Laid Out Read online

  Laid Out is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A Loveswept eBook Original

  Copyright © 2015 by Sidney Halston

  Excerpt from Fighting Dirty by Sidney Halston copyright © 2015 by Sidney Halston

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States by Loveswept, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

  LOVESWEPT is a registered trademark and the LOVESWEPT colophon is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.

  This book contains an excerpt from the forthcoming book Fighting Dirty by Sidney Halston. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the forthcoming edition.

  eBook ISBN 9781101886298

  Cover design: Georgia Morrissey

  Cover photograph: CURAphotography/iStock

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  By Sidney Halston

  About the Author

  The Editor’s Corner

  Excerpt from Fighting Dirty

  Prologue

  VALENTINE’S DAY

  As usual, it was a hot morning at Camp Lone Star Army Base in Amarillo, Texas. Violet Channing was supposed to be on the other side of the base in ten minutes to see her father and two best friends off, but she had overslept. In her school uniform, she ran across the pavement and through the mess hall, jumping over small hedges and using the back doors of buildings as shortcuts. By the time she reached the airplane hangar, her knee was scraped, she was winded, her face was beet red, and her unruly hair was plastered against her face.

  Violet swung open the heavy door and saw families parting with their loved ones as her father barked commands to others nearby. He wore his army best, with medals and badges decorating either side of his chest; his beret was perfectly situated on his bald head, and his spine was perfectly straight. Violet’s abrupt entrance had him shaking his head as his eyes narrowed on her disheveled appearance. He handed a clipboard to another man and sternly walked over to her.

  She scanned the area as she waited for her father. At the far left side, Cain Sorensen, one of her best friends, was hugging his mother goodbye as she wiped tears away from her eyes while his father, a retired army sergeant first class, stood close—devoid of emotions. On the other side of the room, Jeremy Edwards, her other best friend, was saying goodbye to his mother and father, both of whom sobbed. It was Cain and Jeremy’s first deployment, even though they too came from military families.

  Violet ran her hands down her plaid skirt and tried to tame her hair as her father neared. “You’re late, Violet Elizabeth.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy. I overslept. I ran here as fast as I could.”

  “If you dropped a few pounds, you’d be less winded. It’d be for your own good.” He reached down and pulled a leaf from Violet’s hair, studying it before tossing it into a nearby garbage can. “I gave June instructions on your dietary needs while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon. June will be home by the time you return from school this afternoon.”

  Violet looked down at the floor. “Yes, Daddy.”

  “See you soon, Violet.” He bent down, placed both hands on her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head before turning his attention back to the man holding his clipboard. She wanted to yell: I love you, Daddy, even though you think I’m too fat. Please come home safely, my big blubbery behind needs you. But he wouldn’t appreciate her snark, plus “I love you” was not the way of the Channings. So she swallowed back her emotions and tried again to tame her hair.

  This was the most difficult part—watching him leave. She was sixteen, old enough to know that sometimes men and women didn’t return from war. Her father was tough and unexpressive, but he was her father and she loved him. Her mother had died in childbirth, and June, her maternal grandmother, would come stay with her when her father was away. Violet looked around to see all the families hugging, kissing, whispering loving things to each other—as if it was the last time they’d see each other.

  She wanted to hug Cain and Jeremy one last time, but they were busy with their own families, and she didn’t want to interrupt. The previous night, Mrs. Edwards had had her, her father, Cain, and Cain’s family over for a farewell dinner, and Violet had hugged and kissed both boys’ cheeks so many times, they were probably already sick of her. They’d promised to write her as often as possible.

  Violet sighed one last time as she watched her father walk around the far end of the hangar to speak with his new privates; then she said a silent prayer for their safe return before hurrying off to school. She was two minutes into her walk when someone pulled her hair. “Hey.” She turned around about to elbow whoever was messing with her. “Oh, hey, Cain. What are you doing here? Don’t you have to go?”

  He pulled her in for a hug. “I’m going to miss your face, sunshine,” he drawled.

  “I’m going to miss your face too, Cain. So much.” She squeezed him back.

  He kicked at some broken branches as if he was in absolutely no rush. “So what did I interrupt?”

  “Nothin’. Just thinking,” she said as she stepped over some logs.

  “Don’t hurt yourself.” He loved to tease her.

  She shoved his shoulder. “Ha. Ha.”

  “Headed to school?”

  Violet nodded. She picked up a blue feather from the ground and held it up to the light before dropping it again and lacing her arm around the crook of his elbow. “Don’t you ever wish we lived in regular houses in a regular community? That we grew up with our parents at home never leaving us for months on end? That we didn’t live on this base? In these cookie-cutter cement houses? I wish I had a big white house with a big ol’ wraparound porch, acres of land, some cows and horses, a little creek in the back, one of those tires hanging from a tree, a—”

  “Whoa!” he said with a laugh. “Did you hit your head or something? You’re talking more today than usual. And mostly about nonsense.”

