“Worth It”

Part 1

A short story based on the WB Series, “Tarzan”

By Deb Duncan

Disclaimer: Don’t own any of it…not the characters or the series in any form. I am making no profit off of this. I’m writing it purely for my own enjoyment, and hopefully for the enjoyment of some of the fellow Tarzan fans.

Distribution: If you want it, you can have it… just give me credit and tell me where it is going.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, John, you have to hold it like this,” Kathleen said, and showed him again how to cut his piece of meat. “You’re doing very well, John,” she assured him when he grimaced. “Honestly, you are!” He just looked up at her and sighed.

“It’s much easier this way,” John said as he stabbed the meat with the knife and brought it up to his mouth.

“I know you think so, John, but civilized people don’t eat like that. You told me you wanted to learn how to eat right, so we could invite Jane over to supper, like other people do. It’s just a matter of practice,” Kathleen added, hoping to encourage him.

“All right,” John said disgustedly, dropping the piece of chicken and picking up the knife and fork again the right way. “But I prefer my teeth.” He smiled widely at her as he said this, and started moving the knife over the piece of chicken breast like Kathleen showed him, holding it down with the fork. To his surprise, it worked. “Look,” he said, holding up a small piece of meat and gazing at it with child-like wonder, “I did it.”

“Good, John,” Kathleen praised him. “Good for you. Now try again.” Better to practice it right now while he had the hang of it. “Yes, that’s right,” she said excitedly as John cut off another piece. “Great!”

John, chewing the pieces, smiled at her again, and kept practicing. He wanted to learn so Jane could come over. He had a plan.

“Now, John, let’s try eating some of the potatoes and the fruit…” Kathleen decided not to waste his sudden enthusiasm. The lesson went on for another half-hour, and by the time they were done, John’s plate was clean, and he and she were both grinning.

“Okay, John.” Kathleen put her napkin down. “We’ll practice tomorrow morning again, and again at lunch, but I think you’re ready. Do you want me to invite her for tomorrow night?”

“Yes!” John almost shouted for joy. In the two weeks since the trial, he’d only seen Jane twice, once a couple of nights ago when she was sleeping and he had snuck in her partially open bedroom window and lightly played with her hair, yearning to lie down beside her but knowing he couldn’t. Since it was much colder now, Jane almost never left her window open. And he saw her once here in the living room last week, when she came by to tell Kathleen and him what was happening. She had told him that day that she was “getting things straightened out at work” and it was keeping her very busy. Sam still couldn’t take her out on calls with him because she was on a ‘working suspension’, she had told him. He wondered what that meant. Didn’t the trial take care of everything? He would ask Kathleen about it tomorrow.

But for now, he must make things right, get things ready. He needed to talk to Jane, tell her what was in his heart, show her how he felt. And if he did it right, maybe he could be with Jane again, like they were in the country. Only better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

John went upstairs to his father’s closet and got out the beige sweater he had liked when he first went through his father’s clothes that day a few months ago. It was colder now, and he liked the feel of the sweater against his skin, so he would wear it tomorrow night for Jane. Kathleen said it looked good on him, and he wanted to look good for Jane. He looked at the shoes below, but decided he didn’t need them. He was staying in the house, so no need to wear the awful things. A pair of soft brown cargo pants were added to the sweater lying on the bench. He liked how they felt, too. Everything must feel good.

Kathleen called Jane and invited her over to dinner tomorrow night, “to discuss our strategy about Richard.” Jane, unsuspecting, said she thought it would be a good idea. ‘Besides,’ she thought, ‘I’ll be able to talk to him and see him with a chaperone around.’ Jane didn’t trust herself with him yet. Her body was still just too treacherous to be trusted with him alone, and if she was to keep her focus on keeping him safe and getting things back to normal, she needed to try to stay away from him as much as possible. He was just too distracting up close.

“All right then, seven o’clock?” Kathleen confirmed with Jane.

“Okay. Um, should I bring anything, like some wine?” Jane asked.

“Yes, a nice white wine would be great. Thanks, Jane. See you tomorrow.” And Kathleen hung up. It wouldn’t hurt to get Jane a little relaxed at dinner. By what Sam had told her yesterday, Jane could use it.

It seemed that Gene Taylor was still making it difficult for Jane at work. He didn’t accept that Jane wasn’t at least partially guilty for Michael’s death. But except for Gene’s two cronies, Lopez and Bridgem, the rest of the precinct accepted what had happened as the accident it was, and in fact, partially Michael’s fault. Of course some of them thought Jane should have just stayed away from John Clayton, but that couldn’t be helped now.

Kathleen sighed. Her brother was still being difficult, but at least he wasn’t trying to kidnap John any longer. Now he was just going through the legal system, trying to get her shares of Greystoke, using those aiding and abetting charges as proof of her unfitness. She would be very glad when this mess was over and she and John could just have time together. Time for her to teach him many things he would need to know to hold his own against Richard.

Oh well, that was for a later time. Tomorrow night she would give John and Jane some much-needed privacy, so they could heal the rift growing between them. She would be called away for an all-night meeting just at the end of dinner and make her apologies. Then she’d take herself off to a spa for a much-needed night of rest and day of pampering. If John and Jane didn’t work out this problem for themselves, it wouldn’t be because of her. Actually, it was kind of fun to play fairy godmother. Here’s hoping it worked.

