Her Unchained Heart (Adult Contemporary Romance)

by Scarlett Chase

  Adam smiled to himself, and then pulled out his ultimate weapon; the proverbial kill shot. The thing that never failed. “We can get through this… together. I love you, Jenny. Don’t you love me?”

  Jennifer leaned closer to him. The corners of her lips curled upwards into a slight smile; it felt good to smile again. “Not anymore. Go fuck yourself.” She was better than that, and she deserved better than him. Once again, she saw Adam in the rear view mirror. This time, it really was the last time.

  That night, Jennifer put on the same façade for her husband that she had been putting on for so many years. She had a real home-cooked dinner and a fake smile all ready for him when he came home from work. In order to keep up appearances, she waited until he was watching television for the night to go back to the bedroom and cry. Even though she knew she made the right choice, Adam's betrayal was still very fresh, and the wounds ran very deep.

  Crying was cathartic for Jennifer, and she allowed the pain to flow through the tears.

  "Jenn?"

  Jennifer jumped. It was Nathan's voice. She quickly turned away and wiped the tears from her eyes, wondering if he had seen. She tried to keep the quiver from her voice, but she couldn't quite manage it. "Yes?"

  There was a long silence. For a moment, Jennifer wondered if she had imagined the whole thing or if her husband had simply left. She turned to look and found that he was not only still there, but had come closer. He sat down next to her on the bed.

  "What's wrong?" he asked. There was a surprising amount of concern in his voice- something that she hadn't really heard in quite some time. It surprised her. She didn't know that he still had the capacity for it.

  "Nothing," she lied. "Sometimes a girl just needs a good cry, is all."

  Nathan didn't seem convinced. She had given him an out, an opportunity to simply leave with the delusion that everything was okay, but he didn't take her up on it. Instead, he stayed there with her. "Jenn..." he began. He seemed to be searching for the words to say. But the words didn't come. He looked at the floor. Maybe he couldn't say the right thing, but he knew that he needed to say the important thing.

  "Jenn..." he started again. "I'm sorry."

  This got her attention, and Adam was forgotten for the moment. She couldn’t remember the last time that she had heard those words come out of his mouth. "For what?"

  Once again, he searched for words that he couldn't find. It was clearly difficult for him, and the fact that he was trying in spite of that was entirely unexpected. "For everything. For me. I know I haven't been the perfect husband. Hell, I haven't even been the perfect man. But, damn it Jelly Bean, I want things to be the way they used to be. I want 'us' back."

  Jenn stared at him, shocked. He hadn't called her that in years. That man that she had started to resent- the one that seemed to have replaced her husband- had never called her that at all. Maybe... just maybe... he was still in there somewhere. Maybe there was still hope for them. But she was guarded. She didn't want to be hurt again; she didn't want to give her heart over to him, only to find out that nothing had really changed. But, still, she very truly wanted the same thing.

  "Nathan..." she began. She swallowed hard. For some reason, she was more nervous than she could ever remember being with Adam. She was talking to her husband, a man she had known for so many years, but she felt almost like a child. She took a deep breath. She wanted to tell him the same thing. She felt it, after all, but the words were catching in her throat.

  Nathan looked at her. He almost looked afraid, like he was scared that she no longer felt the same way. It's that look that struck her. The look that told her that he was actually afraid to lose her. The one that made it clear that he didn't want to.

  Jennifer reached out and rested her hand on his. Their hands simply hadn't touched in a very long time, and it was almost like the first time. "Nathan, I want it too. I want us back. I want you."

  Nathan looked relieved, and he let out the breath that Jennifer hadn't known he was holding in. She saw another thing, then, that she hadn't seen in a very long time: tears. Nathan's eyes were starting to well with emotion. He didn't try to stop it, and he made no effort to hide it. He just let it come.

  This time, it was Jennifer that surprised him. She took him into her arms, and she let him cry. And she joined him. They cried for the time that they lost; they cried for the future they found. They cried for themselves and they cried for each other. It was healing, and it was a beginning.

  Finally, they broke away. The foundation had been laid, and they both knew that they had to rebuild their relationship upon it.

  "What happened to us?" he asked. "What changed?"

  Jennifer didn't know any other way to put it. She didn't want to hurt him, but this was a time for honest reflection. Sugarcoating the truth wouldn't do either of them any good. "Honey... you did."

  She could see that her words stung Nathan, but surprisingly he didn't deny it or try to argue. Instead, he nodded. "I guess I did," he admitted.

  "You used to be so vibrant. So alive! And I used to feel like you loved me, every single moment of every single day. I just haven't felt that way in a while, I guess."

  Nathan nodded sadly. "Jenn, I'm sorry. There's something you should know. A few years back, our stock took a dive. We lost everything- everything that was supposed to provide for our future together. For all the trips we planned to take someday and all the dreams we always talked about. I just woke up one day and it was all gone."

