Friends Without Benefits
Dex Putnam has been in love with her best friend GraceStandish since the fifth grade. Grace is smart, beautiful, and mostunfortunately, straight. Life would’ve been perfect if Grace had only loved herback, but when Grace gets married, Dex knows it’s time to move on. Then Dexmeets Emma Lawson, and her life takes a whole new direction. Only trouble is,she never expected to have to choose between her best friend and her new love.
Emma Lawson is successful and happy except when it comes tolove. She’s been alone for a year and has no intention of giving love anotherchance, until falling for Dex changes everything. When Grace comes betweenthem, Emma refuses to be second best. Can Emma show Dex what true love reallylooks like?
Praise for Dena Blake
A Country Girl’s Heart
“Dena Blake just goes from strength to strength.”—Les Reveur
Unchained Memories
“There is a lot of angst and the book covers some difficulttopics but it does that well. The writing is gripping and the plot flows.”—Melina Bickard, Librarian,Waterloo Library (UK)
“This story had me cycling between lovely romantic scenes towhite-knuckle gripping, on the edge of the seat (or in my case, the bed)scenarios. This story had me rooting for a sequel and I can certainly place mystamp of approval on this novel as a must read book.”—The Lesbian Review
Where the Light Glows
“From first time author Dena Blake, Where the Light Glowsis a sure winner.”—ABookworm’s Loft
“[T]he vivid descriptions of the Pacific Northwest will makereaders hungry for food and travel. The chemistry between Mel and Izzy ispalpable.”—RTBook Reviews
“I’m still shocked this was Dena Blake’s first novel…It wasfantastic…It was written extremely well and more than once I wondered if thiswas a true account of someone close to the author because it was really raw andrealistic. It seemed to flow very naturally and I am truly surprised that thisis the author’s first novel as it reads like a seasoned writer.”—Les Reveur
Friends Without Benefits
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Friends Without Benefits
© 2018 By Dena Blake. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-350-5
This Electronic Original Is Published By
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: December 2018
This is a work offiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of theauthor’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actualpersons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales isentirely coincidental.
This book, orparts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Shelley Thrasher
Production Design: Stacia Seaman
Cover Design by Melody Pond
By the Author
Where the Light Glows
Unchained Memories
A Country Girl’sHeart
Racing Hearts
Friends WithoutBenefits
Acknowledgments
I cannot say enough about the awesomeness of the BoldStrokes Books team. You take care of all the details and make my job so mucheasier. My thanks, always, to Len Barot and Sandy Lowe. Without the two of you,my books would never reach the world.
To my editor extraordinaire, Shelley Thrasher. You are thebest editor EVER. You tirelessly sift through my mistakes and repetitions whilestill making me feel as though I’ve created a masterpiece.
Thanks to the BSB family for taking me in and treating melike one of your own. I truly feel the love. You are all the best.
To Kate for loving me. You’re my lobster. To Wes and Haleyfor saying “that’s awesome, Mom” whenever I have a new idea. To my family,always know that each one of you is very special to me. I love you.
To my readers, thanks for being there to pick up this bookand cheer me on when I’m writing the next. You’ll never know just how much thatmakes my day.
Tothe girl next door who never knew…
Chapter One
Dex Putnam stood helplessly as the kiss of death spiraledtoward her. The voices around her stilled and everything slowed. She wasfrozen, unable to move from its path. Faces blurred as people moved in slowmotion toward her. The crowd gasped as the impact forced the breath from herchest. Flickers of red clouded her vision, and she fell backward to the floor.She raised her head, blinked, and stared at the crimson splattered across herchest. This was the end of life as she knew it.
She looked up at the stunned faces around her as they watched thelethal scene unfold. It was like a grisly scene in a horror movie, and Dex wasin the middle of it. They seemed to all know her life was over too.
She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, shrugging off thepain slashing through her heart. She’d made the wrong choice in getting out ofbed this morning, the wrong choice in coming here, and so many wrong choices inher past. The look on her sister Juni’s face reflected her pain as she droppedto the floor next to her and stared into her eyes.
“Dex. Dex!” Juni’s voice echoed in her head as she watched thecrowd close in around her. “It’ll be all right.” Juni wiped away the tearbeginning to form in Dex’s eye.
It wouldn’t be all right. Nothing would ever be right again.Regrets swam in her mind as Juni stood and offered Dex her hand. She gripped itand hauled herself to her feet, staring into the bride’s vibrant blue eyes asthe roses from the crimson wedding bouquet that cursed her chest fell to thefloor. Dex had just watched her soul mate promise herself to another. Now she’dbeen branded as the next in line to marry. Considering who held her heart, thatwas a long shot.
“Come on, love.” Juni tugged Dex’s arm. “Let’s get you a drink.”
She couldn’t get to the bar fast enough. Twenty or more womenrushed toward the bouquet left abandoned on the floor as she and Juni walkedaway. It was like a Black Friday mob scene, and all these
