AN – A shorter chapter this time, written this evening, almost solely Naomily interaction of the unrated kind (intense perving may or may not take place during the course of this chapter). Thank you to everyone who has read it so far and feel free to let me know what you think of it!
Again, Skins – not my invention..
Chapter 4
Naomi's POV
I tried not to stare at her, I really did. But how are you supposed to spend an entire day at the beach without noticing how people look without most of their clothes on? I mean, I noticed that JJ was actually quite fit; his upper body was clearly used to some kind of regular exercise, although he seemed completely unaware of his impressive physique. He was even uncomfortable when he finally got rid of the t-shirt he was wearing but Cook made a point of expressing his jealousy of JJ's pec's and after that, the shy boy seemed more relaxed. Effy's face sported more than a few freckles after a couple of hours in the sun and made her look slightly less mysterious and a whole lot younger. So was it really all that bad that I also happened to notice that Katie and Emily were definitely not identical? Katie was beautiful, really, there was no doubt about it. She was quite tanned and the white bikini she was wearing really emphasized that. She was also really fit and every little detail was perfect, from her nails to each strand of chestnut hair. The beach really seemed to be her element, as opposed to the windy hilltop I had previously observed her in. I suppose the only thing that was speaking against her, was the fact that Emily was her twin. Emily was a completely different story. Her red hair seemed to make the soft features of her face stand out a little more and her eyes seemed darker than her sister's. The red and black bikini seemed to match her hair and eyes perfectly and despite having already laid eyes on that wonder she called a stomach earlier during the week, I couldn't keep my eyes off it. Every time she laughed, I could see abs rippling underneath what looked like silky-smooth skin. It actually made me feel slightly inadequate, even though I was quite proud of my hard-earned four-pack. I had had two 'white months' during the spring, meaning no alcohol whatsoever, and spent hours at the gym getting rid of the excess weight the first year of Uni had added to my otherwise lean physique. I was used to having toned arms and legs thanks to moving a ton of dirt across a field every day for the past five summers (I should really thank Kieran for that) but once again, Emily put me to shame.
When she shifted position on her towel, the muscles in her upper arms would show ever so slightly and her back was lean and curving perfectly towards her petit, plump backside. Since she was pocket-sized, she didn't have particularly long legs but that didn't make them any less of an impressive sight. I kept wondering how she got this fit and actually contemplated asking Katie, who was lying next to me, what sports Emily had played in her youth. Obviously you don't get that fit without some serious exercise and since I had taken notice of how much she could devour in a single sitting, I had concluded that she didn't look the way she did as a result of excellent dietary choices. But all of her annoyingly amazing physical attributes were only a small part of what made Emily so mesmerizing. She had the most perfect lips that displayed a deliciously crooked smile when she glanced in my direction and an adorable laugh that made my heart giddy. She was shy and kept quiet when the entire group was gathered but when we had been alone, she was intelligent, kind, funny and not at all timid. And as of this morning, a downright tease! Looking at her now, there was no sign of that display of sexy confidence but that didn't really mean I could stop myself from perving on her from afar. Every now and then, Cook would wink and look suggestively at Emily, at one point I swear he even nodded towards her, making me blush and panic slightly in the process. Luckily, Emily didn't seem to notice Cook's far from subtle hints but I did catch Effy giving me a peculiar look after a particularly long staring contest I had had with Emily's, ahem, bikini top.
Mum had brought out sandwiches and iced tea as she and Kieran had joined us for an afternoon in the sun. I downsized my perving and actually had a nice conversation with Emily, JJ and Kieran about the excavation. Once again, JJ impressed me with his knowledge and I honestly think he knew the entire Oxford first year textbook on Celtic heritage by heart. Emily was less knowledgeable and mostly listened to JJ and Kieran's discussion. She smiled at me warmly every once in a while but the sexual tension I had experienced this morning had disappeared. The lack of tension might have had something to do with the fact that we were discussing grave gifts and burial traits of prehistory which isn't really the sexiest topic.
The sun was losing some of its sting when Kieran had had enough.
"What do you say, JJ, you feel like helping me set up the barbecue?" JJ answered Kieran with an enthusiastic nod and followed him and Mum back to the B'n'B, leaving me and Emily behind. I instantly felt the tension seep back in and tried really hard not to get into another staring contest with her alluring bikini top.
"She's nice, your Mum", Emily said. "Kieran too, of course", she quickly added.
I snorted slightly. "That's funny, when I was younger, I always thought of my Mum as a cliché."
She laughed. "Fine, a nice cliché." She frowned somewhat before asking, "why did you think she was a cliché?"
I shrugged. "Back in Bristol, we had a large house that we bought on auction quite cheap. It was cheap because it was old and needed some, well, a lot of work." I smiled at the memory of our old house. "Anyway, Mum is really good at making new friends, as you can probably imagine, and she quickly found some blokes that were handy but in need of a place to stay. They fixed up the house in their spare time and didn't want any payment, just a roof over their heads and dinner!" I paused as Emily interrupted me.
"You lived in Bristol?"
"Yeah, until I was fourteen, why?" I regarded her curiously as I didn't really understand why that was of importance.
