Claimed for Destiny

by Brenda Jackson

  Chase leaned in the doorway and crossed his legs at the ankles. “Why?”

  She waved her hand impatiently. “I’d think it would be obvious.”

  He lifted a brow. “You think we’re opposites?”

  She drew in an angry breath and met his gaze. “I don’t know you that well, but I’d say we’re as different as day and night.”

  Chase straightened and shot her a grin. “Then that explains it.”

  She narrowed an eye. “Explains what?”

  “Why we’re attracted to each other. Opposites attract.”

  Jessica snorted a breath. “I am not attracted to you!”

  Chase’s grin widened. “Yes, you are, and I’m attracted to you as well,” he said, standing with his legs braced apart, his gaze intense, and shoulders squared.

  “Believe whatever you want.”

  “Would you like to prove otherwise?”

  She raised a questioning brow. “How?”

  Chase shrugged. “Never mind, this isn’t a good time to—”

  “Wait! If there’s a way I can prove that I’m not attracted to you then let’s bring it on,” she snapped.

  Chase met her gaze. “Fine with me if you’re sure that’s what you want to do.”

  Jessica’s shoulders were rigid with anger. “And just what is it we need to do to prove it?”

  “Kiss.”

  At first Jessica was stunned. But then she figured it would be just like a man to want to prove anything by locking lips. Well, he would find out that she didn’t enjoy kissing any more than she had making love. This was destined to be the shortest kiss on record.

  She met his gaze and smiled. “Like I said, let’s bring it on.”

  The way Chase returned her smile had her thinking that maybe, just maybe, she’d made a mistake. And when he walked past her into her shop, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that that was definitely so.

  Damn, Chase thought as he gazed at Jessica’s mouth. He was going to enjoy every minute, every second that he devoured it. He bet it was as sinfully sweet and delicious as all those treats she whipped up. Sweeter.

  As he continued to stare at her, pure, unadulterated lust rushed through his veins, pricked every pore of his skin and slashed waves of heat through his body. He could even go so far to say that he felt the cells in his groin reproducing.

  Need propelled him from where he was standing across the room to her. He gently clasped the back of her head and pulled her closer, her lips mere inches from his. “I intend to kiss you witless,” he whispered huskily.

  She jutted her chin and narrowed her gaze. “You can try.”

  He smiled, liking her spunk. Chase hoped like hell that she put all that haughtiness into their kiss. “Open your mouth for me, sweetheart,” he whispered in a deep, throaty voice.

  Releasing a frustrated sigh, Jessica opened her mouth to tell him a thing or two, but with lightning speed he seized the opportunity and planted his mouth firmly on hers, silencing whatever she was about to say.

  He groaned deep within his throat. His tongue thick and hot captured hers and savored it like spicy gingerbread. She had never been kissed this way before; never in her wildest imagination had she envisioned something like this happening to her.

  Chase devoured her mouth like a dessert he had to have, doing passionate, provocative and illicit things to it. The man was skilled, trained, experienced and knew just what to do to make those purring sounds suddenly erupt from deep within her throat.

  She couldn’t believe it. With his kiss, sensual urges— intense and strong—that she didn’t recognize attacked her entire being, demanding that her body react and respond to him. She was grateful for the strong arms holding her close; otherwise she would have melted to the floor by now. She felt intense fire licking its way through her veins, her insides were simmering in heat. She was mesmerized to the point of no return.

  But that’s not all she felt.

  His hardness, his strength, one hell of an erection was cradled between her thighs. She felt delirious, and when an involuntary shudder raced through her, she suddenly realized something. She was kissing him back. She never kissed men back. The thought overwhelmed her, over loaded her senses and sent intense heat rippling through her body.

  If this didn’t beat all. They had just met that day. He was a Westmoreland. She didn’t like him. She didn’t like kissing. She needed to breathe.

