Pretty Boy D: A Best Friends to Lovers Standalone (Kings of Cypress Pointe) Read online

  Contents

  Copyrights

  Written by Rachel Jonas

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Epilogue

  Bonus Content

  Join the Shifter Lounge

  A note from the Authors

  About the Author

  Soundtrack

  COPYRIGHTS

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including, but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Rachel Jonas & Nikki Thorne.

  Copyright © 2021 Nikki Thorne & Rachel Jonas

  All rights reserved.

  Edited by Rachel Jonas.

  Cover Design by Rachel Jonas. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover Photo Credit: Michelle Lancaster @lanefotograf

  Interior Design and Formatting by Stephany Wallace at @S.W. Creative Publishing co. All Rights Reserved.

  This e-book is licensed for personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Published July 9th, 2021

  WRITTEN AS RACHEL JONAS

  THE LOST ROYALS SAGA

  The Genesis of Evangeline

  Dark Side of the Moon

  Heart of the Dragon

  Season of the Wolf

  Fate of the Fallen

  DRAGON FIRE ACADEMY

  First Term

  Second Term

  Third Term

  THE VAMPIRE'S MARK

  Dark Reign

  Hell Storm

  Cold Heir

  Crimson Mist

  WRITTEN AS RACHEL JONAS

  & NIKKI THORNE

  KINGS OF CYPRESS PREP

  The Golden Boys

  Never his Girl

  Forever Golden

  KINGS OF CYPRESS POINTE

  Pretty Boy D

  Mr. Silver

  DESCRIPTION

  Dane Golden—Best friend. Temptation in football cleats. Roommate?

  I’m screwed.

  His followers don’t call him Pretty Boy D for nothing. The guy is, literally, God’s gift to women. I should know. I’ve watched chicks throw themselves at him since puberty.

  Sharing his loft should be simple. Easy. But shortly after I settle in, we realize being "just friends" was so much easier when we weren’t sleeping under the same roof.

  Seven years of thinking we had this down to a science goes out the window the night Dane sees my “Never Have I Ever” list. Now, he’s on a mission to help me cross off the top four items. Some of which aren’t quite as innocent as he’d expect.

  What he’s proposing will break the rules we agreed to when I first came to stay here. He wants me to give in, to let my guard down and face my feelings for once. At least, that’s what that wicked look in his eyes and the mounting heat between us suggests.

  This isn’t how I imagined being roommates would go. But a girl can only stare temptation in its green eyes for so long and not weaken.

  My best friend wants to have his way with me and, right or wrong… I think I might let him.

  Pretty Boy D is a full-length standalone novel. This book can absolutely be read on its own, but when you’re done, it’s recommended that you check out more from the Golden triplets and Joss in the complete enemies-to-lovers trilogy, KINGS OF CYPRESS PREP.

  Do you enjoy the frustratingly hot push and pull of a good friends-to-lovers or roommates-to-lovers romance? Then you’ll love getting to know Dane and Joss. Due to adult themes and sexual situations, this one’s only for the 18+ crowd. Expect an HEA and no trigger warnings needed.

  One-click and get lost in this story today!

  Smooches,

  RJ & NT

  Thank you for your purchase! I would love to get your feedback once you’ve finished the book!

  Please leave a review and let others know what you thought of

  “Pretty Boy D.”

  You can stay up to date on new releases and sales by joining my newsletter or by joining my Facebook Group.

  For all inquiries, please contact me using my primary email address:

  [email protected]

  Age twelve (Nearly 7 years ago)

  Joss

  You would’ve thought a tornado had just torn through the room, but this was all him. The tall boy with hair dark as ink and a storm gathering in his eyes—Dane Golden.

  I’d only learned his name when Ms. Kent took attendance, right before all hell broke loose.

  Shock held me and twenty-plus classmates hostage, huddled in a corner beneath the periodic table. This was where we felt safe and out of harm’s way.

  Out of his way.

  It happened so quickly. One minute, things were quiet. The next, Dane was flying out of his seat, tackling Alex to the floor. While most thought the scuffle was completely unprovoked, I knew better. The outburst happened when a hate-filled slur left Alex’s mouth, but it wasn’t aimed at Dane.

  It was meant for me.

  This being my first day of school in a new city, I distinctly remember having prayed for it to be as boring as humanly possible. Clearly, that turned out to be a bust.

