Tears made her choke back her laughter. “Thank God. I’d become attached to them and didn’t want to give them up even though I thought this would be our last night together.”
When his arms tightened around her she leaned down and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “You’re a pro at making seductive proposals, Jared Westmoreland.”
He grinned as his heart raced with unmeasured joy. “Am I?”
“Yes.”
“Umm,” he said as heat began stroking his body all over again. “I’m also pretty good at other things.”
She met his dark penetrating gaze as she stared at him. “Are you?”
“Yes.”
She leaned down, her lips mere inches from his. “Show me these other things. I dare you.”
In one smooth move he quickly had her on her back. Their gazes locked and he knew he would love her for the rest of his life.
And that was the naked truth.
Epilogue
Two months later
Just as Sarah Westmoreland had predicted, there was another Westmoreland wedding before the end of the summer.
As Jared carried his wife down the church steps, she laid her head against his solid chest as rice rained down on them. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his parents. He noticed his mother dab tears of joy from her eyes. To say she was happy was an understatement. But then, he knew she was al read y checking out her remaining five single sons to see who she should set her mark on next. He chuckled. She even had his cousin Chase with in her in tense scope. No one would be safe from matrimony if Sarah Westmoreland had her way.
When he and Dana were seated in side the limo, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the love he felt in his heart. His tongue swept in side to caress the walls of her mouth thinking that he would never get tired of the taste of her.
Their next stop was the grand ballroom of the Atlanta Civic Center. It amazed him how his mother and Aunt Evelyn, along with the long-distance assistance of his aunt Abby in Montana, were able to put together such an elegant wedding once he and Dana had set a date.
Jared re leased Dana’s mouth and looked down into her smiling face. “How much ruckus do you think we’ll cause if I tell the driver that we want to skip the wedding reception and go straight to the airport to catch our plane for St. Maarten?”
A smile touched the corners of Dana’s mouth. “Oh, I think more than we’re pre pared to deal with. Your mother and aunts might never for give us.”
Jared grinned. “You’re right. I guess the least we can do is show up.”
“I agree.”
He reached out and pulled her into his lap. It wasn’t an easy thing to do considering her wedding dress. It was beautiful and she had looked gorgeous in it when she had walked down the aisle to him. Her best friend’s husband, Ben, had given her away and Cybil had been her matron of honor. Delaney, Shelly, Tara, Madison, Casey and some of Dana’s girl friends from college had been her bridesmaids. Jayla had had to sit this one out since she was about to deliver at any moment. Dare had been Jared’s best man and his brothers and the rest of his cousins stood in as his grooms men.
Sylvester Brewster had asked to sing a song at the wedding as a way to show his thanks for all Jared had done in getting him and his wife back together. After Jared had set up the meeting between them, the two had agreed to marriage counseling to make their marriage work. They were in love and wanted to put this episode behind them and move on.
Dana lifted her hand to admire her rings. She then looked at Jared’s hand to see his matching gold band. She glanced up at him. She loved him totally and completely. An idea suddenly popped into her head. “Later tonight, when we’re all alone I think we should play another game.”
Jared lifted his fore head. “I thought Truth or Dare would be our final one.”
She shook her head, grinning. “Why stop when you’re having fun? And I have the perfect game for us.”
She had peaked his curiosity. “And what game is that?”
“Spin the Bottle.”
Jared smiled as he thought of all the possibilities and decided he could definitely put an interesting twist on that game. “Okay, I’m up for it.”
Dana chuckled. “I thought that you would be.”
And then with a shuddering sigh she pulled his face down to hers, her lips parting as she let him take possession of her mouth in a kiss that was full of all the passion she had come to expect from him. And as she returned his kiss with provocative urgency and overpowering passion, she knew that the best day of her life had been when she had agreed to become Jared’s counterfeit fiancée.
THE CHASE IS ON
Prologue
Eighteen years ago
“Never trust a Graham.”
Sixteen-year old Chase Westmoreland slid onto the stool at the counter in his grandfather’s restaurant. The old man turned and spoke while placing a huge glass of milk and a plate filled with cookies in front of him.
“Why? What’s wrong, Gramps?” Chase asked as he immediately attacked the stack of cookies.
“What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. Carlton Graham stole some of our secret recipes and passed them on to Donald Schuster.”
Chase stopped eating as his eyes grew large. He knew how his grandfather felt about the Westmoreland family recipes. They had been in the family for generations. “But Mr. Graham is your friend.”
Scott Westmoreland frowned at his grandson. “Not anymore he isn’t. Our friendship ended along with our partnership two weeks ago. I never thought I’d live to see the day he would betray me this way.”
Chase downed a huge gulp of milk and then asked, “Are you sure he did it?”
Scott Westmoreland nodded, his features tired and full of pain and disappointment. “Yes, I’m sure. I’d heard that Schuster had added a couple of new dishes to his menu that taste just like mine, so I went to investigate for myself.”
Chase nodded. “And?”
“They’re mine all right. Schuster won’t say where he got the recipes, but I knew they are mine.”
