Her Unchained Heart (Adult Contemporary Romance)

  Her Unchained Heart

  by Scarlett Chase

  Copyright 2015 Scarlett Chase

  All Rights Reserved

  Her Unchained Heart

  Book design by Scarlett Chase

  and used under a Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0

  Chapter 1

  Jennifer picked idly at her cold scrambled eggs. They had lost their flavor, and she ate them more out of habit than for any sort of enjoyment. Another breakfast. Another day.

  She stared at the man at the table opposite her, wondering who he was and where her husband had gone. He looked like Nathan, although slightly older and significantly rounder than he should have been, but she felt like there must have been some sort of mistake. Or maybe it was a cruel prank, and someday her husband would jump out of the closet where he had been hiding for the last few years. She would feel wanted again; beautiful again. It would be a relief, although she was sure it would take some time to forgive him. She knew it was idle thinking, but she enjoyed the idea.

  But, no. This couldn’t be her husband. Her husband was loving and kind. Always sensitive to her needs and willing to share in her dreams. Her husband was lively and energetic, always there to cheer someone up whenever they felt down. He was attractive, and he possessed an unwavering aura of confidence.

  He was everything this man wasn’t.

  The man that sat opposite her was none of those things. He was in a bad mood most days, and he was distracted on the others. He spent most of his time in front of the television, either yelling at the local team or complaining about the news. Even his eyes were different. The passion that should have been in them was gone. If he was her husband, then it was only as an echo of what had once been.

  “Dear?” she said finally.

  He was completely engrossed in the newspaper, studying it intently.

  Maybe he’s reading something that matters, she thought to herself. But she doubted that was the case.

  He took another bite of his food, as though he hadn’t even heard.

  Jennifer sighed, then cleared her throat. “Nate?” she said, louder this time.

  He looked up, although he didn’t bother lowering the paper. Instead, he merely peered at her over the top of it. She had his attention, at least, but he was making it very clear that she was bothering him. “What? Did you say something?”

  “You’re going to be late for work, if you don’t leave soon,” she reminded him. He was normally very punctual when it came to work, but for some reason today was an exception. Fixed, pleasant smile; eyes opened wide and bright; jaw relaxed. It was the same mask that she had worn for a while now.

  Nathan glanced at the clock. Its stern face looked back at him, telling him that Jennifer was right. “Shit. I gotta go. Clear the table, will you?” Somewhere in between swearing and the word ‘you,’ he had already reached the front door. He could move very quickly when properly motivated.

  “Sure, honey. Have a good day,” she called after him. But she knew that he didn’t hear. The door slammed shut, and she was once again alone in the house.

  She cleared the table. She washed the dishes. She did the laundry. She cleaned the house. She knew that Nathan wouldn’t even notice, much less thank her for the effort, but someone had to do it. The house was clean and everything was in order. She looked at the clock. The hands hadn’t moved very far.

  The grocery store was just as dull, from produce to the frozen aisle. She settled into the shortest line, hoping that it would move quickly. It’s not that she had anything that she needed to hurry home for, she just didn’t really want to be at the store any longer.

  The man in front of her exchanged pleasantries with the cashier. Jennifer noticed him- it was hard not to. He was young and attractive, and managed to convey a sense of inner confidence without crossing the line into cocky. Her insides started to warm, and she was suddenly envious of the cashier. The woman was about the man’s age and probably was free to pursue her obvious interest in him.

  But at least Jennifer wasn’t bored any longer.

  “Fifteen twenty-six,” the cashier said in the sing-song voice that says, ‘I’m available.’

  The man either didn’t notice her advances, or he didn’t care. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, like he was weighed down by worries in a way that made him older than his years. He fished his credit card out of his wallet and passed it through the machine.

  Someone, somewhere, programmed those machines. And, for some reason, they chose the most obnoxious sound possible to use when a card is denied. The kind of sound that turns heads and makes it very clear that the bearer has been declined. The man turned beet-red with all of the unexpected attention.

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled to the cashier. Her flirtatious looks were gone completely, now replaced by mild annoyance. “Can I try it again? Maybe it was just…” he stopped, unsure of what else it could be.

  “Sure,” the woman replied with a dismissive wave.

  The man tried it again. Again, it was declined. Again, heads turned. He opened up his wallet, but the single bill inside didn’t appear to be enough.

  “I’ll just put these back,” he said, without making eye contact. He started to collect the items from the belt.

  Jennifer couldn’t help but look at what the man had been denied. They were simple, inexpensive food items. Things he clearly needed. She had nothing but sympathy for the younger man. She’d had the same thing happen before, and she knew just how embarrassing it could be. She also knew that the judgmental shoppers that were looking down at him had probably had that happen as well, so they deserved the dirty look that they got before they looked away.

