Queen of Hearts Read online

  "I wouldn't marry you if you were..." she declared stonily, a deep sense of outrage sweeping through her as she stood there on the dance floor.

  "Don't say it, honey. It's always mortifying to have to eat one's words," Adam advised, smiling with easy menace. With a little push he forced her back into motion. "However, your attempt at a passionate refusal does bring up the subject of your punishment again," he added as they moved automatically in time to the music.

  "You just said my punishment was going to be marriage to you!" Janna bit out furiously.

  "No I didn't. I merely wondered what you would say if I said marriage might be the end result of this affair. You, of course, met my expectations and started to go off like a firecracker. Knowing your reaction will make my vengeance all the sweeter."

  "What are you talking about, Adam Halleck?" Angry and confused, Janna faced him, head tilted back to meet his eyes. She had the uncomfortable sensation he was toying with her.

  "Your punishment for having lied to me, my haughty little queen, is going to be surrender," Adam spelled out slowly, distinctly and with obvious pleasure. "I am going to make you mine so completely that in the end you will plead to be allowed to live with me and share my bed. You will be willing to take me on any terms I choose to offer. When that time comes it will be pleasant to remind you of how you once scorned the idea of marrying me! Knowing in every corner of your mind and in every nerve of your body that you belong to me will be the price you pay for daring to play games with me, Janna. I shall look forward to the end of the punishment with great anticipation."

  Janna simply stared at him, remembering after a few seconds to close her mouth which had opened slightly in utter astonishment. She couldn't believe her ears! Chaotic thoughts chased each other wildly through her head, flashing across the windows of her expressive eyes and revealing themselves to the man who watched her face so avidly. Desperately, she tried to pull herself together, summoning her courage and determination with every ounce of resolve she possessed. Adam Halleck was only another male. He didn't have any super powers which would enable him to carry out this incredible retribution, she reminded her poor, startled brain. He was angry at having been tricked, that was all. Any man as used to dominating people and getting his own way would have been equally furious. He might talk a threatening line now but there was no real way he could possibly carry out his threats!

  But such threats! Some female voice in her mind protested fearfully even as logic insisted she had nothing of which to be afraid. If he were capable of demanding and obtaining her total physical and emotional surrender she would never recover from the pain of his rejection when he threw her love back in her face as she had once promised to do to him with his money. She knew it instinctively. To be caught up in a love affair with a man as demanding and possessive as Adam Halleck would be dangerous for any woman. But to allow oneself to be swept into it knowing in advance that revenge was the driving motive behind Adam's desire would be risking complete disaster!

  But above all else, the rational part of her mind shouted, she had no intention of getting any more involved with Adam! Nothing about him was attractive to her, Janna told herself with great certainty. He wasn't anything like Scott Barrett so there was absolutely no danger from him! That thought cooled down her adrenalin-fed blood enough to let her glare at him in a challenging manner.

  "I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life, although I will admit your childish desire for revenge doesn't surprise me in the least! It's a typical reaction from a man who's had his own way far too many times in life and who thinks women can be manipulated to suit the male of the species. I can tell you right now that you may as well get back in that big, white car of yours and head for San Jose. Any plot you're hatching against me that involves causing me to fall in love with you is doomed before it begins!" Taking strength from her own words, Janna went on in almost aloof tone:

  "Tell me something, though. I understand the fact that you're upset about having been the last to know of your brother's wedding and I was resigned to the idea that you would undoubtedly yell quite a lot afterward, probably at me as I would be the only one within range. But what made you concoct such a crazy plan?"

  Adam grinned down at her, apparently not taking any offense from her description of his domineering ways. The steel in his eyes was as strong as ever but there was another emotion there, too, one that Janna didn't completely comprehend. She wasn't at all sure she wished to know it, either.

  "You really don't understand yet, do you?" The grin disappeared, leaving his mouth hard and determined while that look she had noticed in the depths of his eyes flickered closer to the surface.

