Page 5 of Pomegranate Kiss (Charmed in Charleston #2)
Chapter Five
L ex fucking hated shopping. But as the maid of honor, she needed to do the whole trying on dresses bullshit with the wedding party. The one thing that reeled her in right now was the promise of seeing Cam again after their kiss. Anticipation thrummed through her veins because she planned on having a little more fun with her today.
The woman had no idea what was coming for her.
She strode up to Magnolia Boutique, casting a stray glance at her slim band tee, threadbare jeans, and mud-splattered Doc Martens. The delicate hand-painted sign out front, the cream and ivory monstrosities displayed in the shop window, and all the pristine, pristine white made Lex purse her lips. This was a first. But Danny’s priorities were in the same place as hers, so hopefully she wouldn’t be asked to have too involved of an opinion.
She fidgeted with her septum ring before striding up the steps to go join the circus.
“Lex, we’re over here,” Nellie called once she stepped in. Her baby sister was a shock of blonde amidst a sea of Dukas dark hair at any family gathering. Her gentle features had deepened as she grew into one hell of a beautiful woman with blue eyes that radiated the sweetness inside. If only she hadn’t married a homophobic asshole.
Mom poked around at the dresses, dipping her fingers into the creases and checking the trains. Her mother looked up, and her dark eyes brightened with warmth she shared between all her children. Lex swallowed, hard. She hated that she’d ever caused this woman distress.
“Danny already start trying on dresses?” Lex asked, taking strides across the polished pine floor. She wasn’t late on principle, but Lex tended to show up like the mail—consistent, though delivery times might vary. She wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged tight, breathing in the scent of spice and home.
“She picked a few she liked and was ready to bolt, but Nellie and I are making her stay and give others a fair try.” Mom gave her a knowing look. “It’s no wonder you and Danny get along so well.”
When they separated, Lex’s nose wrinkled on instinct. This place was bright and airy with wide windows, sunbeams spilling inside, and paste pale décor everywhere. Lex hated it. Give her a sweaty club or a murky, underground bar any day of the week.
Cam slipped out from behind a behemoth of a ballgown on a stand. The other night when all her features had been softened from the lack of makeup, there had been something beautifully raw about her, like dipping a needle into fresh ink. Today, she’d showed up with her war paint on. Her kohl eyeliner made her eyes pop, and her crimson lips tantalized. The moment their eyes locked, a flush of awareness rolled through Lex’s body, making her come alive.
“We’re in charge of picking out our own dresses,” Cam commented, slinking over. Her long maroon skirt trailed along the floor, offsetting her cream blouse. “Danny’s only rules are pastels and each of our colors has to be different.”
Lex snorted. All she could think of were the parade of jewel-toned girls she’d left to devour Mitch at the bar. He’d sent her a follow-up text the next morning with a thumbs up, so the mission had been a success.
“Ugh, here’s dress number three,” Danny said, stepping out from the changing stalls along the other side of the room. She took small steps approaching because the dress was on a mission to devour her. The attendants flocked to Danny with the swiftness of experience and tugged her bustle back into place before helping her up to the platform. Danny glanced to the mountains of tulle beneath her and frowned. Abigail Peterson, her mom, waited in the wings to help.
“You look as uncomfortable in that thing as I am here,” Lex drawled, dragging Danny’s attention her way.
A grin broke onto Danny’s face, her eyes crinkling with a genuine smile. “You’re as bad in this place as Adrian is at Notes.”
Lex let out a bark of a laugh in response. God, she loved her future sister-in-law. Her own love life might be a never-ending cycle of self-flagellation, but Danny and Adrian made her hope, even for a second.
“So, this dress is a no,” Danny said, floofing it at the edges and watching it fall with a withering glance. “Why is this torturous practice one we do willingly?”
Cam shook her head, her lips pursed. “Because women’s sizing is a nightmare and it takes a while to find something that fits.”
“Thanks, Practical Polly,” Danny shot back with a grin as she flounced off the stage, heading to the dressing rooms.
“We should start looking for our own dresses,” Cam said, tilting her head toward the racks of multicolored satin and chiffon. Gag. Cam’s gaze rested on hers. “Pastels, not black or any variant of.”