The next morning at breakfast, John actually did pretty well with the spoon and the fruit and cereal. He still didn’t like the milk very much, preferring to eat the Cheerios directly from the box, but he was suffering for love. ‘Good for the character,’ Kathleen decided and then laughed at John when he grimaced again.

“Why do I have to eat wet cereal? It tastes funny!” he complained.

“Just this last time, John. Remember, you’re practicing your spoon skills so you will do well in front of Jane tonight.”

John just grimaced again and continued eating. At least he was getting the fruit, cereal and milk in his mouth, instead of down his front, like he did when he first tried it. Thank goodness for small favors.

“What is a ‘working suspension’ Kathleen?” John suddenly asked.

“You’re talking about Jane’s problem?” Kathleen asked quietly.

“Yes. I thought the trial when I had to wear those shoes took care of all the problems,” John replied.

“Well, unfortunately, Jane went against the police rules when she helped hide you, and so she is being punished. If she didn’t want to be a cop any longer, she could leave and do something else, but she still wants to be a cop, and so she has to stay at the station and do paperwork instead of doing her regular job, until they think she’s been punished enough. Which will hopefully not be much longer,” Kathleen added under her breath.

“They should punish me instead of Jane. She’s in trouble because of me,” John said quietly.

“They already decided that, John. It isn’t your fault you didn’t understand everything. And you are doing the best you can and trying to learn these strange new ways, so please, please don’t feel guilty. Jane understands and she’s doing all right. It’s just a little tense for her right now, but it will get better. It’s just like your practicing. You don’t really want to do it, but you’re both doing what is right.”

John looked at Kathleen intently for several seconds and then finally nodded. When he finished his fruit and cereal, he put his bowl and spoon in the sink and padded upstairs to the greenhouse. He needed to do more fixing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jane sighed and stared at her desk. Another stack of case files to go through and close. This is why she suffered through the academy? The obstacle course? Being a traffic cop? And then the struggle to become a detective? She looked at Sam through her lashes. He was concentrating on whoever he was talking to on the phone. No help there. Jane, feeling like someone was staring at her, looked slowly around the room. Taylor again, staring at her like she was a piece of slime. Even after he heard the truth from her, from Ingram, he still didn’t believe John didn’t murder Michael. He may never, she decided, and that was just too bad. She’d have to watch out for him, because he had already made the last several weeks hell, and it looked like it would last quite a while longer. She stared back at him, trying to match his daggers with her own. She wasn’t going to give the bastard the satisfaction. This went on for several minutes until Sam tapped on her desk.

“Hey partner, get busy,” he quietly murmured. “You don’t want to give Connor any reason to make it harder on you,” he added.

“Yeah, right. This is terrible enough as it is,” Jane complained.

“Hey, you do the crime, you do the time,” Sam sing-songed at her, smiling.

Jane frowned at him. “Oh shut up, Sam,” she hissed. “I know, I know. I’m getting to it.” And she opened the first folder and turned her computer back on.

Meanwhile, back at the Clayton residence, John was moving a wheelbarrow and shovels out to the patio. Quickly closing the greenhouse double doors to the patio, he went back to the little area near the waterfall and dragged the stone bench into place. He then patted the dirt around the flowers and extra plants he had transplanted near the waterfall, and eyed the extra foliage that effectively blocked the small area from casual view. The path to the little trysting area wound around the atrium, through a different area that didn’t immediately show off the new changes. He didn’t want anyone messing with his arrangements, now that he’d gotten them the way he wanted them. He hoped Jane would like it.

Downstairs, Kathleen was telling Mary what to say at 9:00 a.m. when she announced the bogus meeting at the end of dinner. Mary giggled and thought it was a very romantic thing to do. She liked Mr. John and wanted him to be happy, even though he startled her sometimes. She knew now that he wouldn’t hurt her. He was much calmer these days and even slept in a bedroom once in a while. Of course, he didn’t like sleeping on the bed yet, but even covers on the carpeted floor was better than sleeping on the dirt floor of the atrium. She sure hoped he chose the bedroom tonight, and giggled some more at her thoughts.

John wandered into the kitchen and saw the two women talking in the dining room. He went towards them and Kathleen saw him finally. “John, are you ready for lunch yet? Mary says it’s time to eat.” John nodded and they went into the kitchen. “One more lesson, John, before tonight, right?” she said, smiling. John’s eyes unfocused for a moment as he thought forward to tonight, and a little smiled played on his lips.

“Yes,” he agreed. “What’s for lunch?”

“Oh, nothing difficult. Just some roast pork, green beans, carrots and a nice fruit salad.” Kathleen knew John particularly liked meat, and didn’t mind so much anymore that it was cooked. She still shuddered at the thought of him eating it raw, but realized that he didn’t have any means of cooking it in the jungle. ‘At least it hadn’t hurt him any,’ she thought.

John nodded and sat down at the kitchen table. “Do you think I will do all right tonight, Kathleen?” He was a little nervous, but didn’t want to stop the dinner from happening.

“I think you’ll do fine, John,” Kathleen assured him. “I think Jane will be surprised at how hard you’ve worked. And I hope you’ll think it’s all worth it,” she added.