"It's just a little funny, seeing as we are all from Bristol; JJ, Effy, Katie and I. We even attended the same college, Roundview, although Effy was a first year so we didn't really know her before coming here." Emily shrugged. "Anyway, you were saying, about your Mum?"
I had however lost interest in explaining about Mum's hippie tendencies. "I was supposed attend Roundview but I ended up in this lovely dump instead."
Emily smiled. "Well, we didn't actually move to Bristol until Dad bought a gym there, we were thirteen at the time."
I grinned at her. "We must have just missed each other!"
I sensed the change in her demeanor before actually seeing it. She smirked and tilted her head suggestively towards me, looking me dead in the eye before softly saying, "what a shame…" Fuck! The confidence she was exhibiting was intoxicating and I momentarily lost myself in her. Nevertheless, I was prepared for the pull of her eyes this time and kept my wits about me, determined not to let her best me again.
Emily's POV
I had meant it as a silly, flirty thing to say and was probably still on a high from this morning's confidence boost of her reaction to my bikini-clad body. Otherwise, I doubt I would have had the nerve to say anything remotely flirty and I would definitely not have had the audacity to lean in and whisper in her ear again. Okay, technically, I hadn't whispered in her ear this time but that was simply because we weren't really lying that close to each other. I supposed I expected her to react the way she had before, dumbstruck and gawking at me but she surprised me instead. Her cerulean eyes turned a darker shade as her pupils dilated but after keeping my eyes locked with hers, she slowly lowered her gaze to trace the curve of my back with her eyes.
As her exploring gaze came back up to meet mine, I felt the color rise in my cheeks and silently thanked my tanned face that it wasn't showing. Naomi bit her lip and moved her head slowly towards me and whispered, "it really, really, is…", softly in my ear. Her lips actually touched my skin as she spoke and I shivered at the sensation. She lingered a little before moving away and when I broke from my trance, she had turned to lie on her back and had an oddly proud look on her face. Touché…
After lying in silence for a while, I realized that Naomi had dozed off. It had been an amazing day and I was completely over my tequila hangover but apparently Naomi wasn't feeling quite as well-rested. Either that or she was prone to afternoon naps, which didn't really fit the impression I had of her. It had taken me all morning to pluck up the courage to speak to her again and I kept wishing for the confidence from this morning to return. Once JJ joined them and started talking shop, I decided I might as well join in since I was essentially interested in what Kieran had to say. That had really taken the awkwardness I was feeling out of the situation and I had momentarily forgotten that I was insanely attracted to the gorgeous blonde sitting across from me.
Naomi let out a soft moan as she turned her head in my direction, still fast asleep. Her blonde hair was no longer secured in the braid she put it in this morning. Sandy strands of hair were flying freely across her face, some of them getting stuck between her soft lips and I had to resist the urge of reaching out to remove them. Her mouth was slightly open and her eyelids twisted every once in a while, evidence of the dream-state she was currently in. I popped up on one elbow and turned to face her. I hadn't had the chance to really look at her up close, at least not while she was basically naked. Her legs were impossibly long and slender and ended in a pair of perfect feet that were completely devoid of color. Never had I seen such pale feet. I swallowed a laugh. She had jokingly warned us about tan-lines when the weather changed for the better. Katie had been ecstatic at the idea of working on the perfect tan while being forced to do glorified ditch digging, as she so fittingly had called it, but Naomi had stressed that we were not allowed to remove the safety boots while working. Short shorts and even bikini-tops or bras were okay though, so Katie had somewhat grudgingly accepted having to wear the boots. I suppose Naomi had scared her a little by explaining that getting your foot impaled on a 2000 year-old iron rod was the safest way to get septic – better to have a pale foot than no foot at all, she had said. Her feet aside, she had avoided getting the standard 'farmer's tan' that Kieran had so obviously sported. She had been walking around in a bikini-top all throughout Friday and had gotten rid of the worst lines that had formed earlier in the week. I had spent most of the day in deep hole that Cook and the machinist had dug for me so I hadn't really seen much of Naomi, except when she came to check on me. I was actually a little bit embarrassed because right as she came to check on me, I was taking a break. She didn't seem to mind much though since she was busy slipping and sliding halfway down the side of the hole. When it happened, I was surprised that she would be so careless but when I saw the look on her face as I ran to her side, I realized that her attention had probably been elsewhere. It was the first time I was really, really confident that she might actually be as attracted to be as I was to her. Once the shock and surprise at slipping had disappeared, she had stared at me as if she had suddenly become aware of my hands on her body. When I had rushed to help her, I had steadied her with one hand on her waist and the other on her left arm. I felt a jolt of energy pass through me as she became aware of my hands and I could see it mirrored in her eyes. Her eyes had drifted to my bare stomach before she had been able to pull herself together. She had blushed and asked me something work-related as I let go of her. I had simply smirked at her and felt an unfamiliar confidence bubbling within.
I was busy imagining running my fingers along her taut stomach when I heard Gina calling from the house behind us. Naomi woke with a jolt and looked confused and vulnerable. It was adorable and I couldn't contain myself. I started laughing and when she understood that she was the cause of that laughter, she punished me with a hard punch to my shoulder and walked back towards the house. I jumped up, picking up my towel and bag in the process and ran after her, still giggling.
The barbecue night is next! I hope it's a good one!