Free Gold Shimmer by P. T. Michelle Page B

Cass, but you still smell like a bar.”
    I snicker and brush my lips against her cheeks, purposely blowing my horrid breath across her face. When she protests and tries to roll away, I just grasp her tighter, knowing she needs a comforting touch despite our goofiness. This is exactly what my sister would’ve done for me, and I’m glad I’m here for Talia.
    I can feel the tension vibrating in her body, so I whisper, “Think about the fact you finally got laid instead. Hold on to the positive thoughts.”
    She instantly goes still against me. “How did you know that?”
    I run my tongue across my lips, licking the salt I tasted when my mouth touched her cheek. “Because you smell like cologne and taste like sweat.” Just to rev her up once more, I lick her whole cheek and laugh when she gags and attempts to swat me away. “And because you wouldn’t tell me. That’s how I know.”
    Her silence makes me wonder if she’s still thinking about her dream, so I try to draw her thoughts away. “Why don’t you tell me what happens this afternoon at four instead?”
    “You heard that?” she whispers.
    I snort. “I was drunk, not deaf.”
    “Just coffee,” she sighs.
    “Good!” Relieved she’s started to relax, I bury my nose against the back of her neck. “And I love you too, Talia.”
    After we lay there in quiet silence for a bit and I finally hear her breathing even out in untroubled sleep, my heart feels lighter with the knowledge Talia finally had sex. Maybe it will help her stop obsessing so much on the newspaper. She’s entirely too focused and never allows herself any time for fun. At least one of us got the full-shebang of wonderful feelings tonight.
    Well, what I could only imagine wonderful feelings would feel like to fully let yourself go with someone. To be completely uninhibited. Maybe the mask and fake name helped her get past her hang-ups about guys not being good enough. Bash certainly seemed like a fine specimen.
    As happy as I am for her, a part of me twinges with jealousy. I desperately wish I had the freedom to spend the night with Calder, to find out if that amazing orgasm I experienced with him was just a one time thing. Could I really let myself go with him? But unlike Talia, who could completely hide behind her anonymity tonight, I came to the party as someone else behind my mask and had to maintain that underlying persona. No matter how much it killed me.
    Crawling out of bed, I stumble to the bathroom. I’m still in my costume. Well, minus the heels. As the light pops on, I flip my dark, rat-nested hair out of my eyes to stare in the mirror. I’m tired and bleary-eyed, but even looking a bit haggard, I have perfectly spaced eyes, nice lips, and symmetrical bone-structure. Perfect from a photographer’s perspective. Some would call me pretty. Just like Celeste.
    I scowl at the image.
    Not only did Celeste cost me Calder tonight, she cost me my inner peace. Jake would’ve smirked at Cass if he happened to run into her tonight, but otherwise he would’ve pretended she didn’t exist. Coming face-to-face with him shook me more than I thought it would. I wasn’t prepared for the full deluge of self-disgust that hit the moment he touched me.
    I didn’t throw up because I was drunk like I let Calder believe. Jake makes my skin feel like it’s teaming with bugs and my stomach dip and rise like a seesaw. The sheer dislike rocketing through me flushed my cheeks and made it hard to breathe. I loathe him with every fiber of my being. I can’t believe that I ever thought he was attractive. I hate that what he did to me fucked with my mind, twisting me inside out. If I could’ve flattened him with my fist, I would’ve right there in front of everyone. But I wasn’t me. I was Celeste. Proper. Bitchy. Spoiled . And put on a pedestal by him.
    I scowl at the face in the mirror that has caused me so much grief, then hit the light switch, cutting off the image.
    My phone buzzing with an alert