  As if he’d read her last thought, he slowly released her mouth. As she stared up at him she couldn’t believe they had shared something so powerful, provoking and intimate. A part of her wondered what one should say after such a stimulating encounter. But at the moment she couldn’t say anything. The only thing she could think about was the way his mouth felt and how much she’d enjoyed kissing him.

  “Let me go on record to say I only ended the kiss so we could breathe,” he whispered, reaching up and sliding his fingers through her hair. “We might be opposites, but like I said earlier, Jessica, we do attract.”

  The huskiness of his words sent shivers all through her and her skin was beginning to feel hot all over again. She could actually feel her blood sizzling. He took a step back and a warm smile tilted the corners of his lips.

  “Best wishes on opening day tomorrow,” he said softly.

  She watched as he turned and walked out of the shop, closing the door behind him.

  “I’m looking forward to working for you, Ms. Claiborne.”

  It had been a busy grand-opening day. The huge crowd had come and gone and they were now able to relax and take a breather. Jessica smiled at the woman, old enough to be her grandmother, and replied, “I’m looking forward to working with you, too, Mrs. Stewart. I’m just so grateful that you could help me out. I’d feel a lot better if you called me Jessica.”

  Delicious Cravings had officially opened at eight o’clock that morning. Jessica had been quite busy and was grateful when Ellen Stewart had walked in the shop at eleven to help with the lunch-hour traffic. But no matter how busy she’d gotten, she couldn’t forget the kiss she had shared with Chase last night. It had been amazing.

  Switching her thoughts elsewhere, she watched Mrs. Stewart as she dusted off the counter, thinking the woman was a huge asset to the shop with her knowledge of retail sales as well as her genuine friendliness. It seemed she knew everyone who had come in. She was a definite plus for business. But then so was Chase Westmoreland.

  Most of the people who had dropped by to make a purchase had mentioned that Chase claimed her treats were to die for. She hated admitting it, but she owed him a degree of gratitude as well, although the last thing she wanted was to owe a Westmoreland anything.

  “I think it was very nice of Chase to send you customers. He’s such a sweetheart.”

  Jessica stopped placing brownies in the display case and turned a curious gaze to Ms. Stewart. “You know Chase?”

  The woman chuckled. “Of course I do. I know all the Westmorelands. Although most of the people living in Atlanta are transplants, there are still a few of us natives hanging around. I knew those Westmoreland boys and their cousins when they were in elementary school. In fact, I taught most of them.”

  Jessica nodded, remembering Mrs. Stewart had mentioned she had retired as a teacher over fifteen years ago. “They got into mischief like boys would do but I didn’t know a more respectful group,” Mrs. Stewart added. “Did you know that his brother Dare is the sheriff of College Park?”

  Jessica lifted a brow. “No, I didn’t know that.”

  “Well, he is and a good one at that. And then there’s Thorn, who builds motorcycles and races them. Stone writes blockbuster books. There are also a bunch of Westmoreland cousins, like Jared, the well-known attorney. Oh, and I can’t forget Storm, Chase’s twin brother, although they aren’t identical.”

  Jessica raised a brow, finding all Mrs. Stewart was telling her intriguing. “So I guess that means you know their parents as well.”

  Mrs. Stewart smil
ed warmly. “Yes. The Westmorelands are wonderful people. I knew the grandparents, too.”

  Jessica leaned against the counter. “Really? I understand that Chase’s grandfather used to own a restaurant years ago.”

  Mrs. Stewart chuckled as she wiped off the counter. “Yes, and just like Chase’s Place, it served the most delicious home-cooked meals around. Truckers made up the bulk of Scott Westmoreland’s busy clientele, but people would come from miles around to eat his food made from secret family recipes handed down through generations. I understand Chase uses some of those same recipes and guards them like a hawk, especially after what happened when his granddad discovered that someone gave away the secret recipes to his chili, beef stew and broccoli casserole.”

  Jessica swallowed deeply. “How did that happen?” she asked innocently.

  “I’m not sure but Scott claimed his partner, a man by the name of Carlton Graham, gave—”

  “That is not true. He would not have done such a thing!”

