Page 47 of Pomegranate Kiss

Matty strolled down the walkway, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. His thick, dark hair was windswept as if he’d just gotten off his bike. Her brother’s fresh labret piercing glinted under the sun, and his eyes glowed with interest the moment he caught sight of Lex and Cam.

“We’re going to help your brother and sister-in-law set out the food,” Mom said, lifting the bag of something that smelled like spiced deliciousness as she and Dad continued on over to the picnic blankets that had been spread onto the grassy section.

“Lesbians all over are going to cry, sis. Don’t tell me you’re off the market.” Matty called over.

Lord, her family. “Let them cry,” Lex said, wrapping her arm around Cam again. Fuck, she couldn’t get enough of this woman. “I’m not interested in anyone else.”

Matty let out a groan as he reached them. “Don’t tell me you’ve turned into a sap too.”

“Not with you lot,” Lex shot back, lifting her middle finger in greeting. Matty grinned, the fierce sort that made his razor-blade cheekbones somehow sharper.

“Thanks,” Cam said, giving Matty a knowing glance. He tipped his fingers in a salute before walking a little faster to join the rest of them.

“What was that about?” Lex asked, unable to help her curiosity.

Cam looked up at her, affection in those dark eyes. “Matty was the reason I came home for winter break in the first place,” she admitted. “He sent me an email that gave me the push I needed to try a little bravery on for size.”

“Hunh. Better buy the little fucker a fruit basket then. He and Adrian were the ones who smacked some sense into me at Christmas.” Lex rifled her fingers through her hair, shaking her head at the realization Matty had been playing matchmaker the entire time. Not like he’d admit it, but she owed him more than she could ever repay.

Lex couldn’t help but soak in the sight of the gorgeous woman in front of her, barely daring to believe her luck. Cam’s raven strands trailed behind her with the breeze, and her crimson lips looked so kissable. She was all soft curves and gentle eyes betraying a tenderness she’d guarded before.

She leaned down and brushed her lips against Cam’s.

“What was that for?” Cam asked, her brow wrinkling.

Lex shook her head. “Nothing, I just love you.”

She slipped her hand in Cam’s again and soaked in the sight of her family by the stretch of green, the Ravenel bridge loomingin the background, and the bright sunlight painting the whole park in technicolor hues. Matty had already picked a fight with Adrian, and when Cal stepped in, he added fuel to Matty’s fire. Mom and Dad bustled about getting plates ready, while Nellie and Danny helped them, everyone else happy to not get involved.

Lex tightened her grip on Cam’s, and they took their first steps forward, together.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Five months later…

“What kind of weirdoes take their dogs on a walk through the cemetery?” Cam asked, holding tight to the leashes as Cerberus, Tartarus, and Charon tugged with all their small, puppy might. The three rottweilers were dopey, fumbling little guys they’d gotten suckered into. Or, more accurately, Lex found out Cerberus didn’t want to be separated from his brothers and couldn’t resist taking the others too.

Magnolia Cemetery sprawled around them, birds chirping and the first magnolias blooming for the spring on the sloping trees covered in their Spanish moss.

Lex reached over and grabbed the leashes from her, a duty she was happy to pass over. “Spooky bitches like us, that’s who.”

Not like either of them knew how they would fit three full-sized dogs into Lex’s townhouse. Cam had gotten out of her lease once they’d officially started dating, and the final semester ofschool had breezed by. As fast as she dove back in, she would get her degree in mere weeks, the classes already concluded. Her throat tightened. She wouldn’t attend the ceremonies. Standing up there and knowing her parents wouldn’t be in the audience was too painful to bear. After she’d gotten her belongings back from them, communications had been minimal and perfunctory at best.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t miss her mother and father. No matter what had shattered between them, they had read her bedtime stories and showered her with hugs, Mom taught her how to cook Shukto and Aloo Posto, and in college when she had the run-in with her professor, they’d supported her, given her a place to retreat to. However, when she started down this new path with Lex, a part of her had always feared they wouldn’t be able to follow, even though she hoped someday that might change.

Cam glanced to the surrounding gravestones, tall, limestone structures, some with pointed spires, others graced by angel statues. The sadness when she thought about her parents was something she tried her best to put to rest, but it might always be a brush of bittersweet. At least they hadn’t ended contact entirely—that, she could cling to.

“We’ve only been here for a couple of minutes,” Lex said. “Don’t tell me you’ve already gotten possessed and I’ve got to find a priest to exorcise.”

Cam rolled her eyes even though the comment brought a smile to her lips. Based on the look Lex passed her, she caught the drift of Cam’s brooding and tried to pull her out of it. Tartarus bounded over to try to loop around her ankles, yipping in excitement. “Though really, this is your ‘I want to escape’ place, so is there something we need to talk about?”

“Yeah,” Lex said, ducking her head as she avoided her eyes. “Nothing bad, I promise. Just the stupid feelings shit I hate.Let’s get to the water first so these little guys can get themselves a drink.”

Cam snorted. For as much swagger as Lex broadcasted, underneath the defenses lay one of the most sensitive people she’d ever met. Something that had been as apparent as ever when Lex had gotten suckered into three dogs. Three.

Not like she was much better. When it came to Lex, she couldn’t help herself—she’d do anything to see the sweetness in her eyes and the hesitant smile reserved for her alone. And besides, Lex fucked like a beast. Cam thought their first six months together had been wild, but given the time and freedom they had now, Lex only seemed to get more creative. And her possessive streak in bed made her one hell of a lover.

“Let me help.” She reached out and grabbed Cerberus’s leash, sharing the load with Lex who passed her a grateful glance. The side shave she now rocked made her even hotter, and in a black wifebeater, threadbare jeans, and those Docs she never ditched, Lex was still the only one she fantasized about. Cerberus pranced around, slobbering all over the Duquesne family gravestones and then trampling over the Mills.

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