  Jennifer's heart sank. She went through a whirlwind of emotions, ranging from fear to anger. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, doing everything she could to keep that anger at bay. At the same time, she knew she deserved to know but she wondered why he was choosing that moment to tell her.

  "I should have. I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to worry you. I didn't want to hurt you. I guess I screwed that one up."

  "Is that why you've been so distant? You were worried?"

  "Kind of. I couldn't let it go. I couldn't bear the thought of us losing out on our hopes and dreams, and I couldn't stand the idea of not being able to provide for you someday. So I got a second job. Factory work, just something flexible and part time. Every time I walked through those doors and clocked in, I died just a little bit. But I knew that I was doing it for you- for our future together.”

  “And that’s why you were always so tired…” Jennifer said, realizing.

  “Yeah. I can’t really give myself an excuse; maybe I went too far with it. It started to consume me, the idea that I had to get it all back. And I did- every single cent. I got it back, invested it a little bit better, and we’re better off than we were before. I can quit that damned second job and start focusing on us, like I should have the whole time. I’m sorry it took me so long to see it, but I see it now.”

  Jennifer was speechless. She had wanted to hear those words for so long that it almost seemed unreal to hear them now. But, somehow, that day had been both incredibly painful and life-altering joyous. It was a confusing day for her. She thought about the number of times that she had sex with Adam in the bed she shared with Nathan; the bed that she was now actually looking forward to sharing with him. She felt a twinge of guilt but pushed that aside. Maybe someday she would tell him everything, but that wasn’t the time.

  “I guess I kind of pulled away, too,” Jennifer added. “Maybe it wasn’t all you.”

  Nathan smiled. It was the same devil-may-care smile that she had fallen in love with so many years ago, and she was falling in love with it all over again. Her eyes traced his face, which was looking more and more like it did once so long ago. Even his eyes were the same; piercing, green and beautiful.

  “Jenn?”

  Jennifer snapped out of her daze. She had gotten lost in his eyes, but his voice helped her to find her way back again. “Sorry, what?”

  Nathan chuckled. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard him laugh. She liked the sound. “I said, it’s cold out. You’d better
get dressed,” Nathan repeated.

  Jennifer was confused. She cocked her head to the side just like an excited puppy. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise,” he replied.

  Jennifer squealed. She loved surprises. She was glad to see that Nathan had stayed; she was especially glad that he even had an interest in staying. She balanced her desire to put on a show for her husband with her excitement over the surprise, realizing that she wanted them both just as badly.

  One thing at a time, she reminded herself with an inward smile. She took off her house clothes very, very slowly. She wasn’t facing him as she undressed, but she knew that he was watching her every movement so she made each one count. She turned to the side and arched her back when she pulled her shirt off, pushing her breasts forward. She was very deliberate as she removed her bra, finally freeing her breasts and making sure he got a very good look.

  “Wow,” Nathan whispered.

  Jennifer beamed, and she felt herself blush. She rather liked his attention, and she wanted more of it. “You like?” she asked, rubbing her milky-white orbs. She felt her nipples stiffen with the touch and wondered idly if he noticed.

  “Yeah, I like!” he replied, eagerness and desire creeping into his voice.

  “Good,” she giggled. The shorts came next, and with them her panties. She pulled them free in one smooth motion, allowing the light garments to fall to the ground around her ankles before stepping free from them. She was completely nude and allowed him to visually explore every inch of her delicate flesh. She turned her back to him and bent at the waist, picking up her shorts and panties. It was subtly intentional that she also exposed her very ready sex to him.

  She looked backward as she returned to her full height and was flattered by both his fallen jaw and the bulge in his pants. Somehow, his attention now meant more to her than that other man’s ever did. She had trouble remembering his name at that moment, but she didn’t really care to try.

  “Now,” she said, trying her best to pretend that she wasn’t as excited as he was, “I suppose I’d better get dressed.”

  “Probably. Although I kind of like you this way,” he grinned.

  She was very careful with the outfit that she chose. Revealing enough to be exciting to him, but modest enough to go out in public. It was a difficult balance when she didn’t want to get dressed at all. But eventually she decided, and she covered up the very parts of herself that she wished would stay exposed. Oh, well, there would be plenty of time for that later. She had a surprise to see.

  “Okay, let’s go!” she said, once she was fully dressed. They walked together, hand in hand, to the car. Jennifer looked around them nervously; she had the distinct feeling that they were being watched as they settled into the car. But it had been a pretty emotional day, so she reasoned that she was likely just being paranoid. “Where are we going?”

  “Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?” Nathan teased.

  “No,” she pouted. Waiting was always the hardest part.

  Chapter 4

  Nathan eased the car into the street, and together they drove into the night. Jennifer had no idea what to expect, so she wasn’t at all surprised when they pulled onto the freeway. She watched the moon-drenched scenery roll past her window, wondering where he was taking her.