“Does this bitch look like she wears pastels?” Lex joked as they headed toward the racks.
She cast a stray glance back to see Nellie and Mom deep in discussion, and Abigail headed over to join them. They turned the corner to lose themselves amidst a sea of fabric.
“This bitch looks like she’s going to wear whatever the bride asks her to,” Cam responded. Lex lived for the dry responses and expectant glances Cam delivered. The more she got to know her, the more she’d come to appreciate the woman’s grounded personality.
Lex cast another careful glance back—they weren’t visible from here. She leaned in and swept Cam’s strands away. The woman froze, and Lex followed the same circuit before she relaxed into her touch again. Lex trailed her fingers along the slope of Cam’s neck, enjoying the way she shivered. Cam was so responsive it made her wet.
Lex brushed her lips against hers, a mere whisper of a kiss.
The air trembled between them, and the thrill of this stolen moment rolled down her spine. She drank in Cam’s warmth, her scent, and the petal-soft feel of her skin.
“Guys, did you find anything?” Nellie called out.
Lex took a large step away, and Cam pivoted her attention to the array of pale yellow dresses in front of her.
“I’m thinking this color for me,” Cam said, her voice coming across louder than normal. She had a lush look in her eyes, pooled with desire. The ache between Lex’s thighs grew. The amount she’d masturbated this week bordered on ridiculous, yet she continued her stupid quest to draw things out. Lex’s heart raced with a mounting thrill.
“That’ll be super flattering on you,” Nellie said, approaching them. She fingered through the pastel pinks. “I’ll probably go with this one.” She squinted at the fabrics and plucked out the lavender. “Lex, you should try this one. I know, I know, it’s not black.”
Lex snorted and strode over to rifle through a couple of dresses in the color her sister pointed out. The styles were all ones meant for femme girls, not rough and tumble hellions like her, but she’d squeeze herself into one of these for Danny’s sake. She snatched up a few at random, but her gaze settled on the Grecian style one. Choice made. At least this way she looked like she was trying.
“How’s the search going, Danny?” Lex called, her voice echoing around this spacious place. The attendants hovered around the bride, helping her onto the platform, this time in a mermaid-style gown showcasing her knock-out curves. Lex let out a wolf whistle, and Danny flashed a grin in response. The back was cut low, and flowers framed the entire thing in a gorgeous pattern. She didn’t know the technicals, but Danny looked damn fine.
“Do you like this one?” Mom asked, her eyes gleaming as she grinned over the dress.
Danny nodded. “Better than the others at least. I’ve got a few more they think I should try.” She cast a look to the bundle of dresses in Lex’s arms. “Why don’t you guys start trying yours on so we can wrap up faster and get some lunch?”
“Sounds good to me,” Cam called, making a beeline for the changing rooms around the back. Lex’s tongue trailed along her lips as the idea hit her. She sped up, her long legs carrying her in the same direction. Her heart thumped harder, and she couldn’t resist the grin that broke out on her face. She reached the stalls right as the one door began to swing shut.
Lex grabbed the door and yanked it back open. “Hey beautiful,” she purred, clicking the door locked behind her.
Cam crossed her arms over her chest. “Go get your own changing room, Lex. Your family and my best friend are right out there.”
Lex closed the distance between them and leaned in. “Which is exactly what makes this exciting.”
Cam sucked in a sharp breath, but her arms dropped to her sides, a tentative twitch to her fingers as if she wanted to reach out and touch just as badly. Lex slid her hands around Cam’s waist, and after, she took one step forward, then another, Cam’s back thumped against the wall. Her chest rose and fell with the same deliberate breaths that cycled through Lex, and the smooth skin of her breasts looked fucking delicious.
Cam gasped against Lex’s mouth, but she dove to the side to press her lips against her neck, her collarbone, any of the satin skin she could find. Her fingers slipped underneath the hem of Cam’s shirt. When the woman let out a shuddering moan, Lex couldn’t help but grin. She reached for the band of Cam’s skirt and drew back enough to look her in the eyes, her head tilted in question.
