Claimed for Destiny

by Brenda Jackson

  “And I appreciate that. You’re going to be hard to re place. And if you ever need anything I’ll always be a phone call away.”

  “Thanks, Chase.”

  After Donna left, Chase leaned back in his chair. He glanced down at his watch again. He had taken just about all he could stand. He needed to see Jessica. And the thought that he would be leaving town for three days didn’t help matters. Hell. He’d been pretty useless all day for thinking about her. To go to her shop and not find her there had been a huge disappointment.

  Chase didn’t like the way his thoughts were going—he was becoming more and more obsessed with Jessica. For the first time in his life, while holding Storm’s twins earlier that day when Jayla had stopped by to meet Storm for lunch, he had actually thought of having kids of his own. For Pete’s sake! Just the other day he had told Jessica he didn’t plan on ever having kids. Yet when he had looked down at his nieces, he’d actually envisioned Jessica as his children’s mother. Panic rose thick in his throat.

  He stood, suddenly not feeling at all like himself. He was encountering emotions that were best left alone. Yet for some reason he couldn’t leave them alone. Not today. A sharp rush of desire flooded his insides and his main thought as he walked out of his office was that he had to see Jessica.

  Chase practically launched himself at Jessica, pulling her into his arms and kissing her the moment she opened the door.

  “God, I missed you today,” he murmured, easing her back into the shop and closing the door shut with the heel of his shoe. He didn’t care that he’d just seen her yesterday and had made love to her last night. That was then and this was now. He leaned down and kissed her.

  Jessica tried not to shiver from all the love she felt flowing through every part of her body. She didn’t want to think about the possibility that once she told Chase the truth tonight, he would walk away angry and not look back. But she knew what she had to do.

  She pulled her mouth from his. “Chase, I have something to tell—”

  Before she could finished what she was about to say, he was kissing her again, deeply, with an urgency that obliterated all her thoughts. Knowing this might very well be the last time she shared such intimacy with him, she went for sheer pleasure and attacked his mouth with the same urgency with which he was attacking hers. Moments later they were both groaning out loud.

  Chase finally broke contact with her mouth, swept her into his arms and quickly carried her up the stairs. He placed her on her feet next to the bed and immediately began removing her shirt as she reached for the fly of his jeans. Both were crazed with passion, driven by need. Their level of desire had reached a boiling point.

  “I want you so bad I ache,” Chase whispered when he had completely removed her clothes and she had re moved his. He tumbled her back on the bed, went for her breasts and greedily began licking the swollen mounds. She moaned out loud when he sucked a nipple into his mouth. His tongue began licking it, tugging on it; he was driving her crazy by holding the sensitive tip gently between his teeth and not letting go. He then gave the other breast the same torturous treatment.

  “Chase!”

  “Hold on, baby, I’ve just gotten started,” he murmured, leaving her breasts to travel downward. Jessica sucked in air when his tongue began licking around her navel, circling it, branding it, kissing it.

  Then he lifted his head, locked his gaze with hers and something flickered in his eyes; the heat of it made her breath catch just seconds before he lowered his mouth to her feminine core. Her legs automatically spread for him and it took all the strength that she possessed not to come off the bed under the onslaught of his skillful mouth. But nothing could stop her from shivering uncontrollably when he increased the pressure of his tongue, stroking her with a decadent lick that sent blood throbbing through her veins. She screamed his name but that only spurred him on, making him even more intent on savoring her this way. And when an orgasm hit, splintering her body into a million pieces, she screamed his name again and bucked her hips upward as he continued to ply her with quick and sure strokes of his tongue.

  It was only when the last shiver had touched her body that he finally dragged his mouth away. Every inch of her felt sensitive from such a fiery response. He sat back on his haunches and the smile that played at the corners of his lips sent shivers racing through her again. He held her gaze, making her heart pound and she felt an agonizing ache rekindle between her legs.

  As if he knew just what she was going through, he reached out and touched her there, began caressing her wet flesh. Then he leaned toward her and, in a voice that was deep, sexy and husky, he said, “Don’t relax now, sweetheart. I’m just getting warmed up.”

  Chase intended to make love to his woman all night.

  His woman.

  He closed his eyes when a sharpness tore through his heart, almost knocking the breath out of him.

  “Chase, are you okay?”

  He opened his eyes and gazed down at Jessica. He moved to position his body over her, satisfied that she was primed and ready to take him in. At that moment, he knew. She was his woman and he loved her. He loved her. He had never intended for such a thing to happen. But it had and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it but accept it. And he did, without question.

  “Chase?”

  His heart pounded against his chest and he leaned down and kissed her lips softly. “Yeah, I’m okay, baby. At this moment I couldn’t be better.”

  She smiled cheekily up at him and said, “Hey, I think that’s for me to decide.”

  Chase grinned as he traced her lips with the tip of his tongue. “Then let me help you make such an important decision.”

  And then he was back at her lips with that skillful mouth of his, kissing her deeply as his tongue whirled around in her mouth, feasting, tasting, corner to corner, marking every single crevice.