  "I want you, Janna. I've wanted you since I walked into that restaurant and saw you sitting with my brother, waiting to meet me. I took one look and knew that I was going to have you. I couldn't believe you thought yourself in love with Nat and after I'd seen the two of you together for a few minutes I realized there was no great passion between my brother and yourself. On the other hand," the grim line of his mouth softened at the corners as he guided her firmly across the floor, "it was very plain to see that you had everything I need in a woman. You're strong and proud and stubborn. And I know you're going to be capable of passion and fierce loyalty." His arms tightened as he searched her defiant face. "Of course, there is one last factor that was also immediately apparent!"

  "What was that!" she hissed, barely able to speak because of the combination of fury and some other strong emotion she couldn't put a name to yet.

  "You're exactly the right size for me! You fill my arms perfectly on the dance floor and in the front seat of my car." He gave her an outrageous smile which made Janna want to slap him. "Taking you to bed is going to be a very satisfying experience!"

  It was too much. Janna lashed out at his shin with the toe of her yellow shoe, not making any effort to lessen the impact.

  "How dare you talk to me like that!" she stormed, keeping her voice down with great effort as Adam drew in his breath sharply, his arms loosening their hold. She took advantage of the slackened grip to step backward quickly, turning to walk off the floor. But a hand reached out to snag her arm, halting her progress instantly and causing a few heads to turn curiously in their direction. Adam didn't haul her back into the dance, however, but guided her with agonizing power toward the champagne table.

  "Only the desire to refrain from turning my brother's wedding into a farce is saving you from being turned over my knee and paddled until you can't sit down for a week," he snarled in her ear, reaching for a bottle and pouring champagne into two glasses while retaining his grasp on her arm. "I warned you once that you wouldn't escape lightly the next time you struck me!" He forced one of the glasses into her nerveless hand.

  "You deserved it!" she protested fiercely, watching him to see if he was going to make a retaliatory move. Her only protection at the moment was Adam's desire not to embarrass the bride and groom and that seemed a rather flimsy defense. She could feel the temper in him and sipped her drink to hide her nervousness. He gulped down most of his own glass in a single swallow and stood regarding her with a hooded expression for a full minute. Then the highwayman's grin leaped into place and humor flashed in the grey-green eyes which were returning to their normal color.

  "I did, didn't I?" he chuckled, letting go of her arm to lift her chin between thumb and forefinger. "The thing is," he went on conversationally, "you'd better get used to the way I talk. I'm a very direct sort of man, in case you haven't figured that out, yet. I say what I mean and don't bother to cloak it behind a lot of fancy innuendoes or philosophy. I've told you I want you and I meant it. When I juggled my entire work week around in order to be able to spend the weekend with you I told myself I'd offer you anything I had if you would come to me." Adam's expression took on a whimsical cast as he outlined what he had been prepared to give her. "I was ready to trade the car in on a foreign model, promise you that ticket on the first commercial flight to the mo
on, even marriage!"

  Janna wanted to grind her teeth as his tone indicated just how generous he had planned to be!

  "But," he continued, coldness replacing the warmth of a moment before, "after what I went through when I knocked at your door this morning only to find out from a" neighbor that you were at 'a wedding', I changed my mind! Oh, I still want you and I'll have you. But you need to be taught a lesson, sweetheart. I came to that conclusion during the wedding service as I realized I was going to have to cure you of your tendency toward outright defiance, to say nothing of this nasty habit of lying!"

  "You can't do anything to me...!"

  "I can and will teach you what it means to belong to me. And you'll surrender heart, soul, and body to me, without even the security of knowing whether or not I'll marry you. I swear it!" Adam's voice roughened in a frightening fashion. "Above all else, Janna, you will learn never to lie to me again. Between us there must be complete truth. I won't tolerate anything less!"

