Page 8 of Pomegranate Kiss (Charmed in Charleston #2)

Chapter Eight

C am sipped at her dry martini, which was already mostly gone.

The guy in front of her—Ted? Theo? Whatever his name was droned on and on, and she had herself to blame. His gravel tone was making her nerves itch.

She should probably remember the guy’s name considering it was their third date over the past few months, but he could barely keep her attention.

When things started heating up with Lex, she’d tried to keep up with one date here, another there, but no guy registered on her radar.

She slapped more duct tape over the voice in her mind screaming the reason why .

After the kiss they’d shared at the cemetery, Lex hadn’t been responding as often anyway. Cam had thought whatever had sparked between them would spill into an inferno. Lex had teased and tormented her to the point she was ready to beg for the chance to slip between those thighs and taste her.

Except then her mother called, and when they discussed her plans, Cam tried to sneak in a made-up comment about one of her friends coming out as gay. She didn’t know why she expected anything different.

The sharp-edged tone in her mother’s voice as she told her “Allah would sort out those sinners in the afterlife,” and to “stay far away” gave the confirmation of what she knew. It formed a pit in her stomach she still couldn’t shake, and the shame clung to her skin like a mud bath.

“But after the meeting, I marched into his office and demanded a raise,” the guy continued on. “I know my worth. That’s how I ended up where I am at the firm.”

He was all luscious blond hair, tan, blemish-free skin, and a Crest smile, none of which sparked the tiniest bit of attraction for her. Her mouth watered for a little more ink, a sensual, cruel mouth, and eyes that could slice. Oh, and the opposite gender.

Cam swallowed, hard, and stared up at the ceiling, all wooden panels lined with rivets. The walnut tables, porthole lights, and bronze accents gave the place an underground feel, and the ambiance oozed class. Prohibition Tap Room was one of the more fun venues around town, and live music would be starting any minute here, one of the reasons her date picked the place. When she saw the name headlining, her stomach had dropped. She couldn’t escape the Dukas family anywhere she went, because of course, Cal Dukas was playing tonight.

“Good for you,” Cam said, nodding as she offered a polite smile. She’d stopped paying attention the moment he opened his mouth. She knew why she bothered. After the phone call with her mom, she hoped and prayed if she went on a date that she’d feel a candle’s worth of the flames that devoured her whole every time she was around Lex. However, Cam couldn’t sacrifice her family and security for a temporary thrill when Lex proclaimed far and wide her anti-commitment stance.

She should’ve texted Danny beforehand and set up some escape route, because this date had been a bad idea from the beginning. She was a walking contradiction, yet every time she considered taking the step, her mother’s words clanged around in her head.

“It’s allowed me to live in one of the nicer sections of the city. My condo’s got a gorgeous view if you’d ever like to come over and check it out.” He appraised her with heated eyes, his look edging on a leer.

Cam resisted the temptation to gag and took another sip from her dwindling martini. “Is your family from the area?” she asked, desperate to switch the focus. Part of her thought going home with him would be a good idea. Wash away the memories of Lex, quit this experiment between them, and remind herself she was straight. That part of her spoke with her mother’s voice.

“We’re originally from Louisiana,” he started. A shadow fell over their table.

Oh, shit.

“Cam, fancy running into you here.”

Lex stood in front of their table, looking gorgeous as hell in a loose maroon top and skinny black jeans highlighting her slender, but muscular figure. Cam’s heart had been dead-on-arrival to this date, but the sight of Alexis Dukas got it thumping hard again. Guilt twisted in her chest like she’d been caught cheating, even though neither of them made any promises beyond six months of fooling around.

A dangerous glint lingered in Lex’s eyes as she leaned forward, placing her hand on the table. She angled her body toward Cam, her lips pressed tight together even as she offered a fake as anything smile. “Here on a date? Who’s your friend?”

Cam nodded. Not like she could lie her way out of this one. She tried not to notice the flicker of hurt in Lex’s eyes that froze over. The look sliced her with razors and made the foolish part of her hope maybe she meant more than a goal or temporary thrill.

“This is Ted?” she said, wrinkling her nose as she glanced over to him.

His gaze darkened. “My name’s Brian. Who’s this?”

Lex slipped into the seat beside Cam, and in a blink, her arm looped around her shoulder. “I’m her favorite person on the planet,” she drawled, baring her teeth in a feral grin. Relief shuddered through Cam at the safety of Lex’s arms, and she resisted the urge to sink against her.