  “Let me,” she whispered to him, readying her own card.

  “You don’t have to do that,” he replied. “Thank you, but it's okay.”

  “Nonsense,” she smiled.

  The cashier sighed audibly, but Jennifer ignored it. Her own card went through without a problem, and they made small talk while her own purchases were rung up and paid for. They walked out together, both knowing that they would never come back to that particular store.

  “Thank you,” the man said once they reached the parking lot. “There should have been enough. I don’t know what happened. It’s embarrassing,” he admitted.

  “Don’t worry about it, really. I’ve been there- it happens.”

  “Still, I appreciate it. I’m Adam, by the way.”

  “Jenn.”

  “Jenn,” he repeated, as though committing it to memory. “I’m going to pay you back, I swear.”

  “You don’t have to do that. We humans gotta stick together,” Jennifer smiled. “Besides, it’s good karma.”

  “Please?”

  It was the please that surprised her. She looked at him for a moment, and could see it in his eyes. He was embarrassed, and was clearly struggling with his pride.

  “Okay,” Jenn said softly. For the second time, her heart had gone out to this man. She scribbled onto a piece of paper, fished from her purse, and handed it to him. “You can mail it when you can. Don’t worry about it until then.”

  Adam smiled, and he took the paper from her hand. When their fingers lightly brushed against one another’s, they each felt something electric. Their eyes locked, and they each held their gaze for just a moment longer than they knew they should have. And then, just as suddenly, they broke away. Adam returned to wherever he had come from, and Jennifer returned to the life to which she had grown accustomed.

  That evening, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t get Adam out of her mind. She was certain that she wo
uld never see him again, but she just couldn’t forget their brief interaction.

  “What the hell are you so chipper about?” Nathan grumbled. He already had a few beers in him, and he was already in a bad mood. Normally that would mean that it was going to be a rough night for Jennifer, but she managed to keep a sincere smile this time. It was a nice change.

  “Just had a good day, is all,” she replied. She had a pretty good idea that Adam wouldn’t ever have talked to her in such a way. For the first time in a while, she started to remember that no one should talk to her that way. Maybe she really did deserve better. “I’m going to take a bath,” she added coldly. But Nathan didn’t seem to hear. Or, if he did, he didn’t seem to care.

  As the bathtub filled, Jennifer undressed. She looked at her body in the mirror, remembering for the first time in a long time that she was still attractive. Her belly and her breasts were still firm, and she still had the curves that had gotten her so much attention in her younger years. Her skin was still soft and unblemished, and her eyes still sparkled when she smiled. Yes, she definitely deserved better.

  The next morning, Jennifer was startled by a sudden knock at the door. Looking through the peephole, she was even more surprised to see Adam standing on the other side of it. A quick look in the mirror; a frantic smoothing of her hair; then she answered. “Adam, hello,” she said. She didn’t move aside to let him in. She was appropriately guarded, given that this was a man she had met once before.

  “Jennifer,” Adam smiled. It was a different smile than the embarrassed one that he had offered the night before. She liked this one better. “I wanted to say thank you again. And I wanted to give you this,” he said as he pressed an envelope towards her.

  “What’s this?”

  “Fifteen dollars, twenty-six sense. Exactly what I borrowed.”

  Jennifer smiled. It wasn’t about the money; she was glad to see that he was a man that always paid his debts. That said a lot about his character. She looked down at the envelope, subtly hoping that their hands would touch again as she grabbed it. “Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to…”

  Her gaze rested on Adam’s knuckles. He noticed, and looked as well. “Looks worse than it is,” he explained.

  “Looks pretty bad. That’s going to get infected if you don’t cover it up.” For the first time in his presence, she was worried. She knew enough to know that skinned knuckles most often meant fighting. But curiosity, as it often did, got the better of her. “What happened?” she asked.

  Adam sighed. “Sometimes, I pick up a late shift at the factory- the one down in Woodbridge. My friend works there, so I’ll give him a call once in a while and see if they have room for one more. It’s no big deal.”

  “Did you do that… did you call him… to pay me back?”

  “Yes. You were so damned nice, there was no way I was going to make you wait for your money- not when I could get it to you today. Just seemed like the right thing to do.”

  “Come on in, let’s get that cleaned up,” Jennifer said, moving aside. She wondered if that nosy Margaret across the street was watching her invite this strange man into her home while her husband was away. Rumors could start. Reputations could be tarnished.

  To hell with Margaret. Let her watch.

  Once inside, Jennifer cleaned Adams’s wounds. She held Adam’s hand tenderly, much like a lover would. While she was watching what she was going, he was busy watching her. She looked up, and their eyes met again. She lost herself in the deep blue pools.

