Resisting Destiny: Sullivan Brother's Book 3 - Cayson's Story (Resisting Love - Sullivan Brothers) (3 page)

Chapter 3

Cayson bit back the sting of heat as he sipped from a steaming cup of coffee.  Too bad he couldn’t taste the smooth Bavarian blend with a burned tongue! He stood at the sink of his kitchen pondering his situation. He’d been up all night wondering what to do about Destiny. He may have seemed cool as a cucumber yesterday when he talked to her, but he was nervous as hell about how to handle her. He desperately needed to find her a job, a place to live, and some clothes. That short skirt and biker jacket weren’t going to land her any job interviews.

His first thought had been to call his mother. Then, he quickly banished that idea to the realm of
all the other bad ideas he’d ever had in his life. His mother would ask too many questions.  Irene Sullivan was a bloodhound when it came to finding information. So, during the wee hours of the morning, he’d ended up calling Phaedra, a co-worker at JADE. With her connections and her sense of style, Phaedra could set Destiny on the path to a new life.

He leaned against the granite countertop, fighting off a migraine.
Thank God today was Saturday. He was in no condition to go to work.

He nearly dropped his cup when
Destiny shuffled into the kitchen, wearing one of his old t-shirts. The oversized garment hung loose on her, hitting her mid-thigh and showing off her shapely legs.  Her long braids were swept up and piled atop her head, exposing her high cheekbones.

Damn, she’s
a total babe!

She yawned wide enough for him to get a look at her tonsils.  “Got a spare toothbrush?” she mumbled. 

A total babe with the manners of a bear.

He stared at
the swell of her lush breasts, where the material of the shirt was pulled so tight he could see the outline of her bra. Jesus, he was glad he couldn’t see her nipples. That would have been his undoing.  She had a strawberry body shape. Top-heavy with slender hips. He’d learned that interesting bit of trivia from a fashion magazine editor he’d dated in college. He didn’t understand why women’s shapes were named after pieces of fruit. Instead of pear, apple, and banana, they should be named after peppers: hot, hotter, and hottest.

D
estiny followed his gaze.  “Hope you don’t mind. I found this in one of the drawers in the room.”

He’d almost forgotten
about the extra shirts stored in the room where she’d slept.  He cleared his throat and turned away. “That’s fine.” He had to find her some clothes soon. He would never be able to wear that t-shirt again without getting a boner.

H
e heard the loud rumble of her stomach. “Can I get a cup of that coffee?” she asked.

“Yeah,”
he set his cup down. “You must be starving. I can make breakfast.”

“
Coffee’s fine for now.” She moved past him. The faint smell of her natural scent tickled his nose.

“Well, if you get hungry, help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. I try to keep it stocked, but when I work late, I don’t
get to the grocery store as often as I should.”

She drank from the fresh cup of coffee he offered her.  “You live here all alone?”

“You asked me that yesterday.”

“So, I’m asking again. Why does everything have to be a battle with you?”

“I’m not used to repeating myself.”

Her eyes swept the length of his silk pajama bottoms. Normally, he walked around bare-chested, but he remembered to pull on a
sleeveless t-shirt so he wouldn’t offend his guest.  “I like asking questions. You don’t like repeating yourself. We make one hell of a team.”

“
If you follow my rules, we’ll be fine.”

“Oh
, hell no!”  She sat her coffee cup down and he knew she was about to read him the riot act. 

Before she cou
ld attack, he took the offense.  “Y’know, I’m getting used to the way your eyes narrow when something pisses you off. You’re doing it now, although you look a lot prettier without those fake eyelashes you had on yesterday.”

She glared. “I don’t know if that was supposed to be a compliment or not.”

“It was.”

They continued staring at each other for a few seconds. The air crackled with enough energy to light Vegas for one nigh
t. Destiny was not only hot; she was a firecracker who didn’t take shit from anyone, including her savior-attorney. 

“
I get idiots giving me compliments every day,” she told him. 

“So, now I’m an idiot?”

“If the shoe fits…”

“It doesn’t
.”

“I
f you’re going to be responsible for me, you should know about a few pet peeves I have. One of them is condescending men who think they can treat me like a child.”

She
was far from a child. Stunning legs that stretched for miles and a generous D cup proved that.  He zeroed in on the pulse throbbing erratically at the tempting hollow of her throat.  What he wouldn’t give to lick the sensitive skin there. Trail his tongue along her collarbone and then… He emptied his cup into the sink.  “You’re in no position to be making demands, Miss Jackson. It’s funny that you actually think I would cater to whatever crazy whims you have. As far as the condescension, it’s nothing personal. I was born that way.”

“You’re a sexist
pig.”

He chuckled, enjoying the fact that she didn’t back down. “I’ve been called worse. And just so you know, two of my pet peeves are gr
umpy judges and nosey chicks who ask too many questions.” 

The doorbell rang,
throwing a damp blanket on their heated discussion.

Destiny smirked.  “
Expecting another houseguest?”

He grinned. “
Yes, but she’s here for you, not me.”

Phaedra Ellis was in a word,
classy
. A well put-together woman, she was tall in stature, with her fashionable clothing draped as though she’d just stepped off the catwalk.  By Destiny’s calculation, she looked to be in her mid-thirties. From her thick, shoulder-length sable hair to her short nails, painted a pale shade of coral, she oozed elegance. She spoke with perfect diction. All of the appropriate words spilled from her heart-shaped lips. After the introductions had been made and Cayson had retreated to his bedroom to change clothes, Destiny felt comfortable asking her first question.

“A
re you Cayson’s girlfriend?” she asked.

