Page 12 of Pomegranate Kiss

Danny’s brow furrowed as she scanned over the paper. “This says you’ve been accepted into Savannah College of Arts and Design starting the next semester. Wait, you’re going back to school?”

Cam let out a shaky breath. Great, confession time. Her life had become minefields all around. “I was going there before I ever became a chef, but I ended up dropping out. I don’t know…I’ve just been feeling so aimless and work has been dicing me up finer than these strawberries, so I took the stupid chance and reapplied. With the way I left, I kind of wanted to see if SCAD would take me back.”

The blenders whirred as Danny creamed the sugar and butter, a frown in her eyes even as she pursed her lips. Cam’s skin prickled. She was so cautious to let people in, but she always managed to mess things up.

The second the sound stopped, Danny looked up at her. “Well, what do you want to do?”

Cam shrugged, feeling a little helpless. “I honestly couldn’t tell you.”

“I’ll be real with you, I hate the idea of you moving away and leaving me with the Horntrees by myself,” Danny admitted, her lips twisting in a wry grin. “However, this isn’t about me. It’s about what you want, because this is your life.”

What did Camilla Muhuri want? That was a question for the ages and one she’d never been asked before. Her parents had supported her dropping out and heading into a culinary career, but they really wanted to see her married more than anything. She also hadn’t been leaving a prestigious degree behind. However, a thousand practical outlets existed to pursue art beyond the normal dream of getting into a gallery, and this might be the opportunity to chase that dream.

Her mouth dried. If she were being honest, she wanted Lex more than made sense. She’d been straight her entire life, dating guys all through high school and into college, though none of the relationships lasted. Going back to school would mean leaving Lex, and she’d be lying if the thought didn’t twist her up inside. However, they had an expiration date before this ever began. Cam’s plan was to find a good man and settle down with a family. Lex would send those plans sailing down a creek in a Viking funeral.

“I think I need to accept it,” she murmured, stirring the bowl of vanilla frosting in front of her. “I’ve had no luck on the dating front, and I feel like my career has dead-ended. There’s nowhere I can move, nowhere to go.”

Danny nodded, biting her lip. “Are you going to move away from Charleston?”

Cam knew how loaded the question was. Danny spent her entire life on the run and this friendship of hers was one of the longest she had in her adult life.

She shook her head. “I’ll keep my place and come home on the weekends. I can stay at my parents’ during the week.” Living there would be filled with her mother’s attempts to find her a suitable man, but she’d been evading them from the moment she graduated high school. She glanced up to Danny. “Do you mind keeping this between you and me? I’m not ready to go announcing this out to the world yet—I’m a little too vulnerable still.”

Especially with all the questions that would resurrect about why she dropped out the first time. But he wasn’t employed there anymore—she made sure before she’d even considered the application.

Danny nodded and dipped her finger into the vanilla frosting. “Of course. I’m a pro at keeping secrets. All those years in WitSec, right? Though I’ll absolutely miss you at the Horntrees’.” Danny licked the tip of her finger and let out a moan. “Oh, that’s so good. You’re hired.”

Cam snorted. “Come on now, I haven’t even gotten into the cake and garnish part. Speaking of, let’s slip the tin of lavender cupcakes into the oven.”

A knock sounded on her door.

Cam almost dropped her spatula. She hadn’t invited anyone else over. The only other person who made random visits would spell chaos and complications right now.

“That’s probably Lex or Nellie,” Danny said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I asked if they could help us and give opinions, since Adrian’s tied up at the hospital tonight.”

Cam stretched a fake smile on her face as her heart thundered. Danny had no idea what she’d invited over. “No problem. Let me tuck away my personal news—with the way gossip spreadsaround the Dukas household, I don’t think I’d be able to keep much secret.” She folded up the letter and slipped it inside her purse before she wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders and leaned in. “Thanks for the pep talk. It helped clear my mind.”

“Always,” Danny responded, aiming finger guns at her as Cam headed to get the door.

This time, she smoothed her hair down and scrubbed the flour off her cheek as she approached. Her heart already started marching in double time. She cracked the door open.

Lex stood in the entryway. Each time, the sight of this woman caused her heart to kickstart. Lex wore a fitted olive tee without a bra and dark brown cargos that hung off her hips. She hooked her thumbs through her belt loops and rocked back and forth in front of her.

“Danny in there?” Lex asked. “She extended the invite.”

Cam nodded, unable to respond. The darkness highlighted the sharp strands of her pixie cut, the quixotic intensity in those hazel eyes, and lips she’d been fantasizing over for an embarrassing amount of time.

“Come help me with the rest of the supplies,” Lex said, tilting her head to the side.

Cam leaned inside. “Be right back, Danny,” she called inside. “Got to help Lex grab something from her car.”

Once the door clicked shut, Lex’s hand wrapped around her wrist, and she found her back thudding against the wall. Lex swept into the space between them like she belonged there. The scent of cloves overrode any sense of reason. Cam sank into Lex’s firm grip and how she pinned her hands while she closed in like a leopard on the prowl. With Lex’s body against hers, Cam found it hard to think of any reasons why she shouldn’t be falling headfirst for this woman.

A thousand different types of dangerous.

Lex’s lips whispered against her throat, gliding over her pulse, her jaw, her earlobe, each delicate touch leaving her burning up. Cam let out a low moan. Ever since their interlude in the dressing room, she’d been masturbating three times a day to try to rid herself of this ache between her legs. Nothing worked.

Nothing except this addictive, whiplash woman who dropped into her life with the speed and force of a twister.

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