John looked up from cutting his meat. “Worth it? Yes, anything is worth having Jane.” And he looked back down at his plate, concentrating on doing it right. Kathleen’s face reflected the pride and love she felt at that moment. Her nephew was learning so quickly, making such fast improvements, it was almost magic. ‘Wonderful what a little love will do,’ she thought. And she fervently wished that Richard could learn the same lesson.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rushing home after work, Jane stopped at the little Italian place near her place and picked up a sweet white wine. Hoping it was good enough, she ran up her apartment building stairs and unlocked her front door. “Hey Nik,” she yelled as she came in the front door.

“Hi Jane,” Nikki yelled back from her bedroom. “What’s for dinner?”

“Oh, Nik, I forgot to tell you. I have to go over to Kathleen Clayton’s house tonight and work on our strategy to keep Richard from getting control of John. How about a frozen pizza?”

“Okay, that’s all right, I guess,” Nikki complained. “But just so you know, I’m going over to Mallory’s place tonight for a study session, and it might be late. In fact, I’ll probably just crash at her place tonight,” Nikki said, thinking about it. “I’d rather stay there than go back out in the cold in the middle of the night.”

“All right, Nikki, but call me on my cell and let me know if you aren’t staying overnight.”

“Okay, sis. Can you turn the oven on to 425 for me?”

“All right, but then I have to shower and get ready,” said Jane, as she arrived at Nikki’s bedroom door and looked in on Nikki, who was lying on the bed with books all around. Nikki grinned up at her and went back to her studying. “Don’t forget to put the pizza in the oven in ten minutes.” Nikki nodded her head.

Jane jumped in the shower and then looked through her closet while toweling her hair partially dry. She wanted to be comfortable, but it wasn’t every day you got invited to a rich person’s home for dinner. And, she thought dreamily, she’d hopefully get to spend a little time with John tonight, even if they wouldn’t be alone. ‘Let’s see, a suit is too much for a casual dinner,’ Jane thought. ‘Maybe a nice cashmere sweater and skirt. Yes, that’s it,’ she told herself. ‘And comfortable low heels. No need for high heels when we’ll just be sitting around a table most of the night, discussing strategy.’ Jane sighed, thinking back to the last time she’d seen John over a week ago. It was so hard being responsible.

Dressed and ready to go, Jane stopped to talk to Nikki one last time. “Remember to call me if you’re coming home,” she reminded her. Nikki waved and nodded her head, her mouth full of pizza.

Jane raced out the door with her bottle of wine, hoping the traffic wouldn’t be too hectic or she’d be late.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“John, you’re going to wear out the carpet,” Kathleen commented. “It’s only now seven o’clock. She’ll be here.” She smiled at him. He was dressed in one of his father’s sweaters and khaki pants and had his hair pulled back in a pony tail. He looked so good. Of course, he didn’t have shoes on again, but since he wasn’t going outside, who cared? Thinking back to the last time she’d seen her brother wear that sweater, Kathleen smiled a little sadly. ‘John looks so much like you, brother,’ she thought, ‘and he has your sweet disposition, too, when he isn’t being chased like a criminal.’ She sighed and was again so grateful for her nephew’s rescue. If Richard hadn’t done anything else right, at least he had found John and brought him home.

John stopped pacing, ears perked and listening. “She’s here,” he sighed, and smiled at Kathleen.

“All right, John, come and sit down, or she’ll know you are nervous,” Kathleen smiled at him as he strode over to a comfortable chair and sat down in it properly. He’d been practicing that, too, she noticed and smiled again. It was a day for smiling.

Mary answered the door, smiling at Jane. “Hello Miss Jane. Come in, please. Let me take that,” Mary gestured at the wine bottle. Jane came through the door in a hurry, and handed the wine to Mary.

“Thank you, Mary,” she said, and then smiled at seeing Kathleen on the couch near the door.

“Hello, Kathleen. Thank you for having me over,” Jane said, taking off her coat and giving it to Mary, also.

“Hello, Jane. Glad you could make it,” Kathleen answered. “Please come in and make yourself comfortable. Dinner’s almost ready.”

Jane turned to come further into the living room and then noticed John sitting in the chair in the corner. She hesitated briefly, staring at him, especially when he got up out of the chair as she came in the room. “Hello, Jane,” he said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

A little shaky, Jane just kind of sank onto the first available chair. She finally found her voice. “Hi, John. How have you been?” was all she could think of to say. He looked so good, so very good, in that sweater and slacks, with his hair pulled back. You’d never know that this was the same man she’d kept from killing Richard a couple of weeks ago. He looked so comfortable and refined, just like he’d grown up with all this wealth. ‘I guess blood does tell,’ is all she could think. Then she saw he was barefoot, and she smiled. Well at least everything hadn’t changed.

“Good, but missing you,” was his quiet answer. The gleam in his eyes was unmistakable. Jane was drop-dead gorgeous in her simple blue sweater and black skirt. He’d only ever seen her in a skirt once before, and that was at the trial, and he didn’t notice it much then because he was too nervous. But he definitely liked the long, slender legs showing beneath the demure skirt. ‘Much better than pants,’ he thought as his eyes devoured her.

Kathleen grinned, noting that neither of them could take their eyes off the other. ‘Young love,’ she thought with a sigh.