  Jessica moaned and closed her eyes when he slipped his hand between their bodies. His fingers touched the soft flesh between her legs, lightly stroking, making small erotic circles, causing sensations to flood her, making her hips buck again.

  He finally released her mouth and gazed down at her as she slowly opened her eyes. He was filled with an urgency that he’d never felt before by the recognition of just how much he wanted this woman. Just how much he loved her. And suddenly he became caught up in a raging desire to be inside her.

  Now.

  He lifted her hips with his hands, anchored his thighs between hers and positioned his aroused member dead center where he needed it to be.

  He eased inside her and she automatically adjusted her body to accommodate him, lifting her hips as he went deeper. He arched his hips and pressed forward until he reached the hilt and was buried deep inside her. He fought the urge to move, to stroke her with the rhythm that would send them both over the edge. He wanted to savor being this way, inside her, locked in tight, feeling the moist heat of her clutching him, nearly stealing his breath away.

  But he refused to move just yet. He held her gaze, and because he wanted her to know just how he felt at that moment—submerged in the intensity of his love— he whispered, “I love you, Jessica.”

  He watched her eyes widen, her face fill with disbelief, and then he saw the tears that filled her eyes, the look of happiness on her lips when she said, “I love you, too, Chase.”

  Damn. He hadn’t expected that. And her words were the catalyst that broke his control. His need to make love to her suddenly became as vital as his need to draw his next breath. He began moving inside her in rapid thrusts, stunned by how emotions had taken over his mind, invaded his heart, filled him with a drive to make her truly his.

  Never had he known anything as beautiful as what he was sharing with her now. She was filling an emptiness inside of him that he hadn’t known existed. And she was doing it in a way no other woman had. His body continued moving in and out of her as she lifted her hips, wrapped her legs around his waist to hold him tight, melding their bodies together o
ver and over.

  “Chase!”

  When she cried out his name, he gritted his teeth as the same sensations that began wracking her body invaded his. An explosion erupted and mind-whirling sensations overtook them. He grasped her hips while he continued to ply her with fluid strokes and the full impact of his release. It seemed they were spiraling higher than they had ever gone before, riding wave after wave of sensation so intense he wondered if he could survive. He drove into her again and again as words of love flowed from his lips.

  And when his body exploded a second time, and moments later a third, he knew that she was truly his just as he was undeniably hers.

  Hours later, Chase tried not to wake Jessica as he eased out of bed. He needed to leave, go home and pack for his trip to Houston. His plane would be leaving in five hours and he would be battling morning traffic to the airport.

  After putting on his clothes he walked back over to the bed, leaned down and gently kissed her lips. Moments later he slipped downstairs, deciding to leave her a note. He would also call her when he got to the airport. If this meeting wasn’t so important he would change his mind about going. But lately he’d given thought to opening another Chase’s Place in Texas and the group of men he was meeting with could make such a venture possible.

  He opened the door to her office and glanced around. This was the first time he had been in this particular room and liked how she had things set up. It was small but furnished professionally. He walked over to the stylish oak desk to get a piece of paper and a pen. His hand went still when his gaze fell on a small framed photograph.

  He picked it up, blinking, not sure he was seeing straight. It was a photo of Jessica with an older couple who he could only assume were the grandparents she loved. Chase recognized the older couple immediately. They were Carlton and Helen Graham.

  Suddenly, he felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. Jessica was Carlton Graham’s granddaughter? If that was true, then why hadn’t she told him? His hand shook as he placed the picture frame back on the desk. He glanced around and a piece of paper caught his attention. He picked it up. He read the words written on her To Do list for today:

  Talk to Donald Schuster again regarding the Westmoreland recipes.

  The paper slipped from his hand as he felt a stabbing sensation in his heart. He closed his eyes in denial. There was no way another Graham was betraying a Westmoreland. It couldn’t be possible. When he opened his eyes and stared at the paper and the photo once again, he saw that anything was possible. Had Schuster heard that he was thinking about franchising and made some kind of deal with Jessica to get close to him? Damn, she had gotten close to him, and he had even trusted her enough to share one of the recipes with her. What was in it for her? A chance to sell her sweets in all the Schuster restaurants around the country? He clenched his teeth. It hurt like hell to know she was an opportunist, just like Iris had been.

  He felt angrier than he’d ever felt in his life, anger mingled with deeply entrenched pain. He left the office and raced back up the stairs. For the second time in his life he had given his heart to a woman and look what happened. Never again would he trust blindly.

  He felt a tightening around his heart when he walked back into Jessica’s bedroom. His body was torn with the love he felt for her and the hurt her betrayal was causing. Exhaling deeply, as if that could expel any emotions he felt for her, he walked over to the bed. “Jessica, wake up.”

  Fighting sleep, Jessica slowly opened her eyes when she heard the sound of Chase’s voice. When he came into focus she saw that he was standing over her with features filled with anger. She pulled herself up in bed. “What’s wrong, Chase?”

  For a moment he didn’t say anything; he just looked at her and the anger was there, clearly, in his eyes. “Chase, please tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were Carlton Graham’s granddaughter? Did you get a kick out of playing me for a fool?”