“God no,” Phaedra scoffed.  “
I’m not that crazy or brave enough to take on that project.”

“
What’s that supposed to mean? Is he a man whore?”

Phaedra sat on one o
f the plush sofas across from Destiny.  “Let’s just say he appreciates women in all shapes, sizes, and colors. He never met a vagina he didn’t like. Now, what skills do you have? Cayson told me you can type.”

Destiny noticed how
smoothly Phaedra breezed to the next topic. “I’m pretty good at it.”

Phaedra nodded as she pulled a small writing tablet from her designer handbag.  “
I think I can help you find a job in our temp pool. Finding a place to live will take longer.”

“Temp
pool?”

“I work in Human Resources at JADE.  We’re always in need of temporary office workers
to do things like filing, typing, taking dictation, ordering lunch, you name it.”

“
Sure, I can do that.” The idea of an office job appealed to her. Since she’d graduated from high school, she’d been working retail and waiting tables. She was tired of men ogling her. She wanted something more respectable–like the kind of job Phaedra had. “Have you always worked at JADE?” Destiny asked her.

“
No. Before I graduated college, I was a dancer. I lived in Los Angeles at the time. The competition was stiff.”

Destiny gasped.  “
You used to be a stripper?”

“Heavens no!” Phaedra covered her chest with a flat palm, her milky-white skin flushed
pink. “Why would you ask that?”

“
You said you were a dancer.”

“
Yes, Dear. In the theater. At UC Berkeley. It didn’t work out, so I went to work for a law firm. I started out as a receptionist. Then, I got promoted into Human Resource Management.”

Destiny laughed.  “My bad.” She didn’t figure Phaedra for the stripper type. Although
Destiny would never wiggle her ass on stage for anyone, she didn’t judge any woman for doing what she had to do to survive.  La’Treece had stripped for years. She seemed to get a sick pleasure out of making men drool over her. That was the only area where the two of them disagreed.

Cayson appeared
, dressed in a starched, denim shirt neatly tucked into tan slacks. His belt and stylish loafers matched perfectly. Destiny figured that was his attempt at casual attire. “Are you ladies ready?” he asked.

“Where are we going?” Destiny
replied.

Phaedra stood. “
To find you some clothes.  Are you up for a shopping trip?”

********

Cayson hated shopping. Correction: he hated shopping with women. When he needed something, he was in and out
of a store in less than twenty minutes. Twenty-five if he had to try something on. Destiny had to try everything on. It baffled him that she didn’t wear the same size in everything. Some brands “ran big.” Some “ran small.” Ridiculous. The world was a lot simpler for men. Size 34-34 was the same for men no matter where they shopped in the universe. And men were never in between sizes. Someone should sue the fashion industry over this chaos. He would do it but he was too busy defending criminals.

He sat on a chair in
an upscale clothing store in the Galleria Mall. He was surrounded by colorful shopping bags full of what Phaedra called incredible deals. He leaned back, one ankle crossed over his knee.  He didn’t attend church regularly, but he prayed God would show mercy on him and speed this process up. He hadn’t had a Saturday off in a long time, and he didn’t relish spending it waiting hours on women to debate between which pair of black pumps to buy. They all looked the same to him!

He scrolled through the e-mails on his blackberry. He couldn’t shake the habit of checking his e-mail, even on his off day. Jeez, his life was all work. He half debated sen
ding Barracuda an apology asking her to reconsider Destiny’s sentence. But he quickly drowned the thought. He would not cow-tow to her.  He checked his wristwatch. It was damn near one o’clock. Time for lunch.  As long as these women were spending money, they wouldn’t stop to eat–not even it their stomach acid burned a hole in their colons. It would be up to him to call a cease and desist. He knew a great Italian restaurant a few blocks away. They could stop in for some pesto and red wine.

He stood, preparing to march toward the dressing room and wave a whi
te flag, when he recognized a buxom blonde headed in his direction.

“Cayson, is that you?”

“Adriana!” He juggled bags from hand to hand to give her a quick hug.  “It’s good to see you.” It truly was. She’d been one of the few women to hold his interest longer than a week.

“
Really?” She cocked her head to the side. A waterfall of jet black curls shifted as she did so. “Because you never called me after that one week.”

He kept his smile in place as his eyes lingered on
her smooth olive skin. A few months ago, they’d had a fantastic time burning up the sheets. Yet, there wasn’t even the slightest spark of attraction now. Why hadn’t he called her back?

There’s no hope for me. 
I’ve been with so many females I don’t remember why I ended things with this gorgeous woman.

He deftly sidestepped her remark.  “
What are you doing here?”

“
Shopping.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Her eyes dropped to the bags he struggled to hold. “
Who are you shopping for?” she asked. “This store is for women only. Are you dating someone?”

Now, he remembered
why he’d stopped seeing her. She was too possessive.

A
t that moment, Destiny emerged from a nearby dressing room.  She modeled a pair of dark jeans with a trail of rhinestones embellishing the side seams. She squealed with delight. “Cayson, I’m wearing these out of the store. I love them!”

Cayson found it hard to pull his eyes from the blinged-out jeans. The snug denim accentuated
Destiny’s round ass.  She was supposed to be shopping for office attire, but he wasn’t going to tell her she couldn’t have them.

“
Oh, I see,” Adriana pouted.

“
Uh, it’s not what you think…” Cayson wasn’t sure why he was making excuses.  Adriana wasn’t his woman. He didn’t have to explain himself to her.

Phaedra
waltzed up to the trio. “We’re ready, Cayson. Although I can’t get Destiny out of those jeans. You’ll have to do it.”