Laid Out

by Sidney Halston

  Cain stood and extended his hand. “Mr. Cleary, sir, how’ve you been?”

  The man let out a hearty laugh and patted Cain’s shoulder and they shook hands. “My all-star wrestler, Cain. I’ll be damned. Didn’t think I’d see you here. You weren’t at your reunion some years back.”

  “No, sir. I skipped that. I’m here with my friend Violet Channing.” He wrapped an arm around Violet’s waist and pulled her forward “Violet, this is Mr. Cleary. He was my…our wrestling coach in high school.”

  Mr. Cleary extended his hand to Violet and they shook hands. “It’s a pleasure meeting you, Miss Violet.” Mr. Cleary then turned to Cain, whose arm was still around Violet’s waist. “I’m sorry about Jeremy, Cain. I know it’s been a long time, but I haven’t seen you all those years, and I wanted to give you my condolences.”

  “Thank you, sir. Violet was Jeremy’s fiancé, actually.” Then, realizing how the hold he had on Violet must look, he released her.

  Now it was Mr. Cleary who was speechless and a little frazzled. “Oh. Sorry, ma’am.” He tipped his head. “I’m sorry for your lo— Wait! Are you the little girl who was always at the matches?”

  Violet chuckled shyly. “Yes, sir. That was me.” She gave a little awkward curtsy. “Little tomboy Violet.” A lot of people had called her that, since she’d always been climbing trees or running around after Jeremy and Cain.

  The man slapped his knee. “Well, look at you, darlin’. Don’t you clean up nicely.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “I’ll let you kids go back to reunitin’ with these folks.” He reached for Violet’s hand and kissed the back of it, then he saluted Cain and walked away.

  “He was nice,” Violet said as she sat down.

  “He was. He was my favorite teacher.” He took a gulp of his drink. “Kind man. Tough but kind. Other than Jeremy’s old man, I’d never met another man like that. I’ll never forget when we won the championship our senior year and he teared up. Didn’t know men could tear up.”

  “Men can cry, Cain. They can show emotions. Your dad was just tough.”

  “So was yours.”

  “Yep.”

  “And you didn’t turn out like him,” Cain pointed out. “You’re sweet, happy, talkative. And lately, you cry…A lot.”

  “Ha. Ha. You didn’t turn out like your dad either. You have a big heart, Cain. You’re loyal and dedicated. You’re a good man. It’s hard to see it sometimes because you hide it in all that grumpiness, but I’ve seen it. I know it’s there.”

  Big heart? Loyal? No. He wasn’t anything like that, and the fact that she saw those things in him scared the hell out of him.

  Cain stood. “Want another drink?”

  She looked down at her full flute of champagne and shook her head as Cain walked away.

  When he returned with his drink, they moved onto the dance floor, and Cain seemed happy for the first time in a long time. He seemed genuinely interested in the gossip she whispered in his ears about some of the women and men at the reunion. When they sat around a table with JL and Travis, his hand casually dropped to her knee, squeezing it absently as they chatted. A few women walked over and tried to get Cain’s attention, but he ignored them every time—to Violet’s surprise. He was doing a hell of a job as her date: tucking stray curls behind her ears, holding her hand, dancing closely, being attentive and charming.

  Eventually a tipsy JL got up and said, “We’re heading out. You coming?”

  “Uh…yeah.” Violet reached for her purse and stood. “You staying at your folks’ house?” She looked over at Cain.

  “Yes. You?”

  “We’re at a hotel nearby.”

  “Yeah, no need to stay at Casa Trailer Park.” JL hiccupped.

  “I’ll drive y’all; I’m meeting Melissa in the lobby.” Travis winked, and it was clear that he wouldn’t be sharing the hotel room they’d gotten.

  “You leaving tomorrow?” Cain asked Violet as they walked to Travis’s car.

  “No. I thought I’d stay a few days. It’s been a while since I visited with Jer’s parents. JL and Travis are leaving tomorrow, though. You?”

