Page 7 of Pomegranate Kiss (Charmed in Charleston #2)
Chapter Seven
E very time Lex met with Dana, her parole officer, the aftermath left her wanting to speed on the freeway or break windows with a tire iron. All she could see was the pale walls of the penitentiary, the feel of the orange jumpsuit on her skin, and the stale lighting permeating her pores.
She couldn’t end up there again. Lex had done fine on the surface—loudmouthed with a penchant for violence, she nipped any competition in the bud fast and made some friends while she was at it. But inside, she screamed and screamed and screamed.
She leaned back in her Chevy and lifted up her phone, the bright bluish light glaring at her. All she had waiting for her back at the townhouse was half a bottle of whisky. Mitch was working tonight, so they couldn’t zoom across the highway, and she wasn’t in the mood to be a barfly. Tonight, Lex wanted someone’s entire attention, their whole focus.
You free?
The jumpstart of her heart once she sent the text had her internally cursing. This whole thing with Cam where they hung out, flirted, fooled around, and got to know each other better than she’d let just about anyone in—fuck, she had no idea what she was doing. Or what she’d do when the six months were up.
Yeah, why?
Lex chewed on her lip.
Meet me at Magnolia Cemetery in a half hour.
She didn’t wait for the response, simply started the ignition and began to drive.
***
Magnolia Cemetery was a slice of the macabre separate from the picturesque, pastel parts of town and the hazy ocean breeze saturating the air. The creek glittered in the late afternoon sun, which threatened to turn to dusk. She strode past the metal sign, the yellow letters bright and familiar. Lex basked in the fragrance of the magnolia trees that swayed in the wind here and the stale scent of granite and limestone from all the tombstones lined around the place.
This had been one of her safe havens ever since she was a teenager and had escaped here with her friends to get high. She and the other rejects would kick back and toke up late at night. Something about this place —whether the quietness, the air of solemnity, or the sense of “other” guarding the area—every time she came here, she could breathe. The buzz in her mind muted, and her cocktail shaker of problems seemed to pour out.
Lex slipped out a cigarette to light and leaned against her car. The embers glowed at the tip when she sucked in a drag, letting the nicotine cool her nerves. She hadn’t checked Cam’s response, because she didn’t want to be disappointed. The location was weird, but it was also wholly her. Part of her braced for the inevitable rejection, the foreign look in Cam’s eyes where she realized they didn’t know her at all.
Time and time again.
The familiar mausoleums cut starker figures in the fading light, the miniature pyramid clear even from where she stood. A car rumbled across the parking lot, one she recognized at once. She tapped the ash off the end of her cigarette and sucked down a final few drags before crushing it under her heel. Lex ran a hand through her pixie cut, smoothing her gel-tamed strands.
Cam’s car door slammed, and the woman stepped out. The breath snagged in Lex’s throat. Camilla Muhuri was the opposite of her in every way. Where Lex rolled up in a mess of torn jeans and wrinkled shirts, everything Cam wore was pressed, neat, or clung to her curves in a style that made Lex salivate. Today, Cam wore gray leggings showcasing her toned calves and a goldenrod tunic highlighting her slender curves—clothes Lex wanted to peel off Cam’s body with her teeth.
“So, we’re meeting at the graveyard?” Cam asked, surveying the area with a wrinkle across her brow. “Not that the tombstones aren’t picturesque, but I’m not enough of a spooky bitch to get down and dirty on top of someone’s grave.”
Lex couldn’t help the laugh that slipped from her. Mere minutes in this woman’s presence and she already felt lighter, which was more dangerous than anything.
“You sure? Sounds positively sacri-licious,” Lex responded, waggling her eyebrows.
Cam delivered the droll look she’d come to love and pursed her lips. Lex hooked her thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans and rocked back and forth. She stared up at the cloudless sky, trying to ignore the prickle up her skin. “This is the place I’ve been running to ever since high school when shit gets too overwhelming. I know that makes me a ‘spooky bitch’ but there’s something quiet here that speaks to me.”
“So Matty’s Queen of the Underworld claims weren’t too far off,” Cam teased, her eyes softening. She looked at her, not a shred of repulsion in her gaze, and Lex’s heart lurched.
“Come on, let’s walk,” Lex said, reaching for Cam’s hand to pull her forward. Even after they took the first steps, Lex didn’t let go of Cam’s hand, and she didn’t pull away either. Her skin tingled where their palms touched, the simple connection making her body strike like a spark plug.
She’d made all these physical promises to Cam with their agreement, that she’d do her damnedest to convert her through mind-blowing sex. Yet, they were two months in and hadn’t even fucked. And based on Cam’s confused glances and comments, she’d tuned in to the contradiction.