  He stood at the epicenter of the disaster he created; overturned desks, scattered chairs, and drops of blood dotting the tile. His knuckles paled when gathering Alex’s lapel into both fists, so tightly there was an audible rip when the stitching gave. Still, it was as if Dane was numb to the pleas for mercy, the begging that made the rest of us cringe. Even me, the girl Alex’s words were meant to wound.

  “I swear, I’ll never say it again!” he begged.

  Ms. Kent, realizing she’d completely lost control, fled for help. Dane, on the other hand, was unmoved by the fountain of blood pouring from Alex’s nose, dripping down onto the embroidered crest of his uniform blazer.

  “I was only kidding! Chill!” he pleaded again.

  That storm in Dane’s gaze darke
ned, threatening to make landfall. At that moment, Alex seemed to notice his excuse hadn’t gone over so well.

  “Okay, I’m sorry! It was a stupid thing to say!”

  “You think I need your apology? Say it to her!” Dane snapped, flashing a look toward me. It was that same bold green stare that caused a breath to hitch in my throat every time I’d gotten lost in it that morning.

  “I’m sorry! I take it back!”

  Alex’s head bobbed when he was yanked forward by the lapel a second time.

  “Tell her again!” Dane growled. “And this time, say it like you fucking mean it.”

  A collective gasp filled the air when he swore. At twelve, I guess we weren’t used to hearing that kind of language roll off another kid’s tongue, but I’d later realize Dane was nothing like other boys.

  Visibly shaken by the threat, Alex stuttered through another apology, hoping to earn Dane’s approval.

  “I—I’m really, really sorry. I swear I’ll never say it again,” he sobbed.

  Dane stared down at him, scowling with disgust as the kid melted into a whimpering mess. Then, in a fit of rage none of us saw coming, his fist slammed Alex’s already battered face one last time. A horrified shriek left Ms. Kent’s mouth because, of course, she came back just in time to catch Dane in that final, merciless act.

  Three suits rushed past her, flooding the room to wrestle Dane into submission. I’d never seen rage like his before—raw, so easily triggered—but there it was, as vivid and wild as his green eyes.

  As he was dragged from the room, I managed to mouth the words “Thank you” before he disappeared down the hallway. It wasn’t lost on me that whatever punishment he’d face would be because he stood up for me. A shy, wiry girl with braces he didn’t know from a stranger on the street.

  That day was a monumental one. Not because of the hatred that could’ve left me emotionally wounded and insecure. It’s etched into memory because it’s the day I met the guy who taught me the definition of loyalty. As it turned out, the savage I’d seen off his leash became the best friend a girl could ever have.

  That chaotic episode was the beginning of something epic.

  It was the beginning of us.

  1

  Present Day

  Joss

  The loud thud that likely just startled Dane’s new neighbors was all me—the result of stumbling into the wall, making a less-than-graceful entrance.

  A jolt of pain shoots through my shoulder, but it’s a small price to pay for not hitting the floor. Had I fallen, I would’ve landed right on the box in my hands. One that happens to hold thousands of dollars’ worth of camera equipment.

  Oh, the shit he would’ve talked if I’d done that.

  These cameras are his life.

  Speaking of lives, mine just flashed before my eyes. Meanwhile, Dane manages to hold back a smile for all of three seconds.

  I shoot him a look when his lips start curving upward. “Not even gonna ask if I’m okay first?”

  My question is apparently the straw that breaks the camel’s back because it’s followed by his deep laugh echoing off the vaulted ceiling.

  “Dick.”

  He ignores the insult and finally relieves my hands of the box. “Next time, leave the heavy stuff to us guys,” he teases.

  “Or maybe, you know, stop leaving your ginormous shoes right in the doorway,” I shoot back, shoving his shoulder.

  I put all my strength into that push, but you’d never know it. He’s freakishly solid, so I moved myself more than I moved him.

  Trailing behind, I stare at the definition in his back through the ribbed tee he stripped down to about an hour ago. I’m reminded of how much more time he’s spent at the gym since graduation. He says it fills the empty hours, but I think it’s a distraction.

  Namely, from the media circus that’s taken a sudden interest in his family.

