Chasing Sunset

by Missouri Vaun

  “Are you ready to order?” The waitress returned while Iris was still looking things over.

  “You can go first. I’m still thinking.” Iris deferred to Finn so that she could give the menu one more glance.

  “I’ll take the Kornbread cheeseburger with chips.” Finn was too fast.

  “And for you, miss?”

  “Okay, I think I’ll try the Kornbread club sandwich. No chips.” Iris could tell this was not going to be a low carb trip. She needed to start cutting out things where she could.

  “Can we get a piece of pecan pie to split too?” Finn folded her menu and grinned.

  So much for saving calories.

  The food came pretty fast, despite how crowded the café was. And as advertised, the cornbread was delicious.

  “So, how did you sleep last night?” Iris asked.

  “Fine…you?” Finn took a big gulp of tea.

  “Fine. I only asked because I heard you get up for a while.”

  “Oh, that. Yeah, I remembered that I needed to respond to some email, so I went in the bathroom with my laptop. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

  Finn wasn’t going to admit she’d googled Iris’s commercial. Should she give Finn a hint that she knew? No, she’d give Finn a break. It was sufficient to know that Finn cared enough to look her up.

  “How’s your sandwich?” Finn changed the subject.

  “Great. I love cornbread, who knew?” Iris finished the last bite just as the waitress returned with a piece of pecan pie piled high with whipped cream. “Go ahead and start on that. I’m not sure how much I’m going to have.”

  “Well, I’ll take the first bite, but you have to try it too, okay?” Finn sampled the pie. Her expression told Iris that it was delicious.

  “Okay, the look on your face compels me to try it.”

  Finn grinned around her second mouthful. Iris dipped her fork into the dessert, trying to get an even ratio of pie filling and pecans. The sweetness of the first bite gave Iris a head rush. She started to giggle and covered her mouth with her hand.

  “What’s so funny?” Finn held a forkful of dessert in midair. “Are you okay?”

  Iris couldn’t speak until she swallowed, and she couldn’t swallow because she was about to laugh, and trying not to laugh with a mouthful of pie was difficult. She fanned herself with her hand and looked away, trying to focus on swallowing.

  “Here, take this. Drink it, don’t throw it.” Finn offered up Iris’s water glass. Her expression was a mixture of concern and amusement.

  “Don’t make me laugh.” Iris’s voice was raspy. She took another few sips of water.

  “Sorry.” Finn grinned.

  “That was like a glucose bomb. It went straight to my funny bone.” Iris shook her head and took another long drink of water.

  “I’ve never seen pie have that effect on someone before.”

  Iris carefully slid the pie across the table toward Finn. “This stuff is dangerous. I think you should finish it.”

  “Can’t handle it?” Finn pulled the dessert plate closer.

  “How do you eat like this all the time and stay so fit?”

  “Hmm, you think I’m in shape, huh?” Finn waggled her fork in the air.

  “Yes, I mean, you know you’re in like really good shape, right?” Iris knew she was busted. But it wasn’t her fault for noticing. Finn had taken her shirt off the very first day they’d hung out at the lake.

  “And you’re not?” Finn arched an eyebrow.

  “Not like you. I have to watch what I eat for sure.” Iris took another sip of water to dilute the sugar rush still zooming through her system. “No one eats like this in LA, at least, no one I know.”

  Finn noticed just the slightest shift in Iris’s mood. Like a small cloud passing in front of the sun before it brightens again. She wondered what it was like to have a career so focused on looks. It must get tiresome. To Iris’s credit she hadn’t once avoided eating anything that Finn had suggested. Finn appreciated women who liked food. Women who weren’t afraid to indulge.

  “Come on, let’s blow this town.” Finn grabbed the check and slid out of the booth.

  “Are you sure you don’t need something sweet to chase that pie?” Iris was quick with the sarcasm.

  “Don’t be jealous just because I have a higher dessert tolerance, shugah.”

