front of the fireplace.

  "Go ahead and slap my face. You're itching to do it, aren't you? Just a second and I'll make it easier for you." Adam bent forward, set the match to the paper and kindling and then straightened, still on his knee, to face her.

  He was right. It was a great temptation. She owed him another slap, J anna told herself furiously and then winced at the memory of having already struck him twice in the recent past. What kind of woman was he turning her into, she wondered grimly,

  "I probably made a mistake letting you get away with hitting me earlier in our relationship," Adam continued off handedly, resting one hand on his bent leg. "Now you're wondering if you can risk it again. Well, there's only one way to find out for certain what will happen, isn't there?" he taunted cheerily.

  In the silence following his remark, J anna tapped the toe of one foot consideringly. Why was he encouraging her to hit him?

  "It would serve you right if I did," she said coolly, eyes narrowing.

  "Probably. That doesn't mean I'll be overcome by a sense of justice and decide not to retaliate, though," he pointed out reasonably, watching her face expectantly.

  "You'd hit me back?" she asked cautiously, not really believing he'd use his greater strength against her in such a crude fashion.

  "I'll match anything you give me with something of equal value, Janna," Adam told her softly. "Word for word; blow for blow or," he smiled with deliberately sensuality, "kiss for kiss."

  "I'd never willingly give you kisses," Janna countered bitterly, knowing he had the power to make a liar out o
f her and furious at the knowledge.

  "You'll give me much more than that," he promised, the velvet of his voice once again unable to conceal the steel beneath it. "And you'll give it to me tonight!" The message of dominance in his eyes was more than J anna's nervy mood could take.

  "You have no right...!" she blazed and swung her hand in a short arc designed to end against the side of his face. But something flashed into the grey-green eyes, something which washed away all the green, leaving only steel. She'd seen that look before and knew what it meant. At the last split second, she aborted the slap voluntarily, barely missing her target. She'd known in that ultimate instant that Adam would, indeed, have repaid her in kind. He would fulfill his vow to give as good as he got and in any contest of pure physical strength she was bound to be the loser.

  "That's my girl," Adam murmured, a strange half-smile twisting his mouth. "You're learning."

  Janna stared at him, the tip of her tongue touching her dry lips briefly.

  "You would really have hit me?" she whispered.

  "I wouldn't have slapped your face," he corrected, getting slowly to his feet.

  "Yes, you would have done so. I saw it in your eyes!"

  "What you saw there was a decision to turn you over my knee if you went through with it," Adam explained drawlingly. "Remember that the next time you're tempted!" He put both hands on her shoulders and bent to give her a chaste kiss on the forehead. "Don't look so shocked, little queen. You'd be disappointed in me if I weren't as strong as you! Now why don't you fix us a bite to eat? Lunch was a long time ago!"

  Janna began preparations for dinner in a daze that went seemingly unnoticed by Adam who puttered around the kitchen beside her, showing her where different items were stored and volunteering to watch the steaks grilling in the oven.

  "So they won't be overcooked," he explained.

  "The word 'overcooked' could not possibly be used to describe this meat," Janna proclaimed, slicing into the still-red heart of her steak some time later.

  "Just right," Adam nodded as if she had complimented him. "By the way, you make a fantastic salad dressing, honey," he added, helping himself to more of the greens and pouring the spicy dressing on top. The daze Janna had been experiencing began to wear off as a sense of pleasure at Adam's appreciation of her cooking replaced it.