Chase sadly shook his head. He’d always liked Mr. Graham and his chocolate chip cookies were the best. His grandfather’s were all right, but Mr. Graham’s had a special ingredient that made them mouth-wateringly delicious. “Did you ask Mr. Graham about it?”
“Of course I did and he denies everything, but I know he’s lying. He’s the only person who knows exactly what ingredients I use. He must feel guilty. That’s probably the reason he’s not wasting any time moving his family out of town.”
Chase’s eyes widened. “The Grahams are moving away?”
“Yes and good riddance. It wouldn’t bother me any if I never saw another Graham again. Like I said, they can’t be trusted. Always remember that.”
One
The present
He needed an attitude adjustment.
That thought flashed through Chase Westmoreland’s mind as he turned the corner to pull into his restaurant’s parking lot. Six months of abstinence, he concluded, had to be the reason he’d been in such a bad mood lately.
It had nothing to do with the fact that in the last three years, all of his four brothers and his baby sister had gotten married. Even his cousin Jared, the die-hard bachelor and divorce lawyer, had recently fallen victim. Chase was sick and tired of varied family members looking at him with a knowing smile on their lips. If they were waiting for him to be next, then they had a long wait ahead of them.
And it didn’t help matters that his brothers were cocky enough to say he would change his mind when the right woman came along. His comeback to them had been quick and confident. The “right woman” didn’t exist.
“What the hell!” He brought his car to a sudden stop in the middle of the parking lot outside his restaurant, which was buzzing with activity. He had forgotten that someone had purchased the building a few doors from Chase’s Place. From the way things looked, they were moving in.
He had received n
otice a few weeks ago that he would have a new neighbor.
He wasn’t surprised. Atlanta was a city of international renown that had managed to hold on to its southern charm. And the downtown section where his restaurant was located with its charming neighborhoods, tree-shaded streets and friendly communities, made it a prime area for doing business. If he remembered correctly, someone would be opening a confectionery.
When he’d first heard about it, the news had brought out his cravings for chocolate, but now seeing the mass of con fusion surrounding him all thoughts of sweets suddenly turned sour.
Moving trucks were everywhere and taking up parking spaces his customers would need. It was barely six in the morning and he had a huge breakfast crowd. The last thing he needed was someone messing with the availability of parking. It was a good thing he had a reserved spot in front of his restaurant, or there wouldn’t be any space left even for him.
He sat in his car, forcing himself to breath calmly as a truck blocked him in. This was Monday, not a good day for his patience to be tested. He was just about to hit his horn when a woman walking out of the building caught his attention. For a moment he forgot his anger. Hell, he even forgot to breathe.
As she talked to the driver of the truck blocking his path, he looked her up and down. She was a prime specimen of a woman. She was dressed in a short baker’s smock, and he hoped she had on a pair of shorts since a good gust of wind would show him and anyone else what may or may not be underneath. A smile drifted over his lips. Even with the smock he could tell she had one helluva figure. And when his gaze lit on her face…
His skin suddenly felt overheated as he looked into a medium brown face too beautiful for words. She had a pair of honey-brown eyes and full, moist lips covered in what looked like juicy red strawberry lip gloss. He wanted to get out of his car, walk over to her and kiss the coloring right off her lips. Then there was her hair, a mass of dark-brown curls that tumbled over her shoulders. For the first time in quite a while Chase found himself physically affected by a beautiful woman.
That thought made him take a deep breath and he forced himself to pull back. He was a thirty-four-year-old hot-blooded male and there was nothing wrong with responding to visual stimuli. But he couldn’t let a great pair of legs and a gorgeous face scatter his wits. All he had to do was remember his last year at Duke University and Iris Nelson. Thinking of Iris made warning bells go off…the sound of reason.
Sighing deeply, he let his gaze drift over her once more before backing up his car and moving around the truck. He sighed, glad he was breathing again. As soon as he got inside his restaurant he would drink a strong cup of black coffee.
Chase only wished he hadn’t noticed the absence of a wedding ring on the woman’s finger, making him hap pier than it ought to.
Jessica Claiborne smiled as she looked around her shop. After moving in she was already set for the shop’s grand opening tomorrow morning. She had spent the day doing last-minute checks on inventory and confirming arrangement for deliveries. She had hired two high-school students to pass out flyers about the shop around the community. Since she intended for all of her products to be baked fresh daily, she had made a call to the children’s hospital and offered to donate any treats she didn’t sell tomorrow. Also, she had signed contracts with a couple of the hotels around town to supply their restaurants and coffeeshops with baked goods.
She glanced out the window. It was a beautiful day in early October. The movers had gotten everything set up on Monday and the artist she’d hired had come that morning to paint her shop’s name on the display window. Delicious Cravings was the name she had decided on, and she would be forever thankful to her grand mother for making her dream come true.
Sadness settled in Jessica’s heart whenever she thought about the grandmother she had simply adored and the inheritance she’d been left when her grandmother had died last year on Jessica’s twenty-fifth birthday. The money had made it possible to walk away from her stressful job as a corporate attorney in Sacramento and pursue her dream of owning and operating her own confectionery.