“We’re sort of in the middle of a date,” Not-Ted said, leaning in like he might put up a fight. Even though the guy was one popped collar away from a bro, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Lex.

Lex nodded and picked up Cam’s martini to steal the last sip. She wrinkled her nose. “Who the hell drinks martinis besides James Bond?”

Cam rolled her eyes. “Why’d you drink it if you don’t like it?”

“Wishful thinking it’d be something else,” Lex said with a shrug. She fixed her gaze on Not-Ted. “How’s the date going? Did you know this girl is a talented cook AND an artist? Total catch, and she’s already smoking hot.”

Cam’s brows drew together, and she pursed her lips. Whatever Lex was doing, the guy wasn’t digging it. Maybe the way Lex’s grip tightened around her irritated him, or he didn’t like the possessive curl of her voice that made Cam shiver.

Lex leaned in, lifting her hand for a stage whisper. “She’s a screamer too.”

Of course. Cam flicked Lex in the side.

Her date blanched, his gaze darkening as he glanced between them. “Whatever, I’m out.” He pushed up from the table and pulled some crisp bills from his wallet. “This should cover my drinks.”

Brian stepped away from the table, and Cam rounded on Lex. “You’re ridiculous. You can’t just barge in on my dates and scare them off.”

“He wouldn’t have lasted,” Lex said, not budging an inch as she crowded her space. Instead, Lex spread her legs wider. “Come on, the dude seemed nervous the moment I brought up anything personal, and I’m not going to disappear from your life once our expiration date hits. You had the misfortune of becoming one of my friends.”

“Right, but as one of my friends, if I do happen to find someone who works for me and wants the whole settling down package, you’re not going to burst in and tell them I’m a screamer.” Cam fixed her with a granite look. She wouldn’t budge on this.

Lex shot her a look and leaned into her. “Fine. You meet the Mr. Cleaver of your hetero dreams and I’ll keep my lips zipped. Though, it’s a damn shame, because you make one hot-as-sin lesbian.”

Cam’s features tightened at the label. She couldn’t help it. The comment hit her like she’d been slapped, and her mother’s ugly words resurrected from their shallow tomb.

“I’m not,” she insisted, knowing how hollow her words sounded. Around Lex, she settled into her own skin at last, not the uniforms she’d been slipping into from an early age. “I can’t be.”

Lex’s eyebrows drew together, and she reached up to brush her thumb over the crease in Cam’s brow. The tender gesture made her melt like butter.

“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. If that’s not something you’re ready to come to terms with, I’ll back off. This has always been your choice, on your terms.” She traced circles on the table with her finger. “I remember when I came out in high school, I thought my parents were going to have a heart attack. I had been agonizing for a full year over it, trying to keep it secret from my siblings and failing hard. The anxiety was crushing me, so I wrote out a whole letter to read to them. Ended up tossing it in the trash and told them they could either take me as I am, or I’d leave.”

“How’d they respond?” Cam asked, unable to help herself. Her heart stuttered at this shade of vulnerability from Lex, the way she opened windows around her that remained closed for everyone else.

Lex glanced up, running her finger along the rim of the martini glass. “My folks were surprised, sure, but they just told me they loved me however I was. They’re a real good sort.”

“Not everyone’s lucky enough to get that reaction,” Cam said, the words spilling out in a bitter cascade. Lex’s gaze darkened, and she reached out to rub her thumb over the fist Cam hadn’t even realized she’d formed.

“Yeah, I know,” Lex murmured, sinking into silence. Cam wanted to bite the loaded statement back, as if Lex had figured out too much of her reticence. As if she could keep a part of herself from this woman who descended into her space like a storm in late August. “Hey, I swear I wasn’t here to stalk you on your date,” Lex said, breaking the quiet that descended. “I showed up to support the little brother’s blossoming musical career. I’ve been promising to go to one of his shows for way too long now.”

Cam offered a grin, grateful for the change of subject. “I had the feeling when I saw Cal Dukas was headlining. Is it weird to see your brother as more of a big deal? I heard he got some radioplay.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely. The little twerp was plucking a guitar looking like a kicked puppy ever since he was a kid, but I’m glad he found his thing and he’s making some cash from it.” Lex tilted her head toward the booth seats closer to the stage. Crowds had started settling into the place in preparation for the show. “Want to grab a seat? You’re already here, and I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Cam fixed her with a look. “Sure, as long as you’re not planning on growling away any male attention that comes my way.”

