Three Hearts on the Line

Three Hearts on the Line Copyright ©2023 Michelle Dare Cover Design: Michelle Dare Editing: Barren Acres Editing Proofreading: Joanne Thompson This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without express written permission from the author/publisher. No Generative AI Training Use. The Author expressly prohibits using the Work in any manner for purposes of training artificial intelligence technologies to generate text, including without limitation, technologies that are capable of generating works in the same style or genre as the Work. The Author reserves all rights to license uses of the Work for generative AI training and development of machine learning language models. Author’s Note: No artificial intelligence (A.I.) or predictive language software was used in any part of the creation of this book. CONTENTS Follow Michelle Three Hearts on the Line Content Warning Prologue 1. JJ 2. Greer 3. Dexen 4. JJ 5. Greer 6. Dexen 7. JJ 8. Dexen 9. Greer 10. JJ 11. Dexen 12. Greer 13. Dexen 14. JJ 15. Greer 16. Dexen 17. JJ 18. Greer 19. Dexen 20. Greer 21. JJ 22. Dexen 23. Greer 24. JJ 25. Dexen 26. Greer 27. Dexen 28. Greer 29. JJ 30. Dexen 31. Greer 32. JJ 33. Dexen 34. Greer Epilogue Books by Michelle Dare About the Author FOLLOW MICHELLE DARE Michelle’s Reader Group Michelle’s Newsletter Michelle’s Website Michelle’s Amazon Michelle’s Facebook Michelle’s TikTok Michelle’s Instagram Michelle’s Pinterest Michelle’s BookBub THREE HEARTS ON THE LINE The Namesake Dexen Dremest leads a good life. He owns an exclusive club, has friends he cares about, and has a supportive family. Too bad there’s a hole inside his chest where his heart used to be. One man ripped it out, leaving only tattered ends behind. The Tech Guru Greer Lynx is happy most of the time. He can be serious when he needs to be, but he’d rather be the calm in the storm than the wind whipping everything up. If only he could find a man of his own, his life would be perfect. Or maybe two men will do. The Mafia Boss’s Son JJ Altair hates everything his dad is. He wants no part of that life and has fought hard for years to keep his distance. He’s got a great career, a friend he can’t keep his eyes off of, and an ex he can’t get out of his mind. Three ties to bind. Three hearts on the line. Three souls who break trying to ease their ache. Dexen, Greer, and JJ are building something new and exciting together. It’s also terrifying since they’ve been burned in the past. What’s worth giving up versus worth holding on to will need to be weighed. The scale won’t easily balance between the three of them, but they will lean one way or the other. CONTENT WARNING Please note that this book contains the following: descriptive violence, off-page attempted rape, and homophobia. If any of these are triggers for you, please proceed with caution. PROLOGUE DEXEN Love. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea? I did. Once. Then my heart was shredded inside my chest. I gave up on finding love again after that. Why would I do that to myself? That one time did enough damage to last me for the rest of my life. I wasn’t young and naïve anymore. I was forty-six and had more than enough to keep me busy. Between my club, Untouchable, and the other businesses I ran, it was a wonder I found time to sleep. Though nothing pulled my attention like my club did. It was my baby. It made me happy. Happy. There was another loaded word. I used the term loosely. My businesses were thriving, which was great. My personal life was nearly nonexistent, which was good too. Except it wasn’t. It was an empty chasm inside me, the edges full of thorns, waiting to draw blood. Jordan Altair Jr., or JJ for short, saw to the end of my joy. Once upon a time, I would have given him everything. I would have sold it all if he asked me to. He wouldn’t, though he knew I’d do anything for him. We burned so hot and so bright. I foolishly went and did what I always did. I took control. Handled shit. JJ didn’t like it. He’d told me he didn’t want me killing anyone for him again. I understood why. His father was a mafia boss. JJ didn’t want anything to do with that world. He actively tried to stay out of it, even though his father found a way to keep pulling him back in. And there I was doing the very thing JJ hated. He didn’t care why I did it. He only saw the act, not the motive behind it. All in the fucking name of love. For JJ. For his life. When he walked away from me after us being together for a year, leaving my heart a mess, I told myself I wouldn’t fall ever again. Enter Greer Lynx. Jesus, that man. He was different from anyone I’d slept with before. I’d known him ever since Perry Altair Sr. asked my brother, Xaiden, to train the Lynx brothers over two decades ago. I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him after remaining strictly friends for so long, but he was a temptation I couldn’t stay away from. Greer was forty now. Tattooed, which I couldn’t resist, thanks to JJ getting me hooked on them. He was covered in them after all. But Greer was the polar opposite of the man I gave my heart to, so I thought I was safe. Wrong. Greer was kind, honest, and open with his emotions. I knew he was falling for me. I was helpless to pull away. Until JJ was back in front