Mary came into the room with some filled wine glasses. “Jane, let’s try this wine you’ve brought, okay?” Kathleen gestured for Mary to take the wine to Jane and John first, which she did.

John took a glass, sniffed it and then tried a small taste. Kathleen had been having him try a little juice, wine and even some beer over the past two weeks, but he still preferred cold, clear water. At least this wine was sweeter than the first one Kathleen had had him taste last week. Since he wanted to impress Jane tonight, he decided to sip it very slowly while watching Jane and Kathleen talk, instead of just leaving it on the end table.

Jane, watching John while talking to Kathleen, but trying not to appear to watch him, noted that he seemed to know how to drink wine. ‘When did that happen?’ she thought. ‘Could he have acquired a taste for wine in only a couple of months?’ she wondered. ‘Is this the same man who rescued me?’ She wasn’t quite sure he didn’t have an alien twin. Or maybe this was a dream and she’d wake up any minute now. She pinched herself on the wrist, just in case. ‘Nope, that hurt.’ And then she remembered the bare feet. Hmmm, John Clayton was turning out to be more interesting by the second. And she’d have to guard her heart carefully, or she’d lose it completely.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Twenty minutes later, Mary announced dinner was ready, and all three stood. John’s wine was only about two-thirds gone, but both Jane and Kathleen had finished theirs. “This way,” Kathleen said, and led Jane and John into the dining room.

Three places were set, which surprised Jane a little, but she decided that tonight was a night for surprises, considering John’s appearance. ‘And he does have to eat,’ she thought. She was suddenly curious about his eating habits, because she’d never really thought about how or what he ate before. The only meal she’d ever seen him eat was that roasted trout they’d had in the country, and both of them ate it with their fingers that time. Hunger was a good spice, she’d thought then.

“Jane, you sit here, please, on my right, and John, you sit across from her, please,” Kathleen said, taking the head of the table.

“Thank you,” Jane murmured, sitting down across from John. She took her napkin off the table and watched as John did the exact same thing. ‘Well,’ she thought, ‘wonders never cease in this house.’ And she smiled at him, which warmed his heart even more.

Wanting to help John impress Jane, Kathleen had asked the cook to serve a fruit salad for the first course instead of a soup. John just didn’t see the necessity for eating soup with a spoon, especially if it was a clear soup. So, not wanting to tempt fate this night, she thought starting with fruit would be best. And it worked. John even refrained from picking up the pieces of banana with his fingers. Kathleen was so proud of him.

The main course was served and John concentrated carefully on cutting his meat properly and not picking up anything with his fingers, except his roll. He watched Jane from the corner of his eyes or through his lashes whenever he thought she wasn’t watching him, and he noticed how she ate. It was almost sensual, seeing the food disappear into that fascinating mouth. He had openly stared at her when she sucked some fruit juice off her fingers, laughing, after she had picked up a wayward piece of fruit with her fingers because she just couldn’t get it on her spoon. He then remembered their shared trout and how their fingers had been just fine then. He sighed a little, remembering that quiet meal and how he’d loved providing food for her.

Jane and Kathleen talked quite a bit during the meal, with only occasional comments from John. Kathleen knew that John needed to concentrate on his meal or he could still be easily distracted and just pick things up with his fingers. He was doing so well tonight, trying to hide his feelings for Jane, and not succeeding. Of course the same was happening with Jane, but maybe this was evident only to her. She’d more than once caught a startled look from Jane as John ate his meal tonight, especially when he’d cut his meat so neatly. Priceless, it was just priceless. Now she’d have to teach him about money, and how to pay for a meal, she decided.

Wine was served with the meal, as well as water, and though Jane and Kathleen both drank theirs, Tarzan mostly drank his water. He took a sip of the wine every once in a while so Jane wouldn’t think he didn’t like it. By the end of the meal, Jane had had at least 3 glasses of wine (counting the one before dinner), and so had Kathleen. John had had maybe a total of one full glass, but it was still affecting him a little, by relaxing him. Just the opposite, the wine seemed to animate Jane even further, and loosen her tongue so she talked more. This amused John, who smiled at both of the women he loved. He picked at the last course, the salad. He just couldn’t see the reason for eating lettuce. Some things he just wasn’t willing to compromise on. Jane was laughing at something Kathleen had said, and John realized he hadn’t been listening like he should have. Jane’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him, and John decided he’d sit there forever, if only she’d look at him like that always. This must have shown in his eyes, because Jane blushed slightly and she slowly smiled at him. She was so beautiful, it almost hurt his heart.

Mary interrupted the lovely scene, telling Kathleen she had an urgent phone call. Kathleen excused herself and left the room briefly.

“Did you like the food?” John asked Jane.

“Oh yes, everything was just wonderful. Poor Nikki had to eat a cardboard pizza.” Jane smiled as she watched John frown over this.

“Why would she eat cardboard?” he asked. He knew what that was – it was a box. Kathleen had a lot of cardboard boxes that his father’s things had been in.

Jane realized what she’d said just as soon as John asked the question. She laughed and told him it was just a term for a frozen pizza that had to be heated in the oven. “Some people think that cardboard tastes better than frozen pizzas,” she explained.