She sniffed the air, enjoying the smell of chocolate cooking. Already today she had made a batch of assorted pastries including éclairs and tarts. But what she had enjoyed more than anything was whipping up chocolate nut clusters and an assortment of cookies for her neighbors as an apology for inconveniencing them during her move.
Mrs. Morrison who owned the seamstress shop next door had accepted her apology but declined her treats since she was allergic to chocolate but had said she would love to try her shortcake. The Criswell brothers, who owned the karate school, had accepted her gift and apology graciously, welcomed her to the strip and said they looked forward to patronizing her shop. The only person left was the owner of Chase’s Place. Jessica hoped the restaurateur was just as understanding as Mrs. Morrison and the Criswell brothers had been and that he had a sweet tooth.
Grabbing the box she had filled with sweet treats, she walked out the door and locked it behind her. She had hired a part-time helper, an elderly woman who would come in during the busy lunchtime hours.
It was early afternoon but she could tell the restaurant was packed and hoped the business would eventually trickle over to her once people realized she was open. Before she got within ten feet of the restaurant she could smell the mouth-watering food and realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.
She walked into Chase’s Place, immediately liking what she saw. It was a very upscale restaurant that some how maintained a homey atmosphere. Lanterns adorned each table and the tablecloths matched curtains that hung in the windows. There was a huge counter with bar stools and soft jazzy music coming from a speaker located somewhere in the back.
“Welcome to Chase’s Place, where you’re guaranteed to get the finest in soul food. Are you dining in or carrying out?”
Jessica smiled at the young woman who greeted her. “I’m the owner of the new confectionery a few doors down and wanted to bring the owner a gift for any in convenience he might have encountered while I was moving in.”
The woman nodded. “That would be Chase and he’s in his office. If you follow me I’ll show you the way.”
“Thanks.”
Jessica followed the woman down a hall that led to the back of the restaurant. Everything looked tidy, even the storage room they passed. The hostess knocked when they reached the office door. “Who is it?” a deep, husky voice called out.
“It’s Donna. Someone is here to see you.”
“Hell, I’m surprised anyone can get through with all that chaos that’s been going on in the parking lot. I have a good mind to go over there and give my inconsiderate new neighbor a piece of my mind for all the problems she’s caused me the last couple of days. I couldn’t get my own deliveries through for—”
Chase stopped talking when his door swung open and the woman he had checked out Monday morning walked into his office past a speechless Donna. “I guess I’ve saved you a trip. I would think, considering the circumstances, you would have been just as understanding as my other neighbors and…”
Whatever the woman was saying Chase had stopped listening mere seconds after she walked into his office. Heat flared through all parts of his body and his full concentration centered on the shorts and tank top she was wearing.
Up close her legs were more of a turn-on than they had been on Monday morning. He blinked. The closer she got, the better she looked, especially those moist strawberry lips. She was angry…sexy as hell.
In addition to the honey-brown eyes and curly dark hair that tumbled around her face, she possessed perfect cheekbones and a cute perky nose. He couldn’t help noticing that the mouth that was moving was beautifully shaped and ready to be kissed.
“And I hope you choke on these!”
He was jolted from his lust-filled thoughts when a box was suddenly shoved against his chest. It took only a split second for him to realize his visitor was leaving. When the door slammed shut, he l
ooked at Donna, ignored the silly smirk on her face and asked, “What the hell did she say?”
He watched Donna’s try to hide a laugh. “I think, boss, that you’ve been thoroughly told off. I can’t believe you weren’t listening.”
No, he hadn’t been listening. He looked down at the box.
“That was supposed to be a peace offering,” Donna explained. “She came to apologize for the inconvenience over the past couple of days. I think that was downright neighborly of her. I guess she hoped you’d be more understanding of the chaos she caused while moving in.”
Chase nodded, suddenly filled with regret that he hadn’t been more understanding. But he’d been in a foul mood for the past week and had wrongly directed his anger at her. She was a woman after all, and a woman, or actually the lack of one, was the root of his problem.
Granted he wasn’t the ladies’ man his twin brother Storm had been, but usually he could pull out his little phone book and contact any number of women, who, like him, were more interested in getting down than getting married. But for some reason doing so didn’t suit him. The last woman he dated had read more into the relationship and he’d had one hell of a time convincing her that bedding her didn’t mean he’d be wedding her. He wasn’t into serious relationships of any kind and had told her that in the beginning. Evidently somewhere along the way she’d forgotten.
He dragged a weary hand down his face. Some women saw the single Westmoreland men as challenges. His brother Storm’s philosophy—before his wife Jayla had entered his life—had been that he enjoyed women too much to settle down with just one. Chase believed in learning from his mistakes, and his biggest one had been a woman by the name of Iris Nelson.
While in college at Duke, he had seemed headed for a pro basketball career when an injury had ended his dreams. He’d found himself facing an endless future when Iris, the girl he had fallen in love with, decided that with no chance at the pros he was no longer a good prospect.
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