Still, Lex couldn’t help herself. She’d never gotten this connection from anyone she’d messed around with—the affection, the understanding, and the simple feeling of having someone else around.
Cam cast a glance to her, and their eyes snagged, the air growing thicker with the weight of all the ghosts lingering in this place.
“So, what’s getting too overwhelming?” Cam asked, swinging their hands as they strolled down the wide dirt paths cutting through Magnolia Cemetery. Limestone tombs rose all around them, a mixture of fresh and withered blooms decorating the surfaces.
“Meeting with my parole officer, for one. Every time, it reminds me of that place, and I can’t go back there,” Lex said, the words slipping out unintended. She fixed her stare on the winding creek ahead, the surface turning molten gold with the setting sun.
Cam squeezed her hand. “You’re not going back there. You’ve got a career lined up, a family who loves you, and a bright future that doesn’t include more jail time.”
Lex let out a bark of a laugh, half hopeless, half bitter. “Then you really don’t know me. I had all that shit beforehand too, and I’ll fuck it up every time. Hell, Bell even mentioned a permanent chair at Inkspiration and my commitment Klaxons started clanging.”
Cam pulled her hand away, and Lex regretted the admission at once. No one wanted to pick up the fragments of the shattered window inside her head. The woman strode over to one of the graves, a fresh peony wreath in front of it. The tombstone had been carved with an intricate depiction of wings. Cam crouched and traced her fingers along the lines.
“There’s a lot of gorgeous art here,” Cam said, her voice echoing through the hush. “I would’ve never thought to look for it in a cemetery.”
Lex strolled up to her, but when Cam’s gaze landed on her, she froze.
“You didn’t know what it’d be like back then. Now you do. You’re impulsive and a little bit reckless, sure, but you’re not an idiot, Lex. You’ve got the tools and the support to fight. Whether you do or not is in your court.”
Lex swallowed hard. Few bothered to be frank with her like that, and she could feel her hackles rising, the acid begging to leap to her tongue. But Cam was right. Every time she leaned hard on what a fuck-up she was, she avoided taking responsibility.
The bravado dried on her tongue. “Enough of my maudlin bullshit. Let’s go check out the pyramid. If you’ve never been here before, you’ll appreciate the artistry.”
Cam got up from her crouch and brushed against her arm as she strode forward. The dusky look in her eyes, the way the golden sunlight brought out the rich browns in Cam’s dark hair, and how her bronze skin gleamed held her spellbound. Even though they weren’t holding hands anymore, tension coated the air between them as they walked mere inches apart.
“How’s your quest for the perfect man going?” Lex said, regretting the words at once. That was the last thing she wanted to hear about right now, but she couldn’t help it. With the way her skin scraped raw and sensitive, she wanted to douse it in vinegar.
Cam gave her a wry look. “Pretty poor, considering I’ve got this whole lesbian experiment going on with my friend right now who thinks I’m available at any hour of the day or night.”
Lex’s heart thundered as she lifted her hands, a genuine smile rising to her lips. “No expectations here. Can’t blame a girl for hoping to spend time with someone as scorching as you. God, I could watch the swing of your hips for hours.”
Cam ducked her head, a gorgeous flush on her cheeks. “Thanks. Good to know I’m a hot piece of ass.” Even as she delivered the dry comment, she slipped into a small grin.
Lex let out a low whistle and closed the distance between them to wrap her arm around Cam’s waist and draw her close. “You’re irresistible, babe.”
As Cam looked up at her, Lex’s hands settled on her hips, and she leaned down to brush her lips against hers. She tasted sweet, like springtime, and the rose scent that surrounded her transported Lex to another dimension. Lex pulled away, a grin clinging to her lips and her heart pounding harder than ever. “Now get your hot piece of ass on the move so I can show you more spooky shit.”
Cam rolled her eyes. “All that big talk you delivered about swaying me to the dark side had me thinking there would be a lot more action going on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the adventure, but if I’m still straight by the end of this, I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt.”
Lex’s throat tightened. They had an expiration date, less than four months away, but she’d been ignoring that with all her might. At the end of this, Cam would go back to trying to find the perfect husband while Lex would lapse into quick-n-dirty hookups in the bathroom at Notes Nightclub.
“If you wanted instant gratification, go on Tinder,” Lex commented. “I told you I’d show you the full breadth of how good this could be, which takes some time to unfold.”
Cam lifted a brow. “Lofty promises. We’ll see when you deliver.” Even with the arid way she responded, a grin lifted those crimson lips and challenge sparked in her eyes.