“Oh,” said John, still not quite understanding. “Maybe we should take her some fruit?” he asked, tilting his head to the side and raising one eyebrow.

“No, no, no, she’ll be fine,” Jane laughed. “She’s not home anyway tonight; she’s studying at a friend’s house.”

Kathleen came back into the room. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go to a meeting downtown. John, it may be an all-nighter, so please don’t worry,” she added. “Jane, please stay as long as you’d like. We’ll have to talk more about strategy in the next couple of days.”

“Thank you, Kathleen. The dinner was wonderful.” Jane’s eyes were shining. “And you can just call me when you have time to talk again.”

Kathleen turned to leave, but turned back around to add, “John, if you’d like, you could give Jane a tour of the house and then have coffee or tea in the study.” She hurried off to get her coat. It was now up to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John stood up from the table, carefully placing his napkin at the side of his plate, as Kathleen had shown him. Jane did the same, but found her legs were just a little unsteady. “Whew,” she said, smiling as she put her hand on the table and steadied herself. “That wine has kind of gone to my head. Maybe I should walk it off a little.” She was already extremely nervous, now that her safety net was gone. Not really nervous at what John would do – nervous at what she could do. Her hands just itched to get into John’s hair and take out that oh so proper ponytail…

So, if they kept walking, getting the blood circulating, and they didn’t stop anywhere too long, she might sober up a little and then things should be all right. At least she hoped so. And she’d skip the coffee part or she’d be up all night, overdosed on John and caffeine. “So, how about that tour?” she asked.

Watching her, John smiled, realizing that everything was going perfectly for his plan. He would take her on a tour, but not too long of one. He had other plans for the evening.

“This way,” said John, taking her hand and starting off with the kitchen, which was just on the other side of the dining room. “We eat here most of the time,” he said in explanation. Jane was astounded at the size of the kitchen, deciding the room was almost as large as her apartment. Well, it was a big house, and Kathleen had billions, so why not?

“Nice, very nice,” was her comment. John just seemed to take the kitchen’s size for granted, never having seen another. He pulled her through the kitchen doors and down the hall to the next room, which looked like the servant’s break room. ‘Hey, they need someplace to relax, too, don’t they?’ was Jane’s thought. Of course John didn’t stop there. He took her through the utility room and the laundry room and then past two servants’ bedrooms and finally back out into another hallway. The very first room in that hallway was Kathleen’s private study. They didn’t go in, just stood in the doorway, but Jane admired it anyways. It looked like a room to do business in, yet had distinctly feminine touches, just like the lady herself. John’s comment was, “Kathleen spends a lot of time in here.” The man had a way with words.

Taking Jane’s hand again, and pulling her a little farther down that particular hallway, John gestured at the locked doors leading to the Star’s newspaper offices. “That is Kathleen’s company,” he said. “We can’t get in there now.” So of course, they wouldn’t be touring that part of the house, thought Jane, which was just fine with her. She’d already been in that part of the house once before, in Kathleen’s “official” office.

Impatiently pulling Jane behind him, wanting the tour to get over quickly, John pulled Jane down yet another corridor, which led into a lovely formal parlor, with a huge fireplace and a wet bar. Jane wondered fleetingly how much Kathleen used it. Through some double doors at the end of the room, John took Jane into a huge room that could only be called a ballroom. “Must be where she holds formal parties,” is all Jane could think of, seeing the room set up in round banquet tables, just before John pulled her through yet another door and back out into the hall. He dragged Jane up a set of stairs swiftly. Boy, was she ever glad she’d worn low heels!

Still a little unsteady on her feet, Jane yanked on the warm hand that had such a strong grip on hers and said, “Whoa, slow it down a little, Buckaroo!” John turned his head and looked back at her, noticing again that her eyes were a little funny looking and she was breathing harder.

“Who is Buck-A-Roo?” he asked, slowing down slightly, a puzzled expression on his face.

Jane giggled at John’s expression, something John couldn’t remember hearing before. Sure, he’d heard her laugh, heard her voice “smile” a lot, but he couldn’t ever remember her giggling. It was a new behavior for Jane, which was very interesting.

“You are,” Jane laughed at him. “You’re pulling me through the house like a rocket. What’s the hurry?”

John shrugged. “This is how fast I go.”

“Well, I think we should take it a little slower, or you might have to carry me after I fall down.” Jane slapped her hand over her mouth as she watched the thought of that suggestion register on John’s face and his eyes light up. “Wait, wait, I didn’t mean that. Really.” She put her hand up in front of his chest, like a stop sign. She didn’t think she could keep her hands off him if she was in his arms, resting against that wonderfully broad chest.

John stood there looking at her, trying to decide if he liked this strange new Jane. Yes, he did. She was not so serious. And her eyes told him many other things, too, even though they were a little funny looking. “Okay. I will go slower. Let’s go this way,” and he took her hand again and pulled her to the left on the 2nd floor. Unfortunately for Jane, the 2nd floor was mostly unoccupied bedrooms that gave Jane more sensual ideas. Lucky for her self control, John went through them quickly, and then showing her the two bathrooms and the exercise room near the top of the stairway on the right. Jane wondered if John ever used the exercise room, and a vision of John all sweaty, shirtless, lifting weights, suddenly popped up before her eyes. Oooh, she’d have to stop thinking like this, or she’d find some excuse to trip him and land right on top of him.