Cam bit her lip, but she nodded, a dusky flush on her cheeks. God, she was so beautiful it hurt. Lex slipped her fingers past the band of her flowing skirt, her fingertips gliding past her panties. She was fucking soaked, and damn if that didn’t turn her on even more. The second Lex’s fingertips swiped over her clit, another moan lit the air. She couldn’t help the laugh that slipped from her.
“I love your screams, babe, but we’ve got to keep quiet here,” she said. She stepped so their bodies were flush together and clapped a hand over Cam’s mouth. Her lids grew hooded, and the tilt of her hips in offering strained Lex’s composure. She wanted to shove her finger into that stunning pussy and pump until Cam screamed her name, but that wasn’t the game she played.
She continued teasing Cam’s clit with her fingers, the muffled moans vibrating against her palm. This body deserved to be caressed, to be memorized. Lex pressed kisses along her neck, alternating with bites. Cam was so into this she ground against Lex’s fingers, and the intensity created a heady rush. Her pussy throbbed—fuck, she needed release, bad.
She tasted the sweetness of Cam’s skin, the floral notes imprinting on her like a tattoo. Every time they’d come together, Cam melted in her arms. No matter the hostility, the confusion, or the freeze outs, any time things had gotten physical, those all dissolved. Cam’s hips bucked as she thrust herself into Lex’s hand, her panties drenched. Lex wanted her so bad she could taste it. She wanted to hear those moans fill the air, feel the pulse of her pussy as she unwound, and watch the bliss soften Cam’s sharp features.
“Did you guys find anything?” Nellie called out, her footsteps echoing their way. Lex sent a silent blessing that her sister announced herself wherever she went. Lex slid her hand out and uncovered Cam’s mouth. She lifted her two fingers and licked the tips. The heat in Cam’s gaze in response grew positively tropical. Lex took careful steps to snag her dresses from where she’d dropped them and slipped out of the stall, bringing the door shut behind her.
The lock clicked at her back when she turned to face Nellie who frowned over the three dresses she’d dragged with her.
“This one,” Lex said, lifting the Grecian one she’d liked before she ever stepped into the room.
Nellie squinted at her. “Did you even try the other ones on?”
“No,” Lex said, a grin playing on her lips. Her little sister knew her well.
“I’m still trying mine on,” Cam called from inside the stall, her voice raw around the edges. Lex bit back her smirk and sauntered forward to rejoin the moms and Danny in their quest for the perfect wedding dress. Her pussy throbbed with an insistent pulse after revving herself up like that. Cam’s body was such a perfect landscape she came close to ruining Lex on other women in general. The hottie at the club the other night hadn’t been enough of an allure, not like this quixotic dance they’d tangled themselves in.
At the end of the six months though—fuck, Lex couldn’t think of that. Either Cam continued to lie to herself that she was straight, or what, she realized she was some color of the rainbow and went to find herself an actual girlfriend who wasn’t a mess? Lex’s mouth dried, but she composed a game face as she approached the others.
Danny stood with both of the moms holding the mermaid style dress she’d found earlier, an excited grin on her face. “Made my choice,” she called out. “So, we’re ready when you guys are.”
Lex lifted her dress. She’d mixed the other ones in with the wrong color on the way up. “Going with this one if it passes inspection.”
Danny offered a thumbs-up. “Looks good to me.”
Footsteps pounded behind them as both Nellie and Cam approached with their choices in hand. Lex didn’t miss how Cam looked at anyone but her. She wanted to feel triumphant about that, knowing the woman was too turned on to breathe in her direction at this point, but all the avoided glances stung like papercuts. If she could stop tormenting herself with forever unattainable girls, maybe she’d stand a chance at something open and real.
She skimmed a hand through her hair. Not like she had anyone else to blame for this mess. Every time, she plunged in on a whim only to crash on the rocks.
“All right,” Danny announced. “Mission accomplished. Let’s get the hell out of here and get lunch.”
Lex strode to the register first, sliding her mask into place. They had a little more than five months before Danny and Adrian’s wedding. Less than six months to indulge in whatever this exploration with Cam was.
Future Lex could deal with that car wreck.