  “I’m sorry for just showing up like this. It’s just… I wanted to see you again,” Adam admitted. His words filled her stomach with butterflies. They made her heart thunder in her chest. They made her palms start to moisten. They made her inner core start to warm. What she saw in his eyes, and what she heard in his voice, told her that she wanted him just as badly as she wanted him.

  Jennifer was acutely aware of the fact that she was still holding his hand, even though she no longer had a good excuse. But it didn’t matter; he didn’t pull away. She barely even registered that she was leaning closer to him, but she could see very clearly that he was leaning closer to her. Their lips were only inches apart… and then half that… then, they were only a breath away…

  The only thing that stopped them from the kiss that they both so desperately wanted was Jennifer’s husband. His intrusion was as unwelcome as it was surprising. They heard the front door open and close, and they tore away from each other before he was in the house. Adam looked for a place to hide; Jennifer just looked worried.

  “You seem my goddamn wallet?” Nathan growled, asking the question before he even saw who he was asking it to. It was too late. He came into the kitchen and stopped short when he saw Adam. “Who the hell is this?” he demanded.

  “Nathan…” Jennifer began. She wasn’t exactly sure what to say next. She hadn’t exactly done anything wrong, but she had desperately wanted to. “This is… um…”

  “You may as well tell him,” Adam interjected with a wink. Nathan didn’t see it, but it was the kind of look that told Jennifer that she could trust him. That everything was going to be okay.

  “Yeah, you may as well,” Nathan agreed, closing on the pair. Somehow, he looked both angry and uninterested at the same time.

  “My name’s Adam,” he said coolly, stepping forward with his hand outstretched.

  Nathan took it, shaking without fully understanding. He looked suspicious, but the situation clearly wasn’t playing out in the way he had expected. “Nathan,” he replied.

  “Good to meet you, Nathan. I’m a music teacher- guitar, violin, harp; anything with strings, I can teach you how to play it.”

  “You’re taking music lessons?” Nathan asked, peering around Adam to where Jennifer stood.

  Jennifer was just trying to keep up. She had gone from calm to aroused; from aroused to surprised; from surprised to confused- all within the space of a few moments. She nodded enthusiastically. “I wanted to learn to play the guitar,” she managed.

  “Suddenly? Just like that? You just felt like inviting some stranger into my home, because you suddenly wanted to learn to play?” He was obviously suspicious.

  Jennifer wondered if this was it- the end of her marriage and the life she knew. It wasn’t a great life, and it certainly wasn’t much of a marriage, but it was the one she had. And she knew that Nathan was the vengeful type- he certainly wouldn’t make it easy on her.

  “You’re going to ruin her surprise,” Adam replied, as if on her behalf. He had the perfect mix of accusation and friendliness in his voice.

  “What surprise? What the hell are you on about?”

  Yeah, Adam. What the hell are you talking about?” Jennifer thought.

  “She wanted to learn to play before your anniversary- a love song. We were just about to start our first lesson, and you’ve gone and ruined the surprise.” He turned to Jennifer. “Suppose you don’t need me anymore, Ma’am. Sorry it didn’t work out.”

  Adam started to walk out towards the door, but Nathan stopped him. “Hold on a minute, buddy. Is this true, Jenn?”

  Both men looked at Jennifer, waiting for her answer. “Yes, it’s true. I wanted to learn to play you a love song.” She willed a few tears into her eyes. Nathan was like most men- he couldn’t stand against a woman’s tears. “I just wanted to surprise you, and you’ve gone and spoiled it.” She buried her head in her hands, doing a great impression of a crying woman.

  “Wait a second,” Nathan said with a sigh. “You should probably stay. Let’s just pretend this never happened, and I’ll do what I can to forget about this. Okay?”

  “Okay,” Jennifer sniffled. “If you promise.”

  “Okay, I promise. Help me find my wallet, and I’ll get out of here.”

  A brief search found his billfold in the couch. And so just as suddenly as he had come, he left again. Adam and Jennifer looked at each other, barely able to believe what had happened.

  “That was
incredible,” Jennifer said. “I had no idea what to say, but you were cool and calm- you knew exactly what to do.” Suddenly the question dawned on her. “Have you done this before? Is that just your usual cover story?” The question went from pained to accusatory.

  Adam laughed. “No, it’s more or less true. I really do play guitar, and once in a while I teach someone how to play, too.”

  “You can teach me how to play a love song?” It seemed like a good idea. Her husband had agreed to it, and she’d get to spend more time with Adam.

  “I can do better than that,” Adam said. His eyes were very sincere. “I can help you live one.”

  And then, finally, they kissed. Their lips met and the world melted around them. There was nothing else then, except for two bodies that desperately wanted to become one.