Page 1 of Pomegranate Kiss (Charmed in Charleston #2)
Chapter One
L ex was on lucky IPA number three, and the alcohol wasn’t cutting it.
She had social skills—in the same way a screaming pygmy goat did. However, her repertoire consisted of getting women into a stall at the club, into the back of her Challenger, or if they were really lucky and the need ran too hot—into their beds.
Said repertoire didn’t consist of any skills for a casual how-d’ya-do to the woman she last finger-fucked in the women’s bathroom of Notes Nightclub. And Danny’s best friend Camilla, or Cam as she affectionately called her, had been avoiding Lex. She was one hundred percent sure.
Lex leaned over the railing of the deck behind Adrian’s house, staring out at the grassy expanse of the picket-fence perfect she’d always imagined for her big brother. Never her.
“Look, I know scowling’s your default mode, but the storm clouds emanating off you right now are a massive buzzkill, sis.” Matty mouthed off from behind her.
The pain in the ass kept trying to get her to work at the Gin Mill again, despite the fact she needed to move forward. Her time in a cell had been the splash of rancid water in the face to get off her ass. Bell had been good enough to let her continue her apprenticeship tattooing for Inkspiration, and she was determined to see that the rest of the way through.
Lex lifted her middle finger. “Fuck off, nosy. Maybe all this hearts and flowers shit makes me cranky. Doesn’t mean I’m not happy as hell for Saint Adrian and the spitfire who’ll keep him on his toes. They’ll be perfect together.”
“Yeah, how dare true love interrupt your schedule of clandestine hookups,” Matty shot back, a grin on his lips and a wicked glint in his gaze.
The sun began to set, hazy peach and tangerine streaks threading across the horizon. Lex’s heart thundered in her chest. She shouldn’t be bothered by his comment—it was true and something she touted loud and clear. Yet, every time she watched the warm shared glances between her parents and now the loving nudges between Adrian and Danny, her stomach twisted. Lex tilted back her bottle of IPA, the sharp flavor settling on her tongue.
“Hey, Matty, you mind if I cut in?” Danny’s voice rang out behind them. Lex pivoted around to lean against the railing, her elbows scuffing against the wooden beams. Danny strode toward her, her wavy copper hair glistening like flame that didn’t hope to outshine the glow emanating from her all night.
Cam walked in behind Danny, and Lex’s traitor heart started marching at a faster beat. The woman looked as stunning as she had that first night at the club, crimson on her lips and her thick, dark hair pulled into a careful plait. Her apple cheekbones and sharp chin set off her petite face, and her smooth, tawny skin looked delicious. Everything about her was smoothed around the edges and under control, from the lack of wrinkles on her maroon pants to the pristine state of the cream blouse clinging to her curves. And yet, Cam wouldn’t look her in the eye.
Lex stared at her even harder.
Matty lifted a hand and strode off toward the door. “You’d be doing me a favor. Your turn with the Queen of the Underworld.”
“If I’m Queen of the Underworld, then you’re one of my underlings, Matty-be-damned,” Lex called back. The door creaked shut, leaving the three of them out there.
Danny chewed on her lip and glanced to the ground. “I’d love it if you’d be my maid of honor. You’re one of the people I’ve known the longest, and those are few and far between for me. Besides, Adrian told me what you and Cal did—how you convinced him to not give up on me.”
A flush burned on Lex’s cheeks, and she tipped back her beer, hoping the cool liquid would counter the attack. The woman combined pure sweetness and sass into one fantastic package, and Danny was one of the few people Lex could always tolerate, even when she sank into one of her moods. Lex leaned down to place her bottle on the ground and opened her arms.
“Come on in, sis,” she said, trying to ignore the emotion that formed a lump in the back of her throat. “I even promise not to grope you, though, damn, you’re gorgeous.”
Danny snorted and closed the distance to throw her arms around her. Lex crushed her into the hug.
“I’d be honored, sweetheart,” Lex murmured into Danny’s ear. No way she’d let her brothers hear her softness hit the air.
When they separated, the grin on Danny’s face was blinding. “Thanks, Lex. You’ll have Nellie and Cam to help, since they’re my other bridesmaids.”
Lex shot Cam an appraising look. Just try to avoid her now.
Cam offered a forced grin. Whatever warmth blazed between them that night had vanished like alcohol at an intervention, and in its place remained this ice queen Lex didn’t recognize.