John, oblivious to Jane’s thoughts, and wanting to get up to the third floor, wasn’t lingering anywhere. However, as he dragged Jane up the next set of stairs to the third floor, and his family’s old suite of rooms, Jane suddenly stopped. “Wait, John,” she complained. “I need to sit down for a minute.” And she plopped on the padded bench that was on the right at the top of the stairs. She sat relaxed, with her eyes closed, for a minute, but could feel John looking at her. Turning around on the bench, away from him, she decided she’d better distract herself instead of looking at him, so she looked through the banisters, down into the entryway. “Wow, the floor looks really pretty from up here,” she commented.

John, impatient to show Jane his surprise, but wanting to please her, leaned over the top of the stairs and looked down. “Yes,” was all he said as he looked at the intricate pattern of the mosaic entry way. He’d seen it many times before. John sat down next to Jane on the bench and looked at her as she stared through the banisters, hands gripping them tightly. He wondered again what was wrong with Jane.

Jane, deciding that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to sit this close to John, got up and declared herself rested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

John eagerly pulled Jane into his old nursery, which had been cleaned up since he had first discovered it several weeks ago. He had already shown her Kathleen’s private quarters in the opposite wing, then brought her to this wing, where his family had once lived. They walked through his parent’s old bedroom, where Jane noticed a few odd things laying here or there that seemed a little out of place in the room. Unknown to her, it was where John stayed occasionally when he didn’t sleep in the atrium. And he used their bathroom, when necessary, now that he’d discovered how great warm showers were. They then walked through his father’s study, his mother’s sitting room, and the family room. All of the rooms had been spruced up and cleaned, but most seemed to be waiting to be filled with life. John visited them once in a while, but was more interested in watching the life outside the atrium, when he wasn’t out watching Jane.

Jane looked around the nursery curiously, noting the pictures, toys and loving touches here and there. She stopped to look at the family pictures of John with his parents, and wondered who these people were that had produced such an extraordinary man. Was John more like his father or his mother? Had they loved him? By the happy expressions on their faces, she thought so. John watched her eyes fill with tears as she touched the photo of his parents. “What’s wrong, Jane?” he gently asked, stroking the side of her face.

“Oh, John, it’s just so sad to think that these two people who made you and loved you will never know how wonderful you are,” Jane replied sadly, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand and setting the picture down. The wine was wiping away her reserve, letting her heartfelt thoughts slowly come to the surface.

John stared at her for a moment and then looked away, remembering. “I remember them only a very little,” he said softly, “but I do remember being happy with them.”

“That’s good, John. If you were happy, then you were loved.” Jane stroked his forearm where he had pushed up his sleeves, returning the comfort he had provided her. She didn’t trust herself to stroke his hair or face. Her feelings for him were too raw right now.

