Lia stood still, bare feet planted on the cool wooden floor, her sweatshirt and shorts pooled around her ankles. Her fingers twitched at her sides, unsure of what to do with them, her body instinctively yearning to shield itself from the air and attention. But then she looked at Celine--and froze, something telling her that she shouldn't try to cover herself up.
Celine eyed Lia with a ferocious intensity. Not wild or predatory, but something deeper--hungry, loving, completely locked onto her. Her lips parted slightly as she took in the shape of Lia's bare skin, her delicate curves, the soft slope of her waist and the minute shivering in her chest. It wasn't just lust; it was something more.
"You're so beautiful," Celine said, almost to whispering it.
Lia felt a wave of warmth rise from her chest to her cheeks. Her skin prickled with both fear and excitement. There was something different about being seen like this--something raw. She had been naked before, in changing rooms, in mirrors--but never like this. Never for someone. Never for her best friend.
Her arms instinctively started to cover her chest, but Celine's eyes sharpened, and her voice cut through softly, commandingly:
"Don't hide from me, Lia. Not tonight."
Lia stopped. Her arms dropped slowly to her sides.
Celine stepped closer, just inches away now from Lia. Her hand rose gently and brushed a lock of Lia's hair behind her ear, her fingers trailing slowly down Lia's cheek, over the line of her jaw, then down her neck. She watched the way Lia's skin reacted--how she trembled ever so slightly, how her breath caught when fingertips brushed her collarbone.
"Hands behind your head," Celine whispered.
Lia hesitated for only a bit before obeying, lacing her fingers together behind her back, elbows pulled back, presenting herself. The motion made her chest jut out, making her posture more vulnerable and open. While her heart thudded louder in her ears, she could also feel the arousal between her legs.