  Janna felt her fingers begin to tremble around the champagne glass. Fighting for control she turned half away from Adam and set the remainder of her drink on the table. With every movement she struggled for a show of unconcern but the end result was a regal disdain which caused one of Adam's heavy brows to climb warningly as he watched her.

  "Mr. Halleck," she began formally, feeling braver now that her movement had put some distance between them. "You are an uncouth barbarian who thinks he can have anything he desires and have it on his own terms. Perhaps your past history has given you cause to think that will alway hold true. If so, then you're the one who is about to learn the lesson, not I! I have no intention of allowing myself to be overwhelmed by you. Go try out your domineering, aggressive ways on some other woman. I happen to be looking for other things in a man than arrogance, egotism, rough manners and emotions as fleeting as sheer male desire!"

  "What other things are you looking for?" Adam inquired interestedly before she could take a breath and plunge on to other aspects of the subject.

  "Do you really want to know?" she snapped, forgetting to be cautious about drawing the other guests' attention. "I'll tell you! The man I'll love will be kind, gentle, intelligent, well-educated and willing to treat me as a human being with equal rights and responsibilities! He won't try to dominate me. He won't embarrass me and he won't threaten me!"

  "He sounds a paragon," Adam admitted with admiration. "The only difficulty would be that you'd rapidly become bored to tears. If the current model of all those fine attributes is the Bearded Delight, by the way, I'd forget any plans right now, if I were you. He's got 'faculty' written all over him and you would never make a good faculty wife!"

  "How do you know? I think I'd make an excellent wife for a professor! I'm sure I would excel at that much more than I would as the wife of a...a construction worker!" Janna retorted, feeling goaded beyond all reason.

  "I believe you once told me my male chauvinism was showing. Well, allow me to point out that your academic snobbery is now on display. Besides," Adam added with a strange smile,' 'I don't think I promised you marriage, did I? Merely surrender. Your complete surrender!"

  Janna stared at him, lost in a wave of outraged sensation which demanded some release. Without even thinking about it very clearly, she reached for the half-full champagne glass beside her on the table.

  "Please don't," Adam begged humorously as he realized her intention. "This jacket only came back from the cleaners last week and it costs a fortune to clean suede, you know." But he didn't move, either to restrain her or get out of the way. Instead he contented himself with watching the wash of emotion ebb slowly out of her suddenly still figure.

  How could she have been on the verge of throwing a glass of champagne at a guest at a wedding, Janna wondered in astonishment as she deliberately unclenched her fingers from the stem. My God! This man was dangerous in more ways than one! As far as she could recall, no one had ever made her lose her temper to such an extent!

  "That's a good girl," Adam smiled approvingly, eyes dancing as he watched the careful withdrawal of her hand from the glass. "Poor Lucy and Nat are going to be fortunate if we don't wind up turning their lovely wedding reception into a brawl!"

  The image of Adam and herself, each taller than any other members of their respective sex in the room, causing such a scene brought a sudden resurgence of Janna's sense of humor. The gleam of laughter shone in her eyes before she could look away and Adam saw it.

  "Tell me," he asked with mock seriousness, "who do you think would win?" He pretended to study her tall, gently curved figure appraisingly. "I have the advantage of weight, of course, but I believe you're much better armed. The sandals alone are potentially lethal! Then again, I have more height and consequently greater reach." He nodded as if summing up the differences between two boxers.

  "Being smaller no doubt makes me faster," Janna pointed out equally seriously.

  "But once I've caught you, you'll be completely at my mercy."

  "Don't forget determination and the will to win counts a great deal!"

  "Ah," he smiled, agreeing, "you're right. Which means that in the end there is no doubt who will be the victor. When it comes to plain willpower and determination I've got you beat hands down."

  "What makes you so certain?" Janna mocked.

  "I've spent my adult years sharpening both in the cold, cruel world of hard work and business. You've been living in the protected environment of college and an academic work setting. You're bound to be softer than I am. But don't fret over it. I prefer you with a touch of softness."

