Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (12 page)

“You work there as well, is that right?”

“Yeah, Father’s PA I guess you could call me. I’d actually
like to work with Father and Aiden, but Father says ‘finance isn’t a place for females,’“ she says, deepening her voice to mimic her father’s.

“I’m happy that Aiden found you. Hopefully, you guys can get married. I’ll be your bridesmaid, and you’ll live happily ever after,” she
says, laughing.

I laugh a little anxiously regarding what she’s just said.

“I’m only kidding,” she says “But really, stick with him. He’s a great guy, and you are so cute together.”

I can’t help but giggle at her enthusiasm. Her attention is taken by someone else, and I turn to Aiden.

“She’s quite happy about us,” I say to him quietly.

“Us?” he asks, curiously.

I pause at his question. “What I meant to say is, she’s happy that I’m here with you tonight. Not that there is an
us
or isn’t an
us
. She’s happy that we’re here together. Not that we’re together or
anything. It’s like—”

“Do you want there to be an
us
?” The look on his face is one of complete seriousness. I know the answer I desperately want to say is
“yes.”

“Do
you
want there to be an
us
?” I respond
back to him.

He smiles, lightening the tension, and, still holding my hand, whispers one simple word, “Yes.”

Oh my god, is he asking me to be exclusive? Is it too soon? I mean less than a week ago this man irritated me beyond belief, and now he
wants me to be his. If I do this, then I’ll have to trust that he actually wants to be with me. Can I do this? Can I truly trust this man I hardly know? The waiter puts soup down in front of me, interrupting my racing thoughts. I
let go of Aiden’s hand and try not to look at him. I hear him exhale as he looks away and starts to eat his soup. I feel bad that I haven’t responded to him. I know he must be feeling nervous waiting for me to answer. Is it too soon? I
wish I had my cell phone so I could message Sarah for her opinion. I already know what she would say. He’s gorgeous, he wants you, and you want him. What’s there to think about?

I eat my soup slowly and carefully, trying not to spill any
on my dress. It’s delicious, so creamy and full of flavor. I finish my soup. I can’t help but feel Aiden’s pain as he silently awaits my decision. I see he’s agitated because his leg is jumping up and down nervously. I put my hand on his
knee to stop him. He relaxes his leg instantly at my touch. He puts his hand on mine, intertwining our fingers. I get up the courage to look at him and smile. He looks back at me nervously and manages a half smile through his anxious thoughts. I should give him an answer; either yes or no. It’s not that
difficult. He looks away from me, taking another drink of his Macallan. Why am I doing this? It’s self-sabotage. I should be saying yes and enjoying this night with him, but instead, I’m making us both miserable by saying nothing.
Remember, I tell myself, he’s
nothing
like Jason. I turn to him, and he looks at me, hopeful. I lean in and whisper, “Yes.” His face lights up.

“Yes?” he asks.

I laugh. “Yes,” I reiterate.

He takes my hand. “Excuse us everyone. We’ll be back in a moment,” he announces. Most people ignore him and carry on with their conversations. He practically lifts me out of my chair by pulling both my hands.

We walk briskly, holding hands, out to the foyer again. I wonder what this is about. Is he angry with me? Is he going to yell at me for making him wait? I start to get nervous as we get to the foyer. He leads me to the far end, away from the people at the retirement party. He stops and pulls
me in front of him. I wince in anticipation of the impending anger when suddenly he has me up against the column, holding my cheek gently in his hand, kissing me firmly but tenderly. All the tension in my body leaves as I wrap my
arms around him. He eases the kiss, pulls back, and then kisses me again quickly, and then softly rests his forehead against mine.

“I thought you were going to say no,” he manages to say softly.

“I thought you were going to yell at me for not saying yes straight away.”

He pulls back in shock. “You thought I’d get angry at you for that?”

I look down at the ground.

“I’d never yell at you, ever!” I look back up at his
concerned face. “Why would you think that?”

“Because that’s how other guys would’ve reacted.”

“Jeni,
trust me,
I said I’m not like other guys. I
meant it.” We smile at each other.

“I’m starting to see that now. Trust is still a big issue for me. How do I know you won’t cheat or hurt me down the line?”

He kisses me softly again. “I guess you don’t. I understand
why you think that way, but like I said, I’m different. I’m not going to hurt you on purpose. I never could. I guess I’ll have to earn your trust the hard way, but I’m fine with that.”

I sigh. “I’m damaged goods, Aiden. Wouldn’t you want someone
who can trust you right away?”

He grins. “Now where’s the fun in that?” He leans close and kisses me once more. “I don’t want anyone but you. You had me at moron.”

I laugh at his reference to the famous
Jerry Maguire
quote. He holds me tight.

“We’re doing this then?” he asks, searching for the reassurance he needs.

“Yes, I guess you’re my boyfriend.”

He nuzzles into my hair. “Well, girlfriend, I guess we had
better get back. They will probably think we’ve gone out for a quickie.” He chuckles as I hit him on the chest again, hard this time.

“Shut up and let me check your lip-gloss situation.”

He smiles and pouts. I wipe off the excess lip-gloss from those perfect kissable lips. We walk back to the ballroom with his arm around my waist. Everyone is back at the table when we enter. I look over at Alistair; he looks very perturbed. The waiter puts my meal down in front of me.

“Wow, this looks amazing,” I say, not to anyone in particular.

The waiter then puts Aiden’s down in front of him.

“Looks good,” he says to me as we dig in. “Want to try some
of the steak?” he asks me.

“Sure, want some salmon?”

“See? We’re sharing each other’s meals already.”

We laugh as we swap portions of our meals. I look over, and
I see Nana watching us with a caring smile on her face. I smile back at her. I think she’s happy for the two of us. The whole meal is tantalizingly delicious; I finish my entire plate of food. I sit back in my chair, completely stuffed,
as Aiden