  Having a father who’s been named the city’s most heinous criminal to ever walk the streets of Cypress Pointe could have that effect, I suppose. It’s not every day a father attempts to murder one of his own sons, but it’s all true. Including the part where Vin’s only motivation was to conceal the many, many horrific acts he’d committed. Needless to say, while my homelife’s sucked lately, it’s nothing compared to what Dane and his brothers have lived through these past months. For instance, my dad isn’t facing years in prison. The only punishment for his transgression is having to endure the wrath of the two women scorned by his affair.

  Me and Mom.

  Despite mine and Dane’s fathers’ indiscretions being vastly different, Pandora—our city’s anonymous gossip reporter—has had a field day flaying both in the public eye. Granted, whoever hacked her several months ago is the one responsible for outing my father’s behavior, but Pandora has certainly contributed to the fallout. If Dane and I weren’t already close, this might’ve been the thing that brought us together.

  We turn into a room stacked high with boxes and he sets down the one I brought up from the rental truck. While he shuffles things around a bit, my fingertips trace the mortar between the exposed bricks in the wall. My vision’s drawn out through the tall window, watching the sun set. From this high up, Dane’s view of the city is a work of art—silhouetted buildings against the backdrop of a peach and lavender-colored sky.

  A loft apartment in the heart of downtown Cypress Pointe isn’t so bad for this being the first place he’s had on his own. As a triplet, I used to think the three of them would live together until one married, but I was wrong about that.

  West—the oldest by mere minutes—recently settled into the family’s second property in nearby Bellvue. It’s halfway between the campuses where he and his girlfriend, Blue, are starting college this fall. Sterling—younger than Dane by thirty seconds—wants the full campus experience, so he’ll be moving into the dorm by summer’s end.

  Which brings me to Dane and this bad-ass loft I fell in love with the first time he brought me to see it. It’s so huge our voices echo into the rafters, making it perfect for him—a guy who enjoys throwing the occasional party. Plus, it has this extra bedroom he plans to make his studio.

  “Decide how you’re gonna set up in here yet?” I ask, zoning out while I stare at traffic on the grid of streets below.

  “Nah, I’m not in a rush,” he answers. “Call me crazy, but I’m still holding out hope my best friend will change her mind and room here for a bit. In which case, I’ll set up shop in the great room.”

  He smirks at me from over his shoulder, knowing I haven’t changed my mind. We’re friends, yes, but I’m exceptionally cautious when it comes to getting ‘too close’. Most days, our friendship is the most solid thing I have, which is why I protect it with my life. So, if that means turning down his offer for a place to lay my head at night, rent-free, then that’s what I’ll do.

  He only stops glaring at me to check the notification on his phone. Saved by the bell. With any luck, it’s not more of Pandora’s B.S.

  “Anything good?” I ask.

  He shakes his head and leans against the wall. “Just a message from Rose.”

  I suppress an eyeroll, which has one of my lids twitching. Rose—brand manager extraordinaire—doesn’t let up. She popped into Dane’s life at the height of his family drama, hoping to capitalize on his father’s infamy, no doubt. She’s the ultimate opportunist, and I get pissed every time I think about her only seeing dollar signs when she looks at him.

  Dane’s done well on his own, managing to garner a few million followers without help. Rose’s goal, though, is to turn him into an icon with endorsements and several streams of income linked to his growing platform and football prowess. The sports-related endorsements will have to wait until after college, per the NCAA’s guidelines, but that hasn’t stopped Rose from getting a head start. She’s got a whole plan laid out for how he can make the most of this summer before classes start in fall. Hopefully, none of which require the selling of his soul.

 
“She’s been on me about hiring a social media manager,” he elaborates with a sigh.

  “To do what, exactly?”

  He peers up and the last ray of sunlight peeks between buildings, hitting him in just the right way, brightening his eyes like emeralds.

  “She thinks I need a gatekeeper, someone to weed through the comments and messages that hit my accounts.”

  “And… she doesn’t trust you to do this yourself?” A laugh slips out when I ask.

  He shrugs. “She asked for access to see what goes on behind the scenes and I guess she saw a few things she thinks could mar my image.”

  Translation: there were chicks laying thirst traps in his DMs, and he likely fell victim to them.

  Men.

  I’ll admit, the tribe of women who follow him are ravenous. One or two have literally sent their panties to his P.O. Box, so this comes as no surprise.

  “You should take the job,” he blurts out.

  I do a doubletake. “Me? Dane, I—”