They stopped in front of the infamous pyramid, which towered above them. Lex itched to draw the precise lines, and the seafoam green doors were carved with intricate patterns and framed by large columns and an arch. Moss slipped into the seams between the weathered bricks, emerald under the late sun.
“Damn, this is gorgeous,” Cam said, shaking her head. “How have I been here for years and never seen this?”
“Probably because most people don’t go to cemeteries for fun,” Lex commented, her chest warming at the wonder in Cam’s eyes.
“You’ll never be most people, Alexis Dukas,” Cam responded, a heat in her voice that had Lex tripping over herself.
They continued down the path until they reached another massive magnolia tree, the spindly branches reaching out to try to touch the sky. Spanish moss dangled from the branches, swaying with the breeze. From here, the thrum of the lazy creek echoed in the air, cutting through some of the quiet tension from the cemetery.
The sun had begun to set, the first magenta streaks coursing across the horizon. Lex felt the deepening colors in her core, settling with the finality of the surrounding gravestones. Not just this place but Cam’s presence soothed the roar in her mind. Every time she was around her, the urge to run until her lungs threatened to burst, to dive off a cliff, to cross a shaky bridge subsided, because being by her side thrilled her as much.
The more time she spent around this woman, the harder she fell.
Lex stopped by the ancient magnolia tree that stretched wide and tall like a guardian of this old cemetery. She slipped an arm around Cam, and the woman leaned in as Lex guided them to the base. Every time Lex took the reins, Cam melted into her, and the implicit trust there formed an addiction she’d never be able to cure.
Lex took one step forward, then another until Cam’s back thudded against the trunk. She placed her hands on either side to brace herself on the tree trunk, the rough bark scraping her skin. Cam sagged against the trunk, looking up at her with soft, yearning eyes that undid her every time.
Lex pressed her lips against Cam’s, sinking into the slow exploration. Cam’s mouth opened for her at once, her moan vibrating there. The sensations coursed through Lex like the drip of honey, and she squeezed her thighs together tight. Her pussy throbbed as she swept her tongue in to taste Cam’s sweetness, longing to slip her fingers beneath the waistband of her panties and explore.
Instead, Lex went higher.
She glided her fingers behind Cam’s back and undid her bra with a snap. The straps sagged on her shoulders. Lex didn’t stop kissing Cam, setting a demanding, insistent pace even as her fingers skimmed beneath the hem of her tunic. She slipped her palm up the slope of her waist, and Cam shivered against the touch. The moment her hands circled around the woman’s breasts, the following moan was audible in the air.
God, she loved how responsive Cam was, how she became as pliable as stoneware clay to Lex’s touch.
She squeezed the petal-soft globes tight, her clit aching from the feel of Cam’s heavy breasts in her hands. Lex leaned to the side to press kisses up and down her neck and swiped her thumbs across Cam’s hardened nipples. Her hips bucked forward, grinding against Cam’s at the touch. Lex squeezed her breasts even harder, her breaths coming out in ragged pants. Her underwear was soaked.
Cam’s hands trailed down her hips, and she squeezed them as they settled in place.
The woman wanted unforgettable? Lex would give it to her.
She continued to trail kisses down the pulse point on Cam’s neck, her collarbone. Cam’s nipples formed stiff peaks against the fabric of her tunic, and Lex descended to place a light bite on each one. Cam’s moan was sinful, and Lex’s restraint stretched like a rubber band threatening to snap. With the way this woman ground against her, holding on for dear life, she wanted to slip her fingers into the pussy she knew would be soaked for her.
Anyone else, and she would. However, every time she was about to lose control, she held back. Part of her wanted to wait until the perfect moment to cross the line, to the point she might just convince Cam this was what she wanted. As if her fantasy might stand a chance of coming true.
Lex returned to Cam’s mouth, drawing out the kiss until she pulled away. The sky grew dark, and the moon peeked out to cast silver hues across the tombstones. They’d kissed right through the sunset. Cam’s chest heaved with the desire charging the air between them, but as she had from the beginning, she let Lex take the reins.
“Looks like I was able to make you a spooky bitch, after all,” Lex cracked, her eyes gleaming with amusement. The joke shattered the tension between them, and Cam flicked her in the arm.
“You’re ridiculous. Come on, let’s see the rest of this cemetery of yours,” Cam said, snapping her bra on and running her fingers through her hair to comb it back. She took the footsteps forward, and Lex followed, trailing behind a couple of paces.
This was one of the few, lonely places where she could admit the truth, where her self-delusions crumbled like the tombstones surrounding her. No matter how much she tried to convince herself the opposite, she was falling for Cam.