  At Jessica’s strong defense of Carlton Graham, Mrs. Stewart eyed her curiously before saying, “I recall Carlton and Helen moved to California to be near their daughter and granddaughter.” She lifted a curious brow. “Is there any chance Carlton Graham is a relative of yours?”

  Jessica nodded, knowing there was no way she could lie to the woman. “Yes, he was my grandfather.”

  Mrs. Stewart’s eyes widened. “Does Chase know that?”

  Jessica shook his head. “No, and I don’t intend to tell him until I can prove my grandfather’s innocence.”

  “And how do you plan to do that?”

  Jessica shrugged. “I’m going to start digging around in my spare time. Someone stole those recipes and deliberately made it look like my grandfather had done it. I promised my grandmother before she died that I would clear the Graham name of any wrongdoing.”

  Mrs. Stewart nodded. “You might want to ask Donald Schuster since it was his restaurant that ended up with the recipes.”

  Jessica lifted a brow. “Is he still around?”

  “Yes. He’s done well over the years. There’s probably over a hundred Schuster’s Restaurants nationwide, a few in every state, even out in California. And people claim they have the best chili around—chili some say was derived from a Westmoreland recipe.”

  Jessica nodded. She had heard of the chain of restaurants and had even eaten at one. “What can you tell me about Chase?”

  Ms. Stewart sighed deeply. “He’s a decent man who unfortunately had his heart broken years ago by a woman he met while at college. It’s my understanding they met at Duke University where Chase had gotten a basketball scholarship. Everyone said that she clung to him like glue while he had a promising future in the pros. But when an injury ended any chance of that happening she dropped him like a hot potato. He’s never dated another woman seriously.”

  The two were silent for a few moments then Ms. Stewart spoke again. “I’d like to give you a little advice if I can.”

  Jessica nodded. “Sure.”

  “Don’t wait too long to tell Chase the truth about your connection to Carlton Graham. It will be better if he hears it from you than from someone else, and if you start asking questions that’s bound to happen.”

  She leaned closer and paused a moment as if searching for words to explain. “Although all of this happened over eighteen years ago, Scott Westmoreland was deeply hurt by what he saw as an outright betrayal. In fact, he had a heart attack not long after that.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened. She hadn’t known that. “He did?”

  “Yes, although I can’t blame it all on stress involving the recipes. Scott was a heavy smoker and I’m sure that played a huge part in it, too, especially since he eventually died of lung cancer.”

  The older woman sighed deeply. “I’m not saying your granddaddy did or didn’t do what the Westmorelands claim. All I’m saying is that they believe that he did it. Chase, the one closest to his grandfather, took the old man’s pain and suffering personally and for years he’d tried to make Schuster admit they were preparing foods using Westmoreland recipes. Schuster refused to do so, and since there wasn’t any proof, Chase eventually let the matter drop. But I doubt very seriously that he’s forgotten about it.”

  A short while later, with only ten minutes left to closing time, Jessica was alone in her shop. She knew she had earned some pretty good profits for the first day. She sighed as she made her way over to the display case to pack up what was left of today’s inventory. She had made prior arrangements with the children’s hospital to donate any treats left from that day and knew some one was on their way to get them.

  She couldn’t help remembering what Mrs. Stewart had told her about Chase and the girl he’d fallen in love with at college. And although she hadn’t wanted to feel sympathy for him, she had. The worst thing for someone to do is kick you when you’re already down, and his ex-girlfriend had done just that. She hoped that over the years he had realized that he was better off without her. She wished at some point her mother had realized that she was better off without Jeff Claiborne.

  She heard the tinkling of the bell on the front door, and turned, thinking it was the courier from the hospital.

  Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it was Chase.

  Three

  “Hello, Jessica.”

  All day Chase had had her on his mind, and a part of him needed to see her, to see if what they had shared the day before had been reality or make-believe. And seeing her now let him know it had been real. She was as beautiful as he had remembered, everything about her was as much of a turn-on as he’d recalled.

