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

an almost painful longing that’s gone on for years. A longing I’d shoved deep down inside of me, hoping I’d forget all about it.
    But opportunity presented itself and here she is, in my arms, my mouth on hers. And she tastes like heaven.
    Heaven and beer and the faintest hint of something sweet, that must belong only to her. I give in to my long repressed urges and touch her hair, thread my fingers through it and the strands are as soft as I’d imagined. I keep the kiss on the chaste side, not wanting to push too hard in case she bolted on me. She did just happen to see her boyfriend boning her best friend earlier. That’s some straight up bullshit right there, and I don’t want her to think I’m taking advantage of her in her fragile state.
    Hell. I wonder if she does I’m taking advantage of her.
    I realize quick she’s not reacting to my mouth on hers. Her entire body is stiff, like she’s frozen solid and I know I’ve either scared her or freaked her out. I pull away from her lips and stare at her face, willing her eyes to open.
    When they do, she’s watching me with a wariness that worries me. I also can’t help but wonder who she’s more afraid of-me or herself. “Why did you kiss me?” she asks, her voice a faint croak. She clears her throat and averts her gaze, her cheeks going pink with embarrassment.
    “Did you not want me to?”
    She meets my gaze once more, her teeth sinking into her lower lip for a moment before she says, “Your timing is awful.”
    “Because you still have feelings for the asshole who cheated on you with your best friend?”
    Amanda’s eyes go wide before she bursts out laughing. “Nothing like getting right to the point,” she says once the laughter dies.
    I shrug one shoulder. Don’t say anything. We’re still lying on my bed, our bodies so close I can feel the warmth of her body radiate toward mine. I could lean right over and settle my lips on hers and make her forget that loser boyfriend of hers for good. Slip my arm around her waist and pull her flush against me. It wouldn’t take much at all to push this farther.
    But I won’t. I should keep my distance and let her make the next move.
    She bends her head, her hair rustling against my pillow she’s lying on. Will it smell like her when she leaves? Holy shit, my thoughts about her make me feel like a perv. “It hurts, knowing that they’ve done-that. I would’ve given him whatever he wanted too. He just never pushed the issue. I was perfectly willing. So why did he mess around with my best friend?”
    Anger swells up inside of me and I stuff it down. She was perfectly willing to give that asshole whatever he wanted and he still went off and cheated on her. What was wrong with the guy?
    If she were mine, I’d treat her like a goddamn princess. If she were mine, she’d never doubt how I felt about her. I’d do my best to show her how I feel every damn day, just to bring a smile to her face. Just to make her happy.
    “But I shouldn’t talk about that sort of thing with you, right? Like you’re even interested in me, but you know what I mean. And talk about tacky, considering I’m rambling on about my stupid boyfriend and you just kissed me. Not that it was much of a kiss…” Her voice drifts and I slip my fingers beneath her chin, tilting her face up so she has no choice but to look at me.
    “Not much of a kiss?” Her words are a challenge and I’m ready to conquer. “You weren’t impressed, huh?”
    She makes a cute little face. “I think you kissed me just to shut me up.” Her voice drops. “Or because you feel sorry for me.”
    “I feel sorry for you?” I drop my fingers from beneath her chin. This girl has no clue.
    “Well, yeah. I’m me and you’re you and here I am at your house, a drunken sad mess and you feel bad, right? Just watching out for me, which makes you a stand up guy, seriously. All of my past thoughts about you being a complete jerk are banished for good, so thanks for