“Danny, Mom wants to talk to you again,” Adrian called from the door. Lex’s brother was tall, tanned, and athletic—a clean-cut, successful doctor. The opposite of her tattooed and pierced ass in every way. But the guy possessed a heart made of platinum when it came to his family, and she loved him more than anyone on this planet. Not like she’d ever admit it though.
“Cam, you don’t have to deal with more family stuff.” Danny clapped a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”
Danny bolted before Cam could follow, her ponytail a streak of red. The door thumped shut behind her, and Cam closed the distance to come lean against the railing with Lex, the creak echoing in the air.
“Suppose I’ll be needing your number now,” Lex murmured, not bothering to hide the heat in her voice. “You know. For bridesmaid shit.”
Cam exhaled a sigh. “Just for bridesmaid stuff,” she warned, a sharp edge to her voice. The woman’s dark eyes were unreadable, but all the coldness only made Lex blaze hotter.
“Based on the way you begged that night, I’m positive I wasn’t too bad,” Lex kept her voice low, huskiness creeping in. “Avoid me all you like, but it’s not like I’m knocking down your door begging for a relationship.”
Cam hunched forward on the railing, her elbows digging deep as she speared her fingers through her hair. “Have I been that obvious?”
“Painfully,” Lex responded with a half-grin. Her claws crept out during this conversation, her defenses rising with the woman’s odd behavior, nothing like the night they met.
“Look, I’m sorry if I’ve misled you, but I’m not gay, bi, or whatever.” Cam said, turning to face her. Her eyes flashed with pure seriousness, but Lex couldn’t wrap the cords around her laugh.
“So not-gay you let another woman eat you out in a dirty bathroom stall while you moaned loud enough the club music almost didn’t cover it up. Which I loved, mind you.” Lex pursed her lips, clarity settling over her. She’d witnessed the behavior a thousand times over with Matty, how he froze and lashed out the moment anyone made an insinuation.
Cam’s lips pressed firm together. “I was having an off night and needed an escape. Like I said, I didn’t mean to mislead you.”
Lex crossed her arms, the railing pressing into her back. Her brows lifted. “Have you given it a fair shake, or did you decide the pressure would be too much to deal with? Because let me tell you, I could do things to that gorgeous body a guy’s never going to be able to.”
Cam’s cheeks flushed, a dusky color against her bronze skin. Lex’s core pulsed at the first reaction from the woman beyond pure ice, a sign their initial encounter hadn’t been some lust-hazed, imagined thing.
“It’s not something I can pursue,” Cam said, her gaze glued to the horizon. The gilt-covered clouds burst with the final remnants of sunset. A couple of dark strands curled against her cheek, her neck, and Lex resisted the urge to brush them away. “Besides, you don’t seem like the type for anything more than one night, so I don’t know why you give a damn.”
Lex chewed on the inside of her cheek. The woman wasn’t wrong. Yet she was a puzzle begging to be solved, and when it came to a challenge, Lex couldn’t resist. Whether stupid pride, burning curiosity, or something other she refused to acknowledge spurred her, she didn’t fucking know. “Humor me for a second,” Lex said. “It’d be a damn shame for you to shut the door tight after having a mere fraction of the experiences you could enjoy.”
Cam lifted her perfectly carved brow.
“I’m not here to interrupt your quest for the perfect man, but we’re going to be spending a ton of time up close and personal while we’re prepping for Danny and Adrian’s wedding. So, if you want to do some experimenting and get a real taste, I’ll even bend my one-night rule.” Lex licked her lips, soaking in the sight of Cam’s lean figure, her soft skin and muscular legs, ones she wouldn’t mind wrapped around her again.
Cam let out a breath and shot her a glance. “Bending your rules for the lost, potentially bi-curious? How benevolent.”
“Can’t keep these gifts to myself,” she shot back, a grin rising to her face at the woman’s sarcasm. “That’d be selfish.” Lex leaned closer to nudge her in the side with her hip. “Plus, I’m heartless, so if you decide the thrill’s not worth the problems that might follow, you won’t need to worry about hurting any feelings.”
“You’re selling this hard,” Cam responded, but she didn’t move away, their hips still touching. “Either you’re in a dry spell, or you want me real bad.”
“There’s not an overwhelming amount of hotties in Charleston, and I keep tabs on those willing to spread their legs for me,” Lex responded. She leaned down to pick her beer up and take a swig.