  “Hadn’t really planned it out. Breakfast tomorrow?”

  “Sure. And thank you again for coming here, Cain. Really, you made it…bearable. Special.” She straightened his collar and ran her hands down his jacket, smoothing it. “You look very handsome.” She reached up and was about to kiss his cheek when he moved his head and the kiss landed on the corner of his mouth instead.

  He didn’t move, and neither did she. His grip on her waist tightened and he inhaled deeply. The electric current between them made her spine tingle.

  She cleared her throat, and without looking into those clear blue eyes, she said, “Good night, Cain.” Then she got into the car.

  As Travis drove off, Violet chewed her bottom lip. What the heck had that been all about? She looked back and he was still standing in the same place, watching the car drive away. When he touched a finger to the corner of his mouth, her heart began to stammer. Had he felt it too?

  JL twisted back from the front passenger seat. “What in the ever-loving fuck is going on with you and Cain?”

  Travis chuckled.

  Violet sighed. “I have no freakin’ idea.”

  “Watching you two together…him walking in to save the day and then all those touches and whispers? Hell, those sparks that you two have going on…Well, I practically orgasmed right there.”

  “Jamie Lynn! Jesus!” Travis groaned. “Don’t say shit like that. I’m going to have to wash my ears out with gasoline now.”

  The two women laughed.

  “I don’t know what’s going on but whatever it is, he’s sending me mixed signals,” Violet admitted.

  “Mixed?” JL snorted. “No, honey, those fucking signals were so damn clear they may as well have been packaged in neon wrapping paper. If you can’t pick that shit up, you need to get your eyes checked.”

  Actually, Violet thought, what she needed to do was get her head checked, because the feelings she was having for Cain had gone from straight lust to something else mixed in. Suddenly she wanted more with him. What that more was, she wasn’t exactly sure, but the way he’d shown up here tonight…she felt as if just sleeping with him wasn’t all that she wanted.

  But Cain Sorenson was the most complicated, emotionally unavailable man she’d ever met. There was no way this would end well if she ever allowed herself to have more with him.

  Chapter 9

  A pounding on the door of the hotel room woke Violet from a night of restless sleep in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar bed. She looked around and saw that the bed JL had slept on was empty. She stretched her arms over her head and padded to the door. Assuming it was JL coming back up from breakfast, she opened it without looking. “You forgot the key, huh?” she said as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

  “Never had your key,” said a deep voice, sounding amused.

  Violet opened her eyes, startled at the sight of Cain.

  “Cain!” she gasped as his eyes wandered down her bare legs and the camisole that had risen up. Quickly she pulled her top down and awkwardly crossed her legs. “What are you doing here?”

  He moved into the room, shutting the door behind him, and looked around at the unmade beds. “Did Travis sleep here last night?” he asked brusquely.

  For heaven’s sake, she wasn’t naked; why the hell did he make her feel as if she was? She pulled her shorts down a little.

  “No, he didn’t stay here last night.”

  She rummaged through her bag for her jeans and stepped into them, not bothering to take off her thin cotton shorts. “Why are you here so early?”

  “It’s ten. You wanted breakfast, didn’t you?” His tone was curt.

  “You suggested breakfast. Not me.” She crossed her arms over her braless chest, wishing she had a robe, and glared at him. Last night had been magical, and now today he was back to his overbearing jerkish ways.
Well, she wasn’t in the mood for his mood swings.

  Finally he let out a breath, looking almost defeated. “Sorry. You’re right. Finish getting dressed and we’ll go eat. Hurry up, I’m hungry.”

  She wanted to stick her tongue out like a petulant child, but refrained. Sometimes he was such a pain.

  He sat on her bed waiting on her to get dressed. He wore black sweatpants, a plain white T-shirt that fit taut against his chest, and black sneakers. His blond hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, but a few strands had come out. She wondered if the scowl he wore was his default look. It made him look…dangerous, she thought. Deliciously dangerous. It also made him look like an asshole.

