Knave of Broken Hearts

Readers love

Knight of Ocean Avenue

by
T
ARA
L
AIN

“This book turned out to be so much more than I expected and I really connected with the storyline and the characters. I read this from start to finish without putting it down…”

—
Prism Book Alliance

“I loved this book. Not only was it well written with amazing characters, it was also extremely interesting and totally inspiring.”

—
The Blogger Girls

“This is such a wonderfully endearing story with characters I couldn't help but love.”

—
Rainbow Book Reviews

“
Knight of Ocean Avenue
by Tara Lain was simply a joy to read. This series started so good I can’t wait for the next one…”

—
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

By
T
ARA
L
AIN

L
OVE
IN
L
AGUNA

Knight of Ocean Avenue

Knave of Broken Hearts

L
ONG
P
ASS
C
HRONICLES

Outing the Quarterback

Canning the Center

T
ALES
OF
THE
H
ARKER
P
ACK

The Pack or the Panther

Wolf in Gucci Loafers

Winter’s Wolf

The Pack or the Panther &Wolf in Gucci Loafers (Series Anthology)

Published by
D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

Published by

D
REAMSPINNER
P
RESS

5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886  USA

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Knave of Broken Hearts

© 2015 Tara Lain.

Cover Art

© 2015 Reese Dante.

http://www.reesedante.com

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.

ISBN: 978-1-63216-961-7

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-962-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015906566

First Edition August 2015

Printed in the United States of America

This paper meets the requirements of

To Jean, who unflaggingly encourages me

and shows how great a sister-in-law can be.

T
HE
SHRIEK
of the alarm shocked Jim’s heart into his throat. He slammed his hand onto the computer keyboard and dragged the edge of his sock across his rock-hard dick. Glancing back at the bed, he watched Peggy pull the covers over her ears. At least she was facing the wall. Shit, he wanted to come so bad. He looked longingly at the drawing of those doe eyes and the beautiful full lips wrapped around the guy’s erect cock on his computer screen.

“Jimmy, who turned that alarm on?”

“Sorry.” He clicked off the video, closed his laptop, and jumped toward the shrieking alarm.
Oh, big mistake.
He flopped back into the chair and caught his head in his hand to try and stop the spinning. That got rid of his hard-on fast.

“You nuts or what?” Her voice sounded muffled.

“Gotta go to work.” At his smack on the snooze button, the alarm finally gave up, and he sighed in relief.

“No way.” Voice clear now. “I owe you a blow job, and I’m gonna deliver.”

“Can’t, baby.”
Not the right lips.

“But, Jimmy, that thing of yours wouldn’t even wiggle for me last night.”

He leaned over and patted her bare shoulder, then sat up very slowly. “I was drinking Jack, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Jack and dick don’t mix for me.”

“Man, you’re not kidding. You wouldn’t twitch.”

Rub it in.
“It’s not you, it’s me.” Never had there been a truer statement.

The alarm started round two, and he staggered to where the damned clock stood bravely. He slammed a hand down on the button. “Come on, get up. We both have to go to work.”

She rolled over. “Hell, I can cancel my appointments. Those women don’t need another haircut.”

“Okay, stay there, but I have to go.”

“What you doing on the computer?”

“Just had to check something for work.” He staggered bare-assed toward the bathroom.

She finally sat up. “You don’t usually give a shit about work.”

“Yeah, well, this is Billy’s last day as a construction supervisor before the wedding tomorrow. After that he’s only going to do construction for his own company. I want him to hire me for jobs.”

“You know he will.”

He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
No, I don’t know that.
Billy had mentioned a tenant improvement job coming up for Ballew Construction, but he hadn’t hired Jim yet. Couldn’t blame him. Billy needed the best guys on his jobs, and everybody knew Jim Carney might know his way around an electrical circuit, but he was bullshit in the reliability department. Usually he didn’t care, but Billy mattered.

Fifteen minutes later he’d cleaned up enough to get dirty again and stood in his kitchenette. Peggy came walking out of his bathroom looking pretty—and pretty hungover. He handed her a cup of lukewarm, day-old coffee. She took it and looked inside. “How come there are three rings in this cup?”

“Three days, three rings.”

She handed it back. “Shit, Jimmy, a girl could catch Ebola in this place.”

He set the cup in the sink and herded her toward the door. Suddenly she stopped and looked up into his eyes. “Who’s Hero?”

“What?”
What the fuck?

“When I was sucking you last night, you called me Hero.”

He tried to wipe the frown off his face. “Don’t know. I guess I thought you were being heroic or something. Superhero of blow jobs, you know?”

“I figured it was the girl you really wanted to have sucking you instead of me. Maybe she could have got you off.” She crossed her arms.

“Don’t know a girl named Hero.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” At least that was true.

“You ought to watch what you say, baby.”

“Yeah.”

“You could give a girl a complex.” She kissed his cheek. “Want me to try again tonight?”

“No. I’ve got some stuff to do for the wedding, but I’ll pick you up tomorrow at four, okay?”

She danced a couple of steps. “You and me sashaying at a fag wedding. Jesus, that’ll be different.”

He frowned. “It’s not a fag wedding. Billy’s my friend.”

“Never said he wasn’t. Some of my best friends are fags.” She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “See you tomorrow.”

A
FTER
SPENDING
eight hours finishing their project, Jim sat at the Bay Bar with his final paycheck in his pocket and watched Billy walk out the door with a spring in his step. Billy’s last day working for someone else. The day before his wedding.
Jesus, what would that be like, to have that kind of new life ahead of you?

He turned back to Charlie and Raoul. Charlie sipped a beer. “So when do we start the TI project for Billy?”

Raoul smiled. “Monday sharp, man. That’ll be great, working for Billy direct. No more big boss queering the works.” He snorted. “I guess Billy does his own queering, but it’ll be great working for him.” He looked at Jim. “You doing electrical or carpentry?”