John turned slightly and looked at her solemnly. Then he took her hand gently and led her out of the room, down the hall and into the warm atrium. Finally, the tour was over.

~~~~~~~~~

“Come, Jane. I have a surprise for you,” John said, a shy smile lighting his face. Jane started to protest, but quit when she saw his eagerness and the light in his eyes. ‘What the heck,’ she thought. ‘It’s not as if there’s a bed in there.’ Little did she realize that John did indeed sleep there most nights. No conventional bed, it was just a flat place high up in the foliage, but it served him well.

Jane looked around curiously, thinking there had been a few changes since the last time she’d been there. She blushed suddenly, remembering that last time she was here, when she’d accidentally caught John showering, and how he’d reacted to her afterwards. The desire and longing that had gleamed out of his blue-green eyes that day had been so hard to resist, but at least their relationship had improved since then. Caught up in her musings, Jane didn’t notice that John was leading her back towards the shower area again, until they broke into the little clearing surrounding the little waterfall.

Jane stared at the waterfall, remembering the last time she’d seen it, and had seen John’s sculpted, naked body. Very erotic thoughts ran quickly through her, causing her to blush slightly. Trying to play for time to cool down, Jane looked around, noticing small arrangements of flowers near the waterfall, extra bushes in the place where she had walked through once before, and a stone bench close to the water’s edge, next to a tree. And next to her, John stood waiting and watching.

“So, I see you’ve made a few changes, John. It’s very pretty.”

“Come and sit down. Please.” John tugged on her hand, drawing her toward the bench. He had noticed Jane’s slightly pink cheeks when she looked at the waterfall, and was pretty sure of the reason why. He did not feel embarrassment at her seeing him naked; to him, it was natural. Oh how he had wanted her that day, touching her face, her hair, her lips. And then, later, when he had been at the airport and in the country with her; it had been so very hard to not press her close to him and make her his, especially when they were all alone together in that cabin. Only her words had stopped him, and the honest expression in her eyes as she told him why they couldn’t stay there together. It had made him realize that he had to change, to be what Jane wanted, so that she would be his with a free and clear heart. So, he had learned how to eat, how to dress, and knew he would learn more strange things. But it would all be worth it, if only she would be his.

As Jane settled down on the stone bench with John next to her, she watched the water fall and listened to its calming noise. ‘Oh to be so very carefree and live in such a beautiful place always, with John,’ was her first thought, the true reflection of her feelings. And she was feeling deeply tonight, with most of her inhibitions broken down first by the wine, and then by the sharing of John’s past in his nursery. What was she to do? She was only human. And this beautiful, amazing man, wanted her. And she desperately wanted him.

“Whew, it’s very warm in here with all the doors shut, isn’t it?” she asked him, fanning herself. It hadn’t been nearly this warm before, when she was in here previous times. “How can you stand wearing such a heavy sweater?” She pulled slightly on the neck of her own sweater for emphasis, and was very glad her sweater had short sleeves.

“Yes,’ said John, the sweat beading on his forehead and above his lips. “It must be warm for the plants to grow when it is cold outside.” And he promptly removed his sweater, dropping it near the bench. As the sweater came over his head, the pony tail holder came out and his glorious blond hair fell loosely to his shoulders.

“Oh,” was all Jane could think to say, staring at his broad, naked chest and gorgeous locks. John saw the desire in her eyes, which triggered an equal reaction in his.

“Jane,” he said, lightly stroking her face.

“What?” Startled out of her imaginings, Jane lightly shook her head and gulped and decided she’d better concentrate elsewhere, or she’d be in trouble. Gazing at John’s left shoulder, she lightly touched the three scars there. “What happened here, John? How did you get these scars? They look like claw marks.”

“They are,” John said quietly. “They are from Sheeta, who wanted to eat me. I fought and killed him.”

“Who or what was Sheeta?” Jane asked.

“A big black cat,” John answered. “He was hunting our tribe, so I killed him.” John said it so matter-of-factly because it was very simple to him -- kill or be killed.

“A panther?” Jane gasped, horrified.

John shrugged. He had many other scars of similar encounters, and two new ones – from gunshot wounds. The world had always been a tough place for him. “Do you want to hear what he sounds like?”

“Yes,” Jane nodded her head.

“Close your eyes and listen,” he said.

Jane complied and John quietly got up from the bench and moved behind her. Listening intently, Jane first heard a low rumbling purr from behind her, gradually getting louder. Clasping the bench tightly on either side of her, Jane started breathing harder and fighting a primal urge to run. The purr turned into a moaning cry and then a growl, which suddenly got very loud just as John’s hand grabbed her shoulder.

Jane’s eyes flew open as she screamed and leapt off the bench, quickly turning and reaching behind her in an instinctive grab for her gun, only to discover it wasn’t there. Chest heaving, startled eyes wide, body in a defensive gesture, Jane stared at John, who was still crouched behind the bench, smiling.

“John,” Jane cried, “my God! You scared me!”

“Sheeta is fierce,” John said simply. “You wanted to hear him.”

“Yes, but good grief, I almost wet my pants,” Jane said, breathing deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. John only smiled at her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do you want to hear a different sound?” He teased her, to see how brave she was.

“What kind of sound?” Jane asked, biting her lip, hoping her heart could take it. She hated to look like a coward.

“It won’t scare you. Sit back down.” John patted the bench. He needed to distract her if his plan was going to work.

“I don’t know…,” Jane started to say, but decided she just couldn’t be cowardly in front of him. “Oh, all right.” Jane sat down carefully on the bench, a little tense at what he would come up with next.

John crouched behind her again and softly breathed in her ear, “Close your eyes.”

Looking around behind her at his smiling face, Jane sighed and turned back away from him, closing her eyes. But her hands betrayed her, as they tightly grasped the bench again.

John pursed his lips and twittered like a bird. It was so real, so beautiful, that Jane could hardly believe it was coming from him. She started to open her eyes and turn, but John gently put his hands on her shoulders. “Wait, there’s more,” he said, and whistled a completely different bird sound, one that was plaintive and sad.

“Beautiful,” Jane breathed, the sounds calming her racing heart even further. John continued on with different bird songs until she was completely calm, and then slowly stopped. He then silently got up and straddled the bench, sitting close to Jane. Jane slowly opened her shining eyes, enraptured at the beauty John had given her. Touching his upper arm, Jane smiled at him.

“Oh John, that was wonderful. I can hardly believe those lovely sounds came from a human throat!” She was truly touched. “Thank you for that gift.” And she impulsively leaned over and kissed his cheek. The wine had broken down most of her usual inhibitions.