  Iris laughed. That magical, string of lights laugh that Finn was beginning to crave.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Dallas and Fort Worth, two cities that shared one huge patch of urban sprawl in the middle of a whole bunch of open space. Finn had mostly avoided freeways thus far, but heading into Fort Worth, there was no other option. The Stockyards Hotel had been made famous by Bonnie and Clyde. It had been restored and redecorated based on western themes. It also had a really fun bar downstairs with barstools made of saddles.

  Finn studied the lobby while Iris checked them in. The walls around the registration desk were a dark reddish color, and there was a random assortment of upholstered chairs, no two the same. All the furniture looked like a mixture of special finds at estate sales. Somehow, even though nothing really matched it all worked. Finn decided she liked the decor.

  This was an old hotel; it had character. The on-site restaurant was a steak house, of course. They took the bags to the room first. The room wasn’t anything fancy, but it was comfortable. Whoever had remodeled the place had definitely stayed with a Wild West, Texas feel. The only thing the room lacked was an old wagon wheel mounted on the wall.

  Dinner was casual. Finn had a steak even though she’d had a burger for lunch. She figured, when in Rome, or when in Texas, eat beef. Iris opted for salad. This time, Finn passed on dessert.

  Once back in the room, Finn spread the road atlas out on the bed while Iris showered. She knew where they were and where they were headed, but she couldn’t help studying the route.

  “You love to look at that, don’t you?” Iris squeezed handfuls of her hair with the towel.

  “Yeah, I’ve always loved maps.” Finn closed the frayed cover and launched off the bed. “I’ve had this one for a couple of years, but this is the farthest I’ve traveled with it.”

  She dug out a clean T-shirt and boxers and started toward the bathroom. After all day in the roadster she felt as if she’d run a track event. She was sweaty, stiff, and tired. In another day or so she’d need to do some laundry. The MG didn’t exactly allow for extra stuff or abundant packing. She’d brought just enough to get by.

  Iris watched Finn from across the room as she gathered her things and disappeared into the bathroom. Finn seemed just the least bit shy, especially as bedtime approached. She was afraid she made Finn nervous but wasn’t sure what to do about it. And then an idea started to germinate while she listened to the water run.

  Iris was seated cross-legged on the bed when Finn emerged from the bathroom. She hung the towel on the back of the door and finger-combed her hair.

  “Why don’t you come lie down and I’ll give you a back rub?” Iris tried to sound neutral.

  It was an offer of kindness, but based on Finn’s expression, you’d have thought Iris fired a gun in the room. There was an awkward pause, and then finally Finn spoke.

  “That’s okay.” Finn shook her head, but otherwise, seemed rooted in place.

  “No, really, I feel bad that you’re having to do all the driving. Let me at least give you a shoulder rub.” Iris patted the bed next to where she was seated. “We still have a few more days of travel. And you have a copilot who can’t drive a stick shift. This back rub will be as much for my benefit as yours. It’s in my best interest to keep the driver in good condition.”

  The offer was definitely also for her benefit. It wasn’t simply the tension in Finn’s shoulders she wanted to relieve, but also the unease between them, especially as nighttime neared. The air seemed to almost crackle around Iris from all the free-floating charged particles of attraction. And she sensed the same from Finn. It didn’t s
eem as if Finn was going to make the first move, so she’d left Iris no choice. Iris felt some sort of physical contact, even the most platonic connection, would alleviate some of the escalating pressure.

  That was only a theory, of course. She was prepared to be wrong, but at this point, after spending two days with Finn, Iris had the strongest urge to touch her. A back rub was the most innocent way to make that happen. She realized a back rub was a bit of a lesbian seduction cliché, but why fight convention.

  “We can watch something on TV while I massage your shoulders and back.”

  Finn still seemed unsure, although Iris sensed that she was seriously considering the offer. After another minute that seemed as if it lasted ten, Finn followed Iris’s direction and stretched out on the bed. They were oriented so that they could both see the TV. Finn lay on her stomach, with her arms crossed and just barely dropping over the edge of the mattress at the foot of the bed. Iris sat next to her with her legs folded beneath her.

  Iris had channel surfed until she found an old movie on AMC. She thought the laugh track from a sitcom set the wrong mood, and an action flick was too loud. It seemed as if watching classic movies in bed was going to be their thing. That was how the first night had gone, and it made Iris smile just thinking of it.