Lex pursed her lips, tapping on the side of her chin. “You strike a tough bargain, but I guess I can keep my growls to myself for the night.” The way Lex’s voice deepened when she stared her down made it clear the sort of growls she’d prefer to indulge in. The idea of those vibrating against her skin had Cam wanting to make a detour home to end the night with her vibrator.

The spotlights blinked on at the makeshift stage, and the overhead lights dimmed, signaling the show would be starting soon. Lex slipped out of the booth and offered a hand.

“Let me buy you a drink,” Lex said as they made their way up to the polished walnut bar. “My apology for ruining your date.”

Cam heaved a sigh and gave her the side eye. “You’re not sorry in the slightest, but you weren’t ruining anything. I was looking for a way to get out of it anyway.” She tried to not notice how Lex perked up and her chin lifted a little higher.

Lex flagged down the bartender to order her dry martini and a dark and stormy while the crowds filtered in. Where Prohibition Tap Room had been crowded before, now it teemed with people, most of them gathering close to the stage to see Cal Dukas strum his soul out. She had to admit she was curious. She’d only met the younger Dukas siblings a handful of times, but with everything she’d heard from Lex, Danny, and Adrian, she felt like she’d known all of them for years.

“So, what kind of music does he play?” Cam asked, leaning in as they found a spot by the wall, close to the short stage.

“Just watch.” Lex leaned in close enough her lips brushed against Cam’s ear. “They’re about to start.”

“Please welcome Cal Dukas, joined by Violet Taylor,” the announcement sounded over the speakers.

A ripple of sound ran through the crowd as two figures emerged, approaching the two mics set up. Cal was recognizable at once with tousled dark hair that belonged on a model, a firm jaw covered in scruff, and soft, soulful eyes. He flashed a grin that lit his entire face with a presence every member of the Dukas family seemed to share.

The woman who strode up to the stage beside him was petite in every way: height, stature—even her button nose and dark, sparrow eyes. When she smiled, her features bled with a raw, spellbinding vulnerability before she ever opened her mouth to sing.

Cal’s fingers strummed across the strings of his guitar, and the two of them began their song, the melody of their voices captivating. He stared at her like he found sunlight for the first time, a wonder glowing in his eyes as he continued to play his guitar. The love story that unfolded in their lyrics felt tangible on stage, and the sweet melancholy in their tone twisted Cam’s heart to pieces.

Before she realized it, she leaned against Lex, who snuck an arm around her waist. Her warning sirens should be ringing, and the guilt should be suffocating, but being here with her like this felt right, more than anything had in a long while. Not just the physical side of things or the fire that lit her veins when they touched. Lex had this rawness to her personality, like the rough shiver of whisky, but Cam had gotten to know her well enough these past couple of months to see how deep her current ran.

From the moment they met she saw right through the swagger, but she never thought she’d get to meet the woman beneath who experienced every emotion with the fury of the rapids. As Cal and Violet reached the crescendo of their song, the melody pierced her with a yearning she could no longer deny.

The rusted knife pain welled in her chest, a part of her she didn’t dare share. A part she’d been lying about for years that Lex cracked wide open. Cam hated the raw prickle of being vulnerable; how when her feelings lay out there, anyone could trample or eviscerate them.

“Those sinners” clanged around in her head, making her want to pull away from Lex. Yet the sweet, painful strain of the music spoke to her in a way nothing had for some time. In this moment, she didn’t want to live with her delusions anymore. For a single moment, she wanted to pretend this was a life she could have, that Lex might want something more than a hot fling.

Cam leaned in closer to her, resting her head against Lex’s shoulder. Lex’s grip tightened on her waist as she squeezed. Her heart ached. This. This was what it felt like to be protected, to be cared for. To be loved.

Boyfriends in the past had made her swoon, and she’d dated guys who sparked warmth inside, but the depth of this thing with Lex made all the other instances feel trivial.

A slight smile clung to Lex’s lips as she stared up at her brother strumming his heart out on stage. Cam wanted to memorize her like this, with the slight look of surprise in her glittering eyes and the flash of the stage lights along her skin, highlighting the dark lines of the tattoos. She radiated serenity here, like she had in the cemetery, so different from her thunderstorm presence everywhere else.

Cal’s smooth voice glided across her skin, and Violet’s dulcet tones melded with his as their melody grew as tremulous as a firefly, as seasons flashed before her eyes until the song faded away.

Cam’s throat tightened, but she didn’t pull away from Lex. The world could crack in two right now, but she wanted this moment to last as long as it could, before reality crashed in.

Before she remembered all the reasons why this was a bad idea and why Lex could never be long term for her.

Before she remembered that in three months, she was leaving.