John’s eyes widened at Jane’s kiss. His plan was working! Jane, realizing what she’d just done, could only stare at John, whose eyes slowly filled with an urgent request. Moving slowly, but as quickly as possible, hoping Jane would not stop him this time, he gently grasped her chin and then pressed his lips to hers in a light kiss, his eyes partially open and watching her reaction. The taste and feel of her lips was so much better than he had imagined.

Shocked at the soft, yet firm, feel of his lips on hers and the resulting tendrils of desire curling through her, Jane could only stare into those azure eyes that shimmered with such desire. John moved a little closer and leaned toward her again, cupping her head lightly with his hands. Staring into her eyes, he saw no pulling away this time, no denial. He moved closer and pressed his lips onto her soft mouth again, tasting her sweetness and inhaling her scent at the same time. Jane’s eyes drifted closed as her hands slowly crept up and grasped his arms. ‘At last’ was her only conscious thought. John’s right arm came slowly around her back, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened. Her hands slowly moved up his arms to his neck, pulling him even tighter into her. Drowning in his exotic taste, wanting more, needing more, pressing ever tighter, Jane opened her mouth and licked his lips lightly with her tongue, wanting to take the kiss even deeper. Surprised, John opened his eyes for a moment, and then slowly opened his mouth and joined her tongue with his. His eyes closed in ecstasy as this deeper kissing sent a huge bolt of urgent need through his body, causing his arms to tighten further around her. They devoured each other, their long-suppressed passion finally unleashed.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Gasping and panting heavily, Jane pulled her mouth from his and breathed raggedly. John, staggered by the overwhelming need he felt for this woman, whispered her name and then buried his mouth in her soft neck. He kissed his way down her neck, then up again, to her ear and across her eyes and face to the other ear and the other side of her neck, then brought his mouth back to hers and plundered it more. He was a very quick learner and had been wanting this ever since that first night he’d held her in his arms, saw her face, touched her body. Mind whirling, nerves humming, Jane gave herself up to her hidden passion.

Needing to be closer to her, following some primal instinct, John pulled Jane with him as he slowly stood up, mouth buried in her soft neck again. Breathing in her intoxicating scent, whispering her name, he guided her gently around the edge of the bench to the tree and then captured her mouth again, as he pressed his whole body up against hers, trapping her between him and the tree. Her hands caressed his arms and shoulders, feeling his power and strength, then tangled in his hair. Being pressed up against him so tightly was so sensual, so erotic that her mind just went blank and all she could do was feel.

John’s hands were everywhere, behind her back, cupping her head, tangled in her hair, running down her arms, feeling the soft cashmere of her sweater, and finally, seeking the warmth of her belly, as he slid his hands under her sweater and around her waist, needing to touch her warm skin. When his warm hands caressed her bare skin, Jane gasped and opened her eyes, finally realizing where she was and what John was doing. It felt so good, so right, but she knew it was too fast, too much, too soon. And when his hands moved up to the warm, bare skin of her ribs, reaching ever higher, she knew she had to slow them down. She wasn’t quite ready for the kind of intimacy John was heading towards, even though her body begged otherwise.

“John,” she whispered, but he captured her mouth again for another drugging kiss, encircling her back under her sweater and pulling her firmly against him. When he moved again to her neck, she was finally able to whisper his name again. “John, John, wait, wait…please.” The low urgency in her voice finally pierced his desire-clogged mind and he stopped his assault on her neck, panting and growling softly low in his throat.

“Jane?” he lightly groaned, and slowly looked up into her eyes. His blue-green eyes were so glazed with desire that Jane felt her stomach clutch and her knees go weak. How could she stop him? Did she really want to? Not really, but she must. If she was to have any kind of a future with him, and respect for herself, she needed to slow this down.

“John, we need to slow down. Please.” Trembling with need herself, she stroked his face as she gazed into his eyes, trying to calm him. His need to taste her and make her his, so long denied, made it difficult for him to come back from the brink.

“Why?” he raggedly whispered, breathing heavily and staring with such longing into her eyes. One hand was moving through her silken hair, the other was still under her sweater making small circles on her back. “Your scent says you want me, your body needs me, and I want you. We belong together, Jane.” And he leaned in and gently kissed her lips again.

Shuddering at the oh so tender kiss, Jane stroked his face again and shakily explained, once he released her lips. “Oh, John, I want you closer, really I do. You make me feel so much, so very much for you. But I need more time to get used to this…this incredible need for you.” Trying not to upset him, and yet explain her feelings, Jane continued, blushing slightly. “I’m not used to such intimacy so quickly with someone I’ve just begun to know.” Seeing a slightly pained expression come into John’s eyes, Jane relented a little. “John, I want you closer, so very much, I do, but my head just hasn’t caught up with my heart yet, and so we must slow this down a little. Please, John, for me.” She stroked his hair, trying to calm him further and yet let him know how much she did want him.

Staring deeply into her eyes, reading the truth there, John finally dropped his head down on her shoulder, and took a few deep, slow breaths, trying to calm himself. He looked up at Jane, smiled wryly and gently played with the ends of her hair. “All right, Jane. But do you have to leave right now?” His eyes begged her not to.

“I should…but I won’t, if you think we can control ourselves.” She smiled at him, thinking if she didn’t sit down soon she’d probably fall down. Her legs felt so very weak. He smiled slightly and took her hand, leading her carefully back to the bench.

“Sit with me then,” John gestured towards the bench, “please.” And his brilliant smile warmed her heart.

“All right,” Jane said, smiling and wondering if she could control herself after the passionate kisses they’d just shared. John sat down on the bench, straddling it so his back could lean against the tree. Jane carefully sat next to him, evidence of his desire for her pushing strongly against her rear and back. Pulling her closer, John put his arms around Jane’s waist and brought her backside firmly up to rest against his front, and then he leaned back against the tree. It was sweet torture, but it allowed him to hold her in his arms and breathe in her intoxicating scent, without being sorely tempted to kiss her sweet lips again.

“Just relax,” he breathed into her neck, as he relaxed against the tree, trying to get his wayward body under control, and yet keep her close. She was in his arms, which is what he had wanted, and even better, he had finally kissed her and found out how much she, too, desired him. Yes, it had all been worth it. Now for the next plan…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~