Shackled Hearts (Chained Hearts Duet 4)

“Oh,” I say, shocked. “While I was engaged?”

“No, before you were with…” His nose scrunches up, and he doesn’t finish the sentence.

I look back to Brody. “Where do I live?”

“In an apartment by yourself,” he answers.

“We can go to yours and collect things, see if it sparks anything,” Lucas offers.

When I glance back at him, I wonder how I wasn’t engaged to this man. He is dressed in a black suit with a red tie, and his hair is styled to perfection. I thought when I woke that he was beautiful. But now… I am confused.

Again, how am I not with this man?

I think he is the most devastatingly handsome man I have ever met. Farris, or whatever his name was, my fiancé, was okay. But Lucas? Lucas makes my coochie tingle, even when it’s broken. Because let’s make no mistake, my whole body feels broken right now.

“Can I have a mirror?” I ask Lucas. He nods, steps out for a moment, then comes back a second later holding a small pocket mirror—he must have asked a nurse for one—and hands it to me. When he’s this close, his smell envelops me, and I have to suck in a breath at his nearness.

Taking the mirror from his hand, my fingers slide over his. Before either one of us lets go, our eyes lock.

“You have such woodsy-colored eyes. I like being lost in them.” This pulls a smirk from his lips.

“And yours are chocolate, my official favorite thing.” His words make me smile as I pull my hand away and look in the mirror. The first thing I notice is my hair is no longer a dull brown. What the hell! It’s now a vibrant red.

“My hair,” I say, touching it.

“I liked your natural color,” Lucas comments.

“So do I,” I say, smiling. Then I look back into the mirror and touch my lip. It’s healing but still has a small cut. My head has a bandage wrapped around it, and I wonder if it will leave a scar. I know I shouldn’t think that way and that I’m lucky to be alive, but my mind still wonders.

“You’re beautiful,” Lucas whispers.

“Have we been together?” I ask.

Brody starts coughing, and Merci looks away when I glance toward them.

“Yes,” he answers.

“Why aren’t we still?” I ask. I’m not sure why I would ever leave this man. Not just because of the way he looks—definitely an added bonus—but the way he makes everything in me sing. Loudly. Even with the slight touch of his fingers, I can still feel my skin burning. Which is totally the opposite of the nothing I felt from my fiancé. Is that normal?

“You decided things would be better if you left.”

I can tell it’s not the full truth, but it may be part of the truth.

“And I can’t go home with you?” I ask Brody, and he shakes his head. “And you trust this man if I went with him?” Brody should know me best.

Brody eyes Lucas, and they exchange a look.

“I would never hurt her, you know that.” Lucas raises a brow before he looks at me.

“Yes.”

“Are you insane?” Merci says to Brody, then smacks his chest before she walks out.

“What’s wrong with her?” I ask Brody.

“She isn’t the biggest fan of Lucas.”

“And you are?”