Page 18 of Pomegranate Kiss

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 gladhe 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 therapids. 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.

Chapter Nine

“I’m pretty sure our guests aren’t going to starve, Mom,” Lex said, stepping back to survey the king’s feast of Greek food her mother had spent days cooking. Trays covered every spare surface in the kitchen and dining room table, and the scents of all those spices hung in clouds throughout the house. She and Nellie had been helping since the crack of dawn. There wasn’t enough coffee in the world after the late shift she’d pulled at Inkspirations and the failed attempt at distraction that had been her club night with Mitch.

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