  When she continued to look at him without saying anything, he said, “I thought you probably didn’t have time to eat lunch so I brought you dinner.”

  He watched her nervously nibble on her bottom lip and his guts clenched. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that. I had planned to go to one of those hamburger places down the street.”

  He frowned. “The food at Chase’s Place is tastier and better for you.” He crossed the room and handed her a doggie bag. “You may want to get started on this while it’s still warm.”

  Jessica took the bag from him and placed it on the counter. Chase was the last person she wanted to deal with right now. Seeing him here, in her shop, sent flashes of the kiss they’d shared through her mind. A part of her wanted to be angry at him for making her feel the way she did, but it was hard for her to continue to be mad at a man who went out of his way to be nice to her. And he was being nice….

  She heard the tinkling of the bell on the door and turned around as a woman walked in. “Hello, I’m Gloria Miller,” the woman said. “I’m here to pick up your donation for the children’s hospital.” She glanced over at Chase and smiled. “Hi, Chase.”

  “How are you, Gloria?”

  “I can’t complain.”

  Jessica couldn’t help wondering if Chase knew practically everyone or everyone knew him. “I hope the children enjoy these,” she said, handing the woman the sealed box.

  The woman grinned warmly. “I’m sure they will. Thanks for this delicious contribution.” Moments later she was gone.

  “That was thoughtful of you,” Chase said as he glanced out the window and watched Gloria pull off.

  Jessica shrugged. “No big deal. I operated on the cautious side today and baked more than I needed. I don’t want to sell anything that isn’t fresh tomorrow so I thought I’d donate what was left to the children’s hospital.”

  “How will you handle the overstock inventory tomorrow?”

  “I hope to bake only enough. I don’t mind having a few items left but not as much as I had today. And speaking of today, I want to thank you.”

  Chase grinned. “You already have.”

  Jessica shook her head. “I’m not talking about dinner,” she said. “I’m talking about all the referrals. A number of people who came in mentioned you had sent them and I appreciate the business.”

&nbs
p; He leaned against the counter. “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. The Criswell brothers dropped by for lunch and they were telling everyone about your fudge and how delicious it tasted. So they’re responsible for increasing your business, too.”

  Jessica nodded. “I’ll thank them as well when I see them.” She walked over to the door after checking her watch. “It’s closing time.”

  Chase checked his watch. “So it is.”

  When Chase didn’t make any attempt to leave, Jessica put up the closed sign and locked the door. She also pulled down the shade to the display window, and the moment she did the interior of the shop got somewhat dark and way too intimate. “Will you get the lights, Chase?”

  “In a moment.”

  She watched as he crossed the room, stopping directly in front of her. “Do you know what I thought about a lot today, Jessica?”

  She didn’t respond right away and she refused to meet his gaze. “No, what did you think about?”

  He reached out and touched her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “The kiss we shared last night.”

  A part of her wanted to shout for him to get over it, but how could she expect him to when she hadn’t? She had thought about it a lot that day as well. “We barely know each other, Chase. We just met yesterday. Things are moving too fast.”

  “You’re right,” he said gently, evenly. “So this is what I’d like to propose.”

  She lifted a brow. “What?”

  “That we take the time to get to know each other.”

  “Why?” she asked, trying to understand. “Why should we do that?” The last thing she wanted was to become seriously romantically involved with anyone. She had a lot on her plate starting up her business. And all of her spare time was devoted to starting her investigation. The first person she intended to talk to was Donald Schuster. He was the one person who she hoped could help prove her grandfather’s innocence.

  “I think the answer is obvious,” Chase said, interrupting her thoughts. “You don’t like me. That bothers me because I don’t understand why. Whenever I get within ten feet of you, I can feel your guard going up. I’m also bothered by the fact that I’m very attracted to you and I don’t like being this drawn to a woman I don’t really know. Hell, I didn’t get much work done today for thinking about you.”