  He knows what you did. He’s taking you somewhere to kill you. It was a bizarre, uncomfortable thought, and she started to argue against it before she recognized the futility in arguing with her own unwelcome intrusive thoughts. She forced it from her mind. Nathan was many things, but he wasn’t a murderer. She had been through enough trauma for the day, she didn’t need to invent any more of her own.

  Suddenly, things outside the window started to look familiar. Landmarks that she recognized, and road signs that rang a bell. “Oh, my God,” she said. “Are we…?”

  “Yup,” Nathan replied, eyeing the next exit with a gleam in his eye. “We’re in Landsdown.”

  Even the name brought back memories, some good and some bad. They had both grown up in that small town; they went to school there, and that’s where they met. They had left Landsdown for a reason, but coming back left her feeling nostalgic. Fond, even. She started calling out sights that she remembered and sharing memories from their childhood together.

  But it wasn’t until they pulled into the parking lot did she finally realize where they were going: Last Chance Burgers and Fries. ‘Best Shakes in Town.’

  Of course, it was the only place that made shakes in town. But still, it was technically true. And the food actually was pretty good, so no one minded too much. More relevant, it was the place where Jennifer and Nathan had their first date.

  She still remembered that night- everything about it. They were so young then, still in high school. He was so nervous, and he spilled mustard all over the dress that she had borrowed from her sister. It was a disaster of a first date, but it was a wonderful start to their life together.

  Jennifer looked out the window, wide-eyed and excited. “Nathan… do you remember?” She turned to him, only to find that he was already looking at her. Their eyes met.

  “Of course I remember, Jenn. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately. How about we grab a burger?” It was spontaneous. It was unexpected. It was romantic. It was Nathan.

  “I’d love a burger,” Jennifer smiled. She felt just like a kid again, and she remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place.

  They stayed at the Last Chance until it closed, and until they were chased out by the wait staff. Although it wasn’t planned, it turned out to be very much like their first date in that regard. And as they made their way back to the car, Jennifer began to wonder if it would end up like their first date as well.

  “We needed this, didn’t we?” Jennifer asked. She knew that it was true, but Nathan’s reassuring nod helped her to take it all in. Things had changed- very suddenly and definitely for the better.

  “Yeah, I think we did,” he added. He opened the car door for Jennifer and continued to hold it until he realized that she wasn’t getting in. “What’s wrong?” he asked. A worried expression crossed his face, wondering if he had somehow done something wrong.

  “Wrong door,” she smiled.

  Nathan’s worry turned to confusion. “What?”

  “Don’t you remember how our first date ended up?” she asked, with an eye roll added for effect.

  Suddenly, Nathan got it. Of course he remembered how their first date ended up. It ended up with them in this very same parking lot, in the back seat of Nathan’s car. The car back then had been much older, but the one he drove now would do nicely.

  Back then, their encounter had been driven entirely by lust and desire. This time, reliving it, there was something much deeper at work. Although lust was certainly a consideration.

  Nathan ushered his wife into the back seat. She was nervous; it felt almost like her first time all over again. And just like her first time, she let him have complete control over the situation. It was a role that he seemed to have no problem assuming.

  It all started with a kiss; the kind of kiss that was deep and sincere, and left them both gasping for breath when it finally ended. It was the kind of kiss that makes heads swim and holes slick. The kind of kiss that was born of passion and desire and never failed to lead to something amazing. Tonight would not be an exception.

  The kiss turned into a very gentle caress; first on was Jennifer’s cheek, a loving touch as Nathan’s lips pressed against hers. Then it was her neck before his wandering hand found her breast. The similarities to their first date had officially ended. There was no awkward fondling or fumbling with bra straps; instead, they worked together towards the same goal- their mutual satisfaction.

  Their clothes came off quickly. Most of them, anyway. It was only enough to give them both access to the most intimate parts of the other. This left Jennifer on her back, her legs spread and her sex very open to Nathan. The deepest p
arts of her body wanted to scream, to beg Nathan to fill her and give her the pleasure that she knew he offered. But he didn’t leave her waiting. He certainly didn’t leave her wanting.

  It was only a moment before he was inside her, filling her with the length and girth of his manhood. There was something innately satisfying about the experience, and Jennifer sighed contentedly as she felt herself being filled by him.

  They made love, there in that parking lot, in every single way that the back seat of a sedan would allow. Naturally, space was a consideration, but they made do with some creative acrobatics and erotic contortions. By the end, they were both left very exhausted, but very satisfied.

  Jennifer looked at her husband with new eyes. She saw the man that she loved and cherished, and she said a sincere little prayer that she hadn’t given up on him. It took another man to show her just how wonderful her husband actually was, and to set them on the path to rebuilding their relationship.