Free One Night (Friends #0.5) by Monica Murphy Page B

never fun to have your reputation thrown at you, that’s for sure. And since when was she keeping count of the girls I’ve been with? “So? It doesn’t mean I haven’t been waiting, looking for the right one.”
    Her mouth drops open and she’s staring at me like I’m crazy. “What are you saying?”
    I shrug. “Assume whatever you want.”
    Her gaze falls to the empty bench before it returns to me. “You still want to look at the sky?”
    “You still want to sit with me?” Her mood changes are a trip.
    She nods slowly. “You won’t try any fast moves?”
    “That’s not why I’m here.”
    Releasing a shuddery breath, she walks back over to the bench and sits down, patting the empty space beside her. “Then let’s do this.”
    I go and sit down, stretching my arm along the back of the bench, careful not to touch her.
    Let’s do this.
    ****
    Aw, Cannon! These two are a mess, aren’t they? We’re getting closer to the end…and to the release of JUST FRIENDS (out 9/13)! All preorder links are live so check them out here: http://monicamurphyauthor.com/books/justfriends/

Chapter 12 - Amanda
    I’m in Tuttle’s room.
    I’m on Tuttle’s bed.
    It is definitely the most surreal moment of my life, I must tell you.
    He’s half-sitting/half-lying next to me, the both of us propped against a mountain of pillows, staring up at the ceiling, which has-I kid you not-twinkle lights. It’s not like my room, where I strung white Christmas lights around my iron headboard because I saw it on Tumblr once and thought it was cute. Though of course, my version is never as cute as the Tumblr version.
    And it’s not like the old plastic glow in the dark stars I had stuck on my ceiling when I was a little kid either.
    No, this is a sophisticated magical array of stars in a velvety night sky, strewn across Tuttle’s ceiling. It’s crazy. It’s awesome. It must’ve cost a fortune.
    I have a feeling this is the theme of Tuttle’s life.
    His bed feels like a cloud, soft and cuddly. The pillows are that perfect combination of firm yet sinkable-soft. I can feel his gaze on me, checking me out every once in a while, though he might be on watch, waiting for me to lose my mind or barf my guts out, considering I’m kind of buzzed. But otherwise, he doesn’t really say anything. We’ve been silent for approximately two minutes and already I feel like I’m going to burst.
    Maybe it’s the alcohol. I drank a lot of beer earlier-beer bongs are dangerous-and my head is currently spinning. This is the reason I’m laying down. Tuttle made the suggestion and while at first I balked, complaining about how many other girls he’s had to his room, he just shook his head, took my arm and guided me to the extra large bed in the center of his room.
    Where I gratefully collapsed on top of it, sighing with happiness when the bed/cloud embraced me. I went completely still when he stretched out next to me, his body so close I could feel his warmth and I discreetly breathed in his scent. He smells like a citrus pine tree, which sounds weird but smells delicious. Trust me.
    Remember, this is Jordan Tuttle I’m talking about.
    Finally I can’t take it anymore. I need to talk. I need to talk to Tuttle and ask him what’s up with him being so nice to me. I want to ask if he knows what happened to Thad and Tara, but then I tell myself I don’t care what happened to them. They are the rottenest scum of the earth. They are lower than the rottenest scum of the earth. They are everything I despise and hate and want to destroy.
    Dramatic much?
    Yet my heart hurts too much over their betrayal, so I don’t want to talk about them at all, let alone think about them. I don’t want to talk about Tuttle’s motives either. So I stick with the safe stuff.
    “What’s up with the stars?” I nudge his arm with my elbow and wow, his arm is rock hard with muscle. I’m tempted to skim my fingers over his biceps but I keep myself under control. What if he