“Damn, you’re cocky. Are you sure there’s room for anything else besides your ego?” Cam’s eyes glittered. Her dry barbs revved Lex’s engine like they had the first time they met. Despite Cam’s lofty claims of having an off night, if Lex had to place a bet, that hadn’t been the first time she’d experimented.
“Probably not.” She leaned one elbow against the railing, facing Cam. Her whole body lit at the proximity, and the delicate scent of roses consumed her. The woman tried to avoid her gaze, but Lex devoured every slip her way. She ran the tip of her tongue over her pointed tooth. “My ego’s insatiable.”
Cam let out a belabored sigh and shot her a direct look. “Your ego’s something all right.”
The door creaked open, and Danny appeared again. She ducked her head and lifted a beer in triumph. “I’ve escaped—at least for now.”
“Give it five seconds,” Lex responded. “Someone in my family will need something and your fiancé will zoom to the rescue, dragging you into the mix.” She tried to ignore the tug of disappointment. Cam had already taken a step away from her.
“I’ll leave the rescuing to Adrian. He’s got kittens and grandmas to charm,” Danny responded, plunking beside Cam along the perfect leaning spot. She tipped back her drink. “I’ve got plenty of planning to do anyway. Hope you ladies don’t mind a shorter timeline for this wedding thing.”
“What sort of timeline are you thinking of?” Cam asked, avoiding Lex’s stare.
“Six months should do the trick. I’ve had my life on hold for so long, I don’t want to waste any more time.” Danny wrinkled her nose, her green eyes darkening. She always got quieter at the mention of her past. From when she was Sam Peterson, girl in WitSec on the run from her murderer father, not the woman she’d become, Danny Reynolds, gardener extraordinaire and now fiancée of Adrian Dukas.
Lex tugged out her phone and placed it on the railing in front of Cam. “Better get your number then, bridesmaid. We’ve got some coordinating to do.”
Cam let out an annoyed huff. The look she passed her was pure, simmering acid. Lex’s wicked grin widened in response. She’d take the irritation over ice any day of the week. Despite Cam’s reaction, she picked up her phone and punched her number in.
The door creaked open behind them again. “Leeeeex, Mom wants your help,” Nell called from the doorway. Her little sister’s blonde hair had been pulled back into a low chignon, and between the pink lipstick and her lavender swing dress, Nell was the epitome of femme. Too bad the man she had chosen to appreciate it forevermore was a supreme douche. The entire family hated her husband Greg.
Lex heaved a sigh, slipped her phone back in her pocket, and lifted her now-empty beer. Perfect timing, she’d grab another. “My turn now.”
Even though she wanted to spend more time out here flirting, now that Danny had returned, Cam would frost over again. Especially if she was as conflicted as she seemed—clinging to the closet would be her go-to.
She strode inside and the wall of sound greeted her. Out there lay a temporary peace, the quiet chirps of birds, the whistle of the wind, and the slight chill in the air. In here was a blast of heat, the rich scents of her mother’s home-cooked fisherman’s stew, and the chatter from their large family turning Adrian’s spacious home into a barnyard hoedown.
Her mom sat on the couch in Adrian’s living room with Danny’s mother. The two were already becoming fast friends, but truth be told, Thaisa Dukas could befriend anyone, from the person behind her in the checkout line to the waitresses at Hanahan’s main diner. Lex’s chest squeezed tight at the sight of her mom leaning back in the couch, her curls pinned back and fire engine red on her lips. Joy crinkled the corners of her eyes that the oldest in the family inspired. Lex had only ever garnered disapproval. She’d stumbled from one mess to another, and despite the soft disappointment in her mother’s eyes, Thaisa Dukas still supported her every step of the way.
“Alexis, would you do me a favor and pull the cake out?” Mom called, the warmth in her voice like coming home. When she’d spent her time locked up, the weekly family dinners were what she’d missed the most.
“You’ve got it,” Lex said, offering a salute as she made her way to the kitchen. Adrian and Cal chatted with Dad in the dining room while Matty skulked around in the background, trying to avoid conversations almost as much as her. Nellie bustled into the kitchen, yanking out silverware and plates to help.
Lex’s phone buzzed, and she tugged it out. Cam had texted her.
You’ve got six months.
Lex’s lips curled into a grin. Game on.