  "I think," Janna began deliberately, "that you have the typical outsider's view of life on campus. I assure you that the battle for success here is every bit as difficult as it is in your world, although it may be fought with different weapons!"

  "Such as?" he inquired politely.

  "Such as intelligence instead of brute strength!"

  "Now you're the one demonstrating a limited amount of knowledge. You have the typical insider's view of life in the real world," he began in a lecturing tone, helping himself to another glass of champagne.

  "Hadn't you better go easy on that? It's not even noon yet," Janna frowned as she watched him wolf it down.

  He looked at the offending glass as if surprised to find it in his hand.

  "This watery stuff? I can hardly even taste it, let alone feel any effects." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he eyed the bubbles. "Remind me to serve something stronger at my own wedding, will you?"

  "How can I? You've already told me I'm not going to be at your wedding. At least, not as the bride and I promise you, I wouldn't attend as a guest!" Janna retaliated immediately.

  "You have me there," he smiled with a touch of cruelty. "I was speaking hypothetically, of course. I have no reason to plan any wedding in the near future, have I? Why should I want to think about tying myself down when I'm getting ready to enjoy a woman on my terms without having to offer anything in return?"

  "Don't look at me when you say that!" Janna rounded on him threateningly. "I wouldn't be your...your mistress or your wife if you begged me on bended knee..."

  "What's this about bended knee?" Nat's voice broke into Janna's tirade with what sounded like an inordinate amount of interest. "Are you proposing, Adam?" He advanced toward them, Lucy's arm clasped protectively in his own.

  "Not quite," Adam assured him, laughter in the sideways glance he tossed at Janna. "We were discussing my hypothetical wedding."

  "Well, take my advice and don't mess about with the hypothetical ones. The real thing is much better!" Nat chuckled with a loving look at his blushing bride. "We came to tell you we're going to be leaving as soon as Lucy changes."

  "So quickly?" Janna asked, surprised.

  "We've got a long drive ahead and I want to get started," Nat said easily. "Besides, we've put in almost two hours and I don't think anyone's going to miss us!" He flicked a humorous glance at the young wedding guests who were obviously enjoying themse
lves on the dance floor and at the buffet table.

  "What did you expect, providing a free lunch?" Lucy reminded him with a laugh.

  "It is a beautiful buffet," Janna put in swiftly in case Adam should start thinking about who was paying for the reception. He didn't seem to want to quarrel with Lucy and Janna wanted to keep it that way. Besides, she told herself, the bride's family was supposed to pay for the wedding! It just so happened that in this instance the bride didn't have any family.

  "How long will you be gone on your honeymoon?" Adam was asking smoothly, fixing Nat with a look of pleasant interest.

  "A week." He smiled straight at his brother and added equally smoothly, "I have to be back by next Monday to start my new job."

  Janna swung a quick glance at Nat's expression of self-satisfaction, wondering what the younger man was talking about. She'd heard nothing about any job!

  Nor had Adam, apparently. "Tell me about it," he invited, a pleased, approving nod accompanying the request.

  Nat grinned, handing Lucy over the Janna. "You run along and change, honey," he instructed, "while I chat with my brother." He turned back and Janna heard his first few words on the subject as she moved away with Lucy.

  "Remember how I griped about that minor in Business Administration?" he began.

  "When did Nat find a job?" Janna asked curiously as she and Lucy walked out of hearing range.

  "It came through yesterday afternoon," the smaller woman whispered excitedly. "Isn't it wonderful? I know Nat's been worrying about having to be supported by me for a while. This will take a great burden off his shoulders. He's going to go to work with one of the research firms associated with the college. They needed someone with a good academic background and some business knowledge. It was perfect! But tell me, Janna, what's going on between you and that massive brother of his?" Lucy's blue eyes sparkled with excitement as she glanced up at her friend.

  "Nothing!" Janna insisted staunchly.

  "Nothing? That's not what I was given to understand!"