  She pulled her hand from his arm and smacked him on the shoulder again. “Am not. You always say that. I’ll have you know, I talk the same amount as the average teenage girl. You just don’t talk enough.” A gust of wind blew some fallen leaves around, and a leaf touched her scraped knee, causing her to wince a little.

  Cain looked down. “Hey, you’re bleeding.”

  “I fell.” She smiled and shrugged. “I was late and ran.”

  “You’re always falling. Klutz.” He pulled her by the forearm to a nearby stump. “Sit.”

  “You’re goin’ to be late,” she protested. “Where’s Jeremy?”

  Cain rolled his eyes, and as she sat down she noticed him tense up. “He was talking to one of the sergeants about something. Dunno.” He shrugged. “I overheard that we were leaving in thirty minutes, so I snuck out to come see you.” He knelt in front of her and examined her knee. “And you can be a little late on departure day. We live on an army base, they’ll understand. You can’t go to cla
ss with blood running down your leg.” Cain reached into an inside pocket of his camo fatigues, pulled out a napkin, and began to blot Violet’s knee. “You have anything in your book bag?”

  Violet was flustered at the contact, and it took her a few seconds before she reached into her book bag and took out a little packet of tissues and a small water bottle and handed them to Cain. As he cleaned her up, Violet looked around the familiar little forest. She remembered all the times she, Jeremy, and Cain had played in the mud around the nearby creek when they were little. But now that they were older, they only went through the forested area to cut across the base when they were in a hurry. The three had shared a lifetime of memories, and now everything would change. They’d be gone and she would be alone.

  She looked down at her knee. “Ow—it stings.”

  “Sorry,” he said, focused on her injury. After a pause, he added, “Your father looked meaner than usual today.”

  She lifted a shoulder and dropped it. “He hates it when I’m late. He also hates that I’m fat and slow. He told Grandma June that I was on a diet again.” She groaned.

  Cain laughed. “So, you’ll be eating at my house and Jeremy’s while he’s gone and when June goes to bed at seven?”

  “You know me so well. You think your parents will mind now that you won’t be there?”

  “Of course not. You’re practically family—they’ll love it.” Cain stood and brushed his knees off. “All done.” He reached for her hand and helped her up. “And how many times do I have to tell you, sunshine? You’re not fat or slow. Your dad’s a dick.”

  “Stop saying that, Cain. He’s not a dick. He’s just—”

  “A dick. I’ve been telling you for years.”

  “Look at me, Cain. The only reason you and Jeremy are my friends is ’cause our parents are friends and ’cause you’ve known me forever. And ’cause I’d kick your butt if you stopped being my friend.” She jumped on a fallen log; Cain followed. They balanced a few seconds, teetering slightly before jumping off. “Jennifer Tanner already kissed a guy, and so did Rena. If I don’t start losing weight soon, no boy will ever wanna kiss me, and I’ll be just like Major Cavalari, an ugly old maid. And to make matters worse, tonight’s the Valentine’s Day dance and I wasn’t even invited. How pathetic is that?”

  Cain stepped closer to Violet. “One, you’re only sixteen, you don’t have to kiss anyone yet. Two, Major Cavalari is so cool. You know she has more medals than anyone on the base. And three, the Valentine’s Day dance is lame as fuck.”

  “You say that because you go every year—well, when you’re not grounded. This was the first year I was allowed to go, and I wasn’t invited.” She pouted. “You’re a boy. Boys don’t understand these things.”

  Cain stopped walking and looked at Violet as if she’d grown a second head. “I’m not a boy. I’m nineteen and about to set foot in Afghanistan.”

  Violet shoved his shoulder, trying to ignore the fear she harbored at the thought of her boys going off to war. “Whatever.” She brushed off her worry, trying to lighten the mood. “The point is that I remember your first kiss. It was Stephanie Miller and you were only fourteen. And Jeremy wouldn’t stop yapping about his first kiss for weeks. It was so annoying. I just want it to happen for me already. Get it out of the way. You know?” She could always kid around with Cain and Jeremy. They were her best friends. There wasn’t a time she hadn’t known them. There were photos all over Jeremy’s house of the three of them: of them in a playpen together, them dressed up for Halloween, another one when she’d taken her first step and Jeremy pushed her with Cain laughing in the background.

  She was kicking a rock out of the way when Cain grabbed her hand and pulled her to a nearby tree, causing her to yelp as she struggled to keep her balance. At nineteen, Cain was thin and lanky—all limbs. She was still short and stumpy. He turned her around brusquely and pressed her back against a tree, the bark digging into her. She looked up at him and saw an intensity in his eyes she’d never seen before. His cheeks were flushed and the vein by his neck pulsed. Suddenly she became nervous. He’d never looked at her this way—the way the cute guys looked at the pretty girls.