  At first, she lightly rubbed Finn’s back through her T-shirt, but that wasn’t working so well. After a few minutes, she got up and retrieved some oil from her suitcase.

  “I think you should take your shirt off so I can do this properly.” She didn’t look at Finn, but rather poured some of the oil in her palm and rubbed it between her hands. She was afraid if she looked at Finn she would chicken out, or give something away in her expression. She was attracted to Finn. It was impossible to ignore that fact, whether Finn shared the attraction or not.

  Finn hesitated, but then tugged her shirt over her head. She’d barely raised up when she’d done it, so she didn’t really give Iris any sort of view. Except now that she was shirtless and lying on the bed, Iris could see the smooth skin over her ribs, the sculpted muscles of her back, and the outer curve of Finn’s breast. Iris took a deep breath and climbed back on the bed using only her legs. She didn’t want to use her hands and end up wiping the oil all over the bedspread. This time, instead of sitting beside Finn, she straddled her waist, so that she had a much better angle.

  Finn tried to relax, but Iris’s soft caress only revved her heartbeat into high gear. Not to mention the brush of Iris’s inner thighs along the exposed skin where her boxers ended just above her waist. She pretended to watch TV, but if anyone had asked, she’d have had no idea what she was even watching.

  “That smells good.” The oil warmed her skin.

  “It has rosemary, which makes it great for sore muscles.”

  She made slow circles on Finn’s back. Iris worked the muscles along the edge of her shoulder blades and then the tight muscles across the top of her shoulders. Iris also paused to knead the tight little knots in her neck and then slid her fingers up into the short hair at the back of Finn’s head.

  Finn was feeling intoxicated by Iris’s touch, lightheaded even. She forgot that this wasn’t really a date. She forgot that she was trying not to let things move too fast. Dizzy from her humming libido, Finn hazily rolled over and drew Iris down until their lips met.

  She kissed Iris tenderly at first, and then deeper. Iris was still straddling her waist. Finn slipped her hand up the back of Iris’s skintight top. She slowly caressed Iris’s back with her fingertips.

  “Hey, I thought I was giving the back rub.”

  “You did, and it was amazing.”

  Iris slipped her shirt off. She’d been wearing a form-fitting tank top with thin straps and no bra, along with some silky girl’s boxer shorts. She looked sexy as hell.

  After Iris’s shirt was gone, she sank into Finn. The skin on skin contact gave Finn the chills. She shivered.

  “Are you cold? I could turn the AC up.” Iris sounded so sincerely worried about Finn’s comfort.

  “No, I’m warm. It’s not the room temperature.”

  “Oh.” Iris met Finn’s gaze.

  Iris’s breasts were soft against her chest. Finn wanted to pull away just enough to be able to see Iris’s body but couldn’t bring herself to let go. She’d wanted Iris close since that first kiss on the doorstep of cabin two.

  Finn had suspected that a back rub would lead to other things. And she definitely didn’t regret that it had. She was totally crushed out on Iris and she was sure Iris knew it.

  Iris stopped kissing Finn for a minute so that she could see Finn’s face. She liked what she saw in Finn’s eyes—vulnerability, attraction, and honesty. She held Finn’s face in her hands and kissed her again. Finn’s fingers trailed up her back and then drifted down along the outside curve of her breasts. One of Finn’s hands slid down her side so that she cupped Iris’s ass, pulling her more firmly against Finn’s body.

  Iris pulled away and reached to switch off the glaring bedside lamp, leaving only ambient light from the TV.

  “Too bright?” Finn rested her hands on Iris’s thighs.

  “Yes.” Iris flipped her hair to one side and then over her shoulder as she looked down at Finn. God, she was gorgeous. “Are you okay with this?”

  “I’m very okay with this.” Finn tugged Iris back down on top of her.

  Finn tipped Iris over, rolling her onto her side so that they faced each other. Then she began to explore with her lips along Iris’s jaw, down her neck, past her collarbone, until she captured one of Iris’s nipples gently. Finn stayed there for a moment, caressing and teasing with her tongue. Iris pressed her palm against Finn’s small, firm breast and then pinched the hard tip of her nipple lightly. Finn inhaled sharply against Iris’s chest.

