“You caught me.” There was a lump in Iris’s throat. She tried to swallow around it.
Finn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Iris, will you stay with me tonight?”
“Yes.” Iris stopped fighting the urge.
She rounded the table and slid into Finn’s lap and kissed her, hard and possessively. Finn’s hands were at her hips, drawing her close.
“God, I miss kissing you. I miss everything about you, Iris.” Finn searched her face. “Will you forgive me for being a complete idiot?”
“As long as you forgive me.” Iris wrapped her arms around Finn’s neck. “I’ve been miserable without you. This great, exciting thing happened in my life and you were the only person I really wanted to share it with.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in Atlanta?”
“I was afraid you would only think I wanted to be with you because I got the part…only because I was in town, and that wasn’t true.” Iris kissed her lightly.
“Want to get out of here?”
Iris nodded.
They left Iris’s trailer hand in hand. At the barricade, one of the security guards spoke.
“Do you need me to call a car for you, Ms. Fleming?”
“No, thank you.” She looked at Finn. “I’ve got a driver.”
She smiled and squeezed Finn’s hand.
* * *
Finn’s cabin was just as cozy as she’d remembered from the first night. The night with the bear. The night she’d thrown the drink in Finn’s face. She was glad she’d been so wrong about Finn. Iris worried she’d talked Finn’s ear off on the drive. It seemed like so much had happened in a week. Finn simply smiled and listened.
They held hands on the drive. Every so often, Finn brought Iris’s fingers to her lips and kissed them. And every time she did it, a surge of warmth coursed through Iris’s body.
It was well after dark when they reached the cabin. Iris wanted Finn so badly. The second the door clicked shut she began to loosen the buttons of Finn’s Levi’s. They angled toward the bedroom, dropping clothing as they went. Finn was wearing only her y-front briefs when Iris shoved her backward onto the bed. Iris slid out of her jeans slowly while Finn watched. Wearing only her bra and a thong, she crawled up Finn’s long frame until she was straddling her waist. Tenderly, she bent down and kissed Finn’s chest, allowing strands of her hair to caress Finn’s skin. When she looked at Finn, her eyes gave her away. Iris was struck by the frightening fragility of the human experience. Struck by how hard trust was earned and how easily it could be lost.
“You’re here.” Finn brushed the back of her fingers across Iris’s cheek.
“I’m here.” Iris kissed her. “It was you I meant to belong to all along.”
“Iris, I’m so in love with you.”
Iris smiled. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and then took a deep breath, breathing Finn in. Her face was close enough that Iris could feel the warmth of her sun-kissed skin.
“I think I’ve been in love with you since our first date. Since my birthday. I just didn’t allow myself to believe it.”
Iris rocked back, reached around, and unfastened her bra. Finn swept her palms tenderly up Iris’s ribs and then covered Iris’s breasts. She captured Finn’s wrists and pressed them into the pillow above her head. Her breasts brushed against Finn’s, causing Iris to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, savoring the intimate caress of skin against skin.
“Hey, look, I’m taking my hands off the wheel,” Finn whispered and caught Iris’s lower lip playfully between her teeth.
“Oh, how I love it when you let me drive.”
Epilogue
Finn lounged in an antique deck chair on the flagstone patio at the back of Iris’s house. She was waiting for Iris to get ready. They’d decided to eat out. Finn was in the mood for something casual. There was a place she liked up the coast, just a little bit north of the boardwalk, but she’d wait to see what Iris was in the mood for.
The filming of the first season of Athena had wrapped up a week earlier, and they’d driven the Lincoln out to Santa Monica at a leisurely pace. Retracing their original trip, only with a lot more layovers in scenic spots. Ward was in charge of taking care of the roadster until they returned to Atlanta. Six months in Georgia and then three months back in California before filming for the second season started up again.
Finn shook her head. Six months had zoomed by.
Iris put in long hours during the week so they savored their weekends together.
Finn was feeling good. She took a moment to reflect on that. Thinking back to when she’d first returned to Georgia, she’d never have imagined this was where things would end up.
It turned out that she hadn’t had to completely abandon her dream of working in the movie industry after all; she just had to shift her focus. She was around the set enough with Iris that after a month she ended up meeting the owner of Cinema Auto. After a few more conversations, she landed a job. Cinema Auto was the largest supplier of car rentals for movies, television, and commercials in the country, and they were right in her back yard. They supplied customized vehicles, automotive fabrications, and car rentals for film all over the country. As luck would have it their headquarters was in North Hollywood, but they also had a full-service facility in Atlanta. Finn was finally able to combine her passion for cars with her interest in movies and turn it into a job.
A year ago, she’d never have imagined that life could be this good, or this fulfilling. Working for Cinema Auto, she got to drive and deliver all kinds of custom and vintage cars all over the place. It was her dream job.
A dream job to go along with finding her dream girl.
“Sorry that took so long.” Iris stood on the threshold of the French doors. She was wearing a summer dress with spaghetti straps. “I was texting with Maggie. She said she’ll be here next week, but just for a quick two-day visit.”
Maggie had been accepted into a three-month art fellowship program for painting in New York. Until she returned, they had the house to themselves.
“You look great.” Finn kissed Iris lightly. She dangled her keys from one hand and captured Iris’s with the other.
When they reached the car, Finn held the door until Iris slid in.
They’d spent the past six months getting to know each other and planning their future. Every possible scenario was brighter with Iris in her life.
Finn cranked the Lincoln, but before she put it into drive she reached for Iris’s hand. “Where do you want to go?”
Iris smiled.
“Anywhere, as long as it’s with you.”
The End
About the Author
Missouri Vaun spent a large part of her childhood in southern Mississippi, before attending high school in North Carolina and college in Tennessee. Strong connections to her roots in the rural south have been a grounding force throughout her life. Vaun spent twelve years finding her voice working as a journalist in places as disparate as Chicago, Atlanta, and Jackson, Mississippi, all along filing away characters and their stories. Her novels are heartfelt, earthy, and speak of loyalty and our responsibility to others. She and her wife currently live in northern California.
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