  “You gonna stare at me all day or you gonna hurry it up?” he asked.

  She shook her head in an attempt to get her thoughts in order. “I wasn’t staring. I was thinking about what to wear,” she lied.

  He chuckled. She ran to the bathroom and quickly got through her morning routine before walking out in the same jeans, a worn-out Aerosmith T-shirt, and Chucks. “All right, let’s go.”

  He lifted an eyebrow, tilted his head, and stood.

  “What?” She looked down at herself. “I packed light.”

  “Nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

  She looked down once again and shrugged before walking out of the room behind him.

  A few minutes later, they were sitting at a nearby diner that they’d gone to a lot when they were younger. “Haven’t been here in years,” she observed.

  “Me neither,” Cain replied.

  The waitress came and took their orders before Violet’s phone chirped with an incoming text. She read it, then told Cain, “JL and Travis are heading back to Tarpon Springs.” She typed back, Drive safely. Call me when you get home. Love you.

  “How were you going to get back home?”

  “Was going to book a flight.”

  He nodded before looking down at the plate of food that the waitress set in front of them.

  “And you? When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “Not sure.” He took a bite of his pale-looking scrambled egg whites.

  “In case I didn’t already say it, thank you for coming here for me.”

  “You said it already.” He ate another forkful. “A few times.”

  “Oh, well. I just want to make sure you know how thankful I am.”

  “Stop thanking me.” He sat back and sipped his black coffee. “So, you going to see Jer’s family?”

  “Yeah. They’re on a cruise. They get back in two days and they invited me to lunch the day after that, Thursday.” She ate some of her toast. “Want to come with me? I’m sure they’ll love it.”

  He didn’t answer the question; instead he asked, “You talk to them often?”

  “Yeah. I try to speak with them at least a few times a month. They came down for Daddy’s funeral.”

  That seemed to surprise him, so she continued. “We were always together, Cain. You, me, and Jer. Just ’cause Jer died doesn’t mean they don’t care about us. You really should talk to them. They ask about you every single time. Come with me.”

  He stared at her for a few moments before he leaned forward and continued to eat. “You think you’ll be back by Sunday?”

  “I was going to look for a flight for Thursday evening, Friday at the latest.”

  “You want to drive back together?”

  “You’re going to stay?”

  “I’m not going with you to Jer’s, but I have a few things to take care of in town and then I’m riding back.”

  “We’d ride back on your bike?”

  “Yes.”

  She thought about it for a moment. Maybe this was what they needed—alone time together in a familiar city to rekindle their friendship. Or maybe JL was right. Maybe she could use this time to change their relationship to something physical. Find the more she was looking for. There were so many factors that would make it difficult, but they were both so very much attracted to each other, she wouldn’t mind exploring it further, whether it was him showing her more about what “men liked” or actually having some sort of physical relationship with him. She could handle that, right? Whatever he was willing to give her, she was willing to take. At the very least they could have some fun for a few days. The sexual tension was so thick that if they didn’t do something about it soon, she was afraid their friendship wouldn’t last. “Yeah. Okay.” She smiled.

  “There’s only room for a small bag in my saddle bags, so have JL take some stuff home with her.”

  —

  Fuck. What the hell was I thinking?

  Violet was texting JL instructions with a big smile on her face. That smile would gut him by the end of the week. He was a dead man for sure. He hadn’t been lying about needing to stay in town. He wanted to take the opportunity to clean out his parents’ house, something he’d been avoiding for years.

  “May I ask what things you have to take care of?” she said when she finally looked up.

  “I want to go through my folks’ house. Haven’t had a chance to do that.”

  “Oh.” Her smiled faded into a frown “That sucks. I can help.”

  “It’s fine. No need.”

  “No, it’s no problem. I have nothing to do. I don’t mind. Anyway, that’s not something you should do alone.” When he didn’t reply, she put down her fork slowly and leaned forward. “If we’re going to spend a week together, I have a condition.”

