AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I shrug, knowing this is true and now also keen for a dip, the cool waters of the pool calling my name, and grab the bikini from her, entering her en suite to change.
“Don’t take too long!” she yells after me. “I’m dying to go swimming!” This is so like Amy; once a thought enters her mind, it has to happen right now.
I squeeze into the pink bikini top, and with a dubious look down, I see my boobs spilling out over the top.
“I look indecent,” I mutter to myself as I walk out of the bathroom.
“You look hot!” Amy says at almost the same time.
I take in my image again in Amy’s full-length mirror, and I smile when I see that at least my bottom half is somewhat covered. I shrug, tucking a wayward nipple back into the bikini top, and turn to Amy.
“You get out there and sunscreen up while I get changed,” she says with sudden urgency, grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me out of her room before shutting the door behind me.
“What’s the rush, Ames?” I ask, looking behind me at the closed door and at the same time taking a step forward.
“Ooof.” Smack bang into a solid wall of chest muscles.
“Lilly? Are you OK?” Oliver asks for what feels like the tenth time that day, his hands spanning my waist as he stops me from falling. Then those same big hands just seem to stay in place. His thumb stroking softly up and down my stomach, burning my skin in its wake. Oliver pulls me closer for one, two, three…twelve seconds this time. I stand there pressed against Oliver for twelve glorious seconds, neither of us in a hurry to move.
“Did you just smell me?” Oliver asks, leaning back to look at me with a confused smile on his face. I was sniffing him. He just smells so good. Woodsy, with hints of vanilla. A potent mix.
“No!” is my quick reply, my cheeks burning because I was so busted. “I was just trying to get a breath in with you holding me so tightly,” I throw back at him.
Immediately his hands drop away from me as he clears his throat. “Sorry, Lil,” he says as he looks down at his hands like they betrayed him, clenching them into fists.
“It’s OK,” I reply, trying to lighten the mood. “You were just making sure I don’t fall down the stairs…again.” I grimace as I remember the Christmas incident four years ago, where after too many glasses of wine, I fell down the stairs, earning me four stitches on my right elbow and a few notches down in my dignity. Oliver lets out a small laugh as he no doubt remembers the same thing.
“Yes, that’s right. Rescuing you again.” His eyes crinkle as he smiles at me, his dimple flashing and disappearing as he takes in my barely-there-bikini-clad form.
“Going swimming?” he asks dumbly, swallowing hard, trying and failing to stop his gaze from wandering up and down my body. Interesting. In normal circumstances, Oliver’s powers of observation are better than this.
“Yep,” I say, popping the p. “Amy thinks we need some more melatonin or some other mumbo-jumbo. I wasn’t really listening.”
Oliver grins at me and moves to the side, gesturing down the stairs. “Need any help to manoeuvre these today?” he asks.
“I shall be OK today, kind sir,” I say with a slight curtsy, my boobs almost falling out of my top as I do so.
With Oliver seemingly unable to glance away from this said area, I step around him and sashay down the stairs. When I get to the bottom, I look back up to see Oliver still there, staring after me, running his hands through his hair, something he does when he is feeling stressed.
“Have a nice afternoon, Ol. Hope you get some work done,” I throw over my shoulder in a casual voice.
“That doesn’t seem likely now,” is his muttered, grumpy response.
CHAPTER 5
Lilly
As I lounge on my inflatable pool chair, I float weightlessly around the cool water of the pool. This is pure bliss. After the stress of my car breaking down and the treacherous bike ride here this morning, this is exactly what I need. With my eyes closed against the bright sunshine, I picture Oliver’s face as he looked at my body just before this. Could it be that part of Oliver is attracted to me? Or was it just a male response, one that could happen to any guy holding any half-naked girl in his arms? I think about Oliver’s girlfriend now and try to focus on the fact that he is unavailable and unattainable to me. Yes, he may notice me as a woman from time to time, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is happily coupled up with a woman who is very much my polar opposite. Emma, besides being beautiful and smart, is polished and well put together. She is always dressed in the latest fashion, never seems to spill food on herself (how is that even possible?), has a grown-up job as a junior legal associate at some big law firm, and is everything I hope to be when I grow up. I, on the other hand, can often not make it through the day without ripping an item of clothing, I am always late for everything (including making New Year’s resolutions), and I have a job that could be performed by a well-trained monkey. How could Amy ever think that Emma would be jealous of me?
SPLASH!
I shriek as a tidal wave knocks me off my floating lounge chair and I am dunked without ceremony under the water. When I resurface spluttering, Oliver is grinning at me, his face filled with mischief. Again, so different from the Oliver I often get to see these days.
“What are you doing?” I sputter. “Are you trying to drown me?” I demand, splashing him in the face with a handful of water.
He laughs as he lunges for me, grabbing me, holding my hands still, and tells me, “I just walked past Amy’s room. She is out cold on her bed.” He adds, “Dressed in her bikini.”
I laugh at the mental image of Amy passed out in her swimsuit.