  She sucked in a quick breath, wondering how he had found out, but then knowing it really didn’t matter. He had found out and she hadn’t been the one to tell him. “No, that’s not it at all, Chase. I wanted to tell you but thought I could prove my grandfather’s innocence first.”

  “You can’t prove what isn’t true.”

  Jessica was out of bed in a flash. She got into Chase’s face, not caring that she was completely naked. “My grandfather didn’t take any recipes and I wanted to prove it. But then I fell in love with you and—”

  “Hell, you didn’t fall in love with me. It was nothing but an act. Do you think I’m stupid, Jessica? I saw that note about you meeting with Schuster today. Are the two of you working together to pry more recipes out of a Westmoreland? What did he offer you? A chance to peddle your sweets in his restaurants?”

  Jessica shook her head. “No. How could you think something like that? Schuster has answers. Someone gave him those recipes all those years ago, and since I knew it wasn’t my grandfather, I met with him once to see what he could tell me. I’m meeting with him again to get more information out of him if I can.”

  Chase drew in a deep breath. He wanted to believe her, but all he could think about was her betraying his love. His mouth tightened in a harsh line. “If any of what you’re saying is true, why didn’t you tell me who you were? We’ve been seeing each other for almost a month, Jessica, and during that time you’ve had every opportunity to tell me the truth, but you never mentioned you were related to Carlton.”

  Jessica swallowed, knowing he had her there. There had been opportunities when she could have shared that fact with him. “Like I told you, Chase, I wanted to prove his innocence first. I was going to tell you when you first got here last night, but I didn’t get a chance to. You’ve got to believe me. Chase. I love you and—”

  Chase laughed. It was an unforgiving sound. “Love? Is this how you show your love? By being deceitful? Then I don’t want any part of it.”

  He turned and walked out of the room. Jessica held her breath until she heard the door slam shut behind him. Tears flooded her eyes. She had made a complete mess of things. She hadn’t cleared her grandfather’s name, and worse—Chase hated her.

  Eleven

  Chase slipped out of bed. Whenever he traveled he made it a point to stay at the best hotels. But a nice room and a soft bed couldn’t prevent his restless nights.

  For the past two days he had been so thickly involved with business negotiations that he hadn’t allowed anything or anyone to invade his thoughts… other than Jessica. She had managed to wiggle inside his head, although he hadn’t wanted her there.

  And he couldn’t get her out no matter how hard he tried.

  Without wanting them to, memories of that night came back to flood his mind. She had actually looked shocked by his accusation. Well, hell, how had she expected him to react? Had she thought he would embrace her with open arms? Overlook the fact that his grandfather and hers had ended up bitter enemies? For heaven’s sake, she was a Graham and he was a Westmoreland. He distinctively remembered his grandfather’s warning never to trust a Graham. Not only had he trusted one, he had fallen in love with one.

  He sighed deeply. And did she actually think he would believe her story about trying to prove her grandfather innocent? That the only reason she had met with Schuster was to find out the truth?

  But then he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that his reluctance to believe her was the reason she hadn’t leveled with him in the beginning. She had known he wouldn’t embrace her with open arms. They would have become enemies before having the chance to become friends.

  On top of knowing that, there was this thought that had been nagging at him for the past two days. What if she was telling the truth? He couldn’t let go of the fact that this was a woman who had walked away from a prestigious career for ethical reasons. A woman of strong values and beliefs. She was also a woman who had spent her free time baking goodies for the guys on his team. This was someone who definitely cared about ot
hers.

  And more than anything, he couldn’t forget that she had been celibate for eight years. He had a gut feeling it would have taken more than the promise of her products being sold in a Schuster restaurant for her to go as far with him as she’d gone if she didn’t really care for him.

  He inhaled deeply. Had he acted irrationally two days ago? Had he been unfair by jumping to conclusions and not listening to her side of things? Had he been wrong to place her in the same category as Iris? The two women were nothing alike. Iris was an unscrupulous taker. Jessica was an extraordinary giver.

  He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost midnight. He wanted to call Jessica, talk to her. When he returned to Atlanta tomorrow he would listen to what she had to say and not be so quick to judge. No matter what, he still loved her. What happened with the Westmoreland recipes no longer mattered to him. If Jessica was hell-bent on proving her grandfather’s innocence then he would help her discover how the recipes got into the wrong hands.

  He took a deep breath. More than anything he wanted a future with the woman he loved.

  “Listen, Jessica, if he loved you two days ago then he loves you now. Nobody can turn love on and off like a faucet, not if it’s the real thing.”

  Jessica heard her stepmother’s words but she still wasn’t convinced. She had seen the look of loathing in Chase’s eyes just moments before he’d left. But then she couldn’t erase the memory of another look as well. It had been the look he’d given her just moments before whispering that he loved her. When he had said those words she had believed in her heart that he had meant them, just like she had meant what she’d said to him. She loved him, too.

  “Even after I found out what your father had done,” Jennifer was saying, “I couldn’t hate him. I was hurt and I put up a wall to protect myself from further pain, but the love was still there for a long time.”