  He leaned back with a raised eyebrow.

  “You stop being this weird broody guy that I barely recognize. You don’t have to be a Chatty Cathy, but you have to open your mouth and speak. Actual words need to come out. This eyebrow thing,” she said with a wagging finger, “it can’t be your go-to in terms of communication.”

  He threw his head back and laughed.

  “And you have to do that often,” she went on. “I like your laugh and you don’t do it nearly enough.”

  “Seems like five or six conditions.”

  “Whatever.” She extended her hand. “Deal?”

  He wanted to remind her that she didn’t have to stay with him. Hell, she didn’t even have to be near him for the time they were in Texas; he just didn’t want her flying out alone. But instead he extended his hand and shook it, giving her a wink.

  She scowled and huffed, “Cain! Words.”

  “Sorry. Yes, I agree.” He laughed again.

  The waitress bought more coffee and they drank it in silence—it was comfortable silence, but he quickly understood it to be her way of making a point. He was going to have to make conversation or it would get awkward quickly. “So, you didn’t find a date to that shit last night, huh?”

  “Thanks for pointing out how much I suck at dating. Maybe it was best when you didn’t talk.”

  “Sorry. Give me a break. A learning curve or something. Let me try again. How’s the dating going?”

  “Not so great, obviously. I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. The reunion happened. I don’t need a date anymore.”

  “So you’re never going to date again?”

  “Is it worth it? All the nerves, the overthinking…” She shook her head. “Nope. So not worth the stress. I’ll just join a nunnery or something.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I can still help, you know.”

  She covered her face with her hands. This was her chance. “Okay, so I have a thought.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Hush.” She threw a crumpled napkin at him. “You help me. Kind of like you were doing. I need it—I’m not joking about having to join a convent or something.”

  “I already told you I’d help,” he said, not understanding.

  “But on a condition.”

  “I’m in the middle of the last condition you gave me.”

  “And you’re doing a great job. You know, with the talking.” She smirked. “Anyway, so…I was thinking that you show me what men like, but for real this time. No stopping. You show me how to seduce a man, and y
ou show me without boundaries.”

  “Uh…what?”

  “You heard me. The other day, when we watched that video, you were turned on too, but then you shut it down. What would’ve happened after that if we were on a real date? That’s what I want to know.”

  “That would involve touching,” Cain said, confused.

  “I would hope so,” she said, her face beet red.

  He sat back, assessing her. “You’ve gotten a little ballsy in the last week, Violet. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  She said nothing, just sat there shredding a napkin. She didn’t really know what else to say other than she hoped he would say yes.

  Cain leaned forward and tipped her chin up so that she would meet his eyes. “Violet, that’s a dangerous request. You sure you can handle it? Three days of hands-on lessons and then we walk away as friends? Is that what you’re proposing? Is that what you want?” His tone was dead serious, almost grave. “Because I don’t want to fuck up our friendship. And having a physical relationship that has an end date—and this has to have an end date—can turn into a disaster if both parties aren’t mature enough to handle it.”

  She felt a flare of anger. “I’m mature enough, Cain. We only have to have an end date because you want it to have an end date. I have no delusions—if you want it that way, I’m okay with it. I won’t expect any sort of commitment from you. I can walk away from this being friends. I can handle it. It seems to me that maybe you’re afraid you won’t be able to handle it.” She leaned back in her seat, unsure where she’d gotten the courage to say all that. Lately she had been getting ballsier, like Cain had said. It was as if something had snapped and she didn’t want to hide out in her own life anymore.

  Now she’d thrown down the gauntlet…and was actually a little afraid that he’d accept her challenge. If there was one thing she knew, you didn’t challenge a man like Cain Sorenson unless you were going to follow through.

  Cain stood up. “Oh little girl, you’re playing with fire.” He threw some money on the table and extended a hand to her.

  “I’m not a little girl,” she said as she slid out of the booth.