  Lately she’d felt flustered when Jeremy was nearby, with his mess of curly dark brown hair and dimpled smile. Feelings that hadn’t been there before were now creeping in. In fact, she could’ve sworn Jeremy had been flirting with her lately—complimenting her clothes and hair, brushing against her “accidentally,” inviting her to the movies without Cain around. But these brief flirtatious moments were with Jeremy. Not with Cain. Never with Cain. Cain was just her friend. A little gangly, a little quiet, a lot overprotective.

  That was until now.

  Suddenly there was an awareness that had never been there before.

  When he licked his lips, her pulse sped up. A foreign feeling—desire—began to take root. He reached toward her hair, and she flinched a little before he tucked a stray strand behind her ear. The tender action surprised her. For the first time, she noticed how clear his blue eyes were, how his hair was so blond it almost looked white. All of a sudden, he didn’t seem like just this boy who was always around. Unfamiliar feelings began to erupt throughout her body. She felt her cheeks flame and her heart race.

  When he finally spoke, his voice shook a little. “I’m your friend because I want to be your friend. Not because of your parents or your dumb threats. I don’t like it when you call yourself fat. You’re not fat.”

  She nodded and murmured, “Okay.” She drew her lower lip into her mouth and nibbled as her wide eyes gazed at his. Cain reached over and pulled her lip out of her mouth. “You’re nervous.” It wasn’t a question. He knew her well enough to be aware of her tells.

  “I…uh…what are you doing, Cain?”

  “I don’t want you to kiss just anyone to get it outta the way.”

  Words failed her, so she just nodded again. There was a moment where neither spoke. He just looked at her as if trying to decide on his next move.

  “I should be the first person you kiss,” he finally said as his tongue flicked out a little and wet his lips.

  She gasped and looked up into his eyes nervously. His eyes never left hers, but his reddened ears and neck showed that he was also nervous. She too knew him well.

  Like a fool, she bobbed her head up and down mostly because the words were stuck in her throat. It felt like he stared at her lips for an eternity until he finally leaned forward, causing her to press herself further back against the tree, her hands gripping the bark. He tilted his head to the side and she imitated the action.

  Should I open my mouth? Leave it closed? What about my tongue? What should it be doing?

  Softly, almost feather light, his lips brushed against hers. Her eyes instinctively closed tight, and she stopped breathing. It was less than ten seconds but it was forever. In that moment she fell into the category of girls who’d had their first kiss. She kept her eyes closed for far too long, and when she opened them he was standing upright, his face even more flushed. Her own tongue snuck out of her mouth to taste her lips. She swallowed and looked at him, her eyes as wide as saucers. What just happened?

  Then, with the same intensity in his expression, he leaned back down, but this time he pressed harder against her lips causing her lips to part slightly. His body moved closer to hers, and then she felt his hands grip her waist and his tongue touch her lips before it moved into her mouth and brushed hers for a brief second, his fingers digging into her skin at her waist. She instinctively melded into him, her body seeking him out.

  Again he moved away and looked at her. His expression never changed, and neither did hers. Her eyes were wide; she touched her lips, as if to determine whether the kiss had really happened. They just looked at each other, neither saying anything, her heart beating so loudly she was sure he could hear it. Finally she spoke and said the only thing that came to mind. “Wow, my cup runneth over,” she whispered. It was a phrase he teased her about constantly, b
ut it was exactly how she felt: she could barely contain her happiness.

  He chuckled, and the smile did her in: she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Hard. He wrapped his arms around her waist and walked them the half step back against the tree again. Their noses bumped. It was awkward, but as first kisses went…it was perfect.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Vi.” It was the last thing he said to her before leaving for war.

  Chapter 1

  PRESENT DAY, TWELVE YEARS LATER…

  “Hot and sweaty sex, that’s what you need,” Jamie Lynn, better known as JL, said as she threw clothes on Violet’s bed.

  “Hot sex. Hot sex.”

  “Shut up, Bird!” Violet’s hands were on her hips as she tapped her foot and scowled at her annoying parrot, appropriately named Bird. “I don’t need sex. I’m perfectly content with my life.”

  “Perfectly content? Bo-ring,” JL sang out. “There is more to life than ‘perfectly content.’ ” She pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and a top Violet had bought months before but had never dared to wear. “Oh! This one. This one’s perfect. John will love it.”

  Violet loved her friend, but they were so different. Violet looked like a wholesome Texas girl, complete with freckles and a full head of blond curls, while her best friend and roommate, JL, looked like a tattooed pixie, complete with short lilac hair currently spiked up. The only thing they had in common was their southern twang and short stature. “I hope this John guy doesn’t think I’m having sex with him tonight. God, I hate blind dates,” Violet groaned. “What did you tell him?”

  “That my perfectly content, wonderfully hot, sexually deprived best friend needed a meet-and-greet with Little John.” She held out her hands about a foot apart and winked. “I also told him Big John was invited to attend the date too. But most importantly, I told him Little John better be ready, willing, and able to take one for the team, because your vagina called me last night and begged me to call John for you.”