  They were lying on top of the bedspread, upside down on the bed. Finn rotated, tugging Iris along with her so that their heads were now on the pillows. Iris tossed the covers back so that they could slip under.

  “I feel like that wasn’t a very satisfying back massage for you.”

  “Hmm, I’m actually feeling pretty good about it.” Finn drew her close and nuzzled into her neck.

  Iris couldn’t decide if this was too much too fast, or just enough. Was this going to make things more uncomfortable or less? They had more days of driving together in a very small car. What if this turned out to be a mistake?

  If Finn was having any doubts, she wasn’t voicing them. As she kissed Iris again, deeply, Iris felt Finn’s fingers slide up the sensitive skin along her inner thigh. She teased at the bottom of Iris’s boxers. The warmth of Finn’s hand seeped through the thin silky fabric and the edge of Finn’s hand brushed the highly sensitive place between her legs.

  Iris simultaneously wanted to pull away and grind against Finn’s hand. They were swiftly approaching the point of no return, and uncertainty swarmed in Iris’s head. Finn applied pressure with her fingers. Iris touched Finn’s arm.

  “Should I stop?” Finn’s mouth was on Iris’s so the the question was more of a murmured whisper.

  “Maybe.” Iris still wasn’t sure, but for some reason she was scared to let things move too fast. Even though she was the one who’d started this whole make out session in the first place.

  “We can stop.” Finn brushed an errant strand of hair off Iris’s cheek. She kissed the tip of Iris’s nose. “There’s no hurry, right?”

  “It’s nice to be in your arms.” Iris snuggled close, tucking her head under Finn’s chin. Finn’s strong arms tightened around her. She felt grounded and safe. She felt cared for.

  She rotated in Finn’s embrace, spooning against her. Finn propped up a little more on the pillow, and they held each other. The TV was still on and Iris stared at it, but her focus was somewhere else. It was impossible to think of anything except Finn’s fingertips caressing her stomach as they relaxed into each other. Iris was turned on, but for the moment, relieved that they hadn’t gone further. She needed to allow her brain to catch
up.

  * * *

  Finn woke suddenly. She had no memory of falling asleep. The TV was dark, so at some point, Iris must have turned it off. It was late. Iris’s back was snuggled close against her chest. Moonlight seeped through a small opening in the drapes to highlight the edge of Iris’s exposed shoulder. They were both still shirtless, and Finn wondered if Iris was as turned on as she was. She fought the urge to rub her crotch. She didn’t have to touch herself to know she was wet.

  Iris moaned softly and shifted her ass more firmly against Finn. Was she awake? Did Iris have any idea the effect she was having on Finn?

  She placed her palm on the soft curve of Iris’s stomach and leaned over just enough to whisper in her ear.

  “Are you awake?”

  Iris mumbled something and rolled over so that she was facing Finn. She kissed Finn, draped her arm over Finn’s shoulder, and pressed her breasts against Finn’s.

  She was still unsure of whether Iris knew what she was doing.

  “Iris, are you dreaming?”

  “I don’t know…am I?” She sensed Iris’s lips curl into a smile against hers.

  Finn pressed Iris onto her back and rolled on top of her. Her thigh was between Iris’s legs. She caressed Iris’s breasts with her hand and then with her tongue. Iris moaned softly again and arched against her mouth.

  She returned to kiss Iris’s lips, and without breaking the kiss, slid her boxers down underneath the covers with one hand. She kicked them off. Finn wanted to feel Iris, all of Iris. Iris’s hands were on her ass now. Finn took this as a sign. She trailed kisses down the middle of Iris’s chest, across her stomach, and then hovered there as she eased the silky boxers over the curve of Iris’s hips. She kissed Iris’s skin every time an inch or so was revealed. Finally, she rocked back on her knees, and slipped the undergarments all the way off.

  Finn lingered, looking down at Iris, who was now wide-awake. She could see, even in the darkness of the room, that Iris regarded her with an expression of vulnerability. Iris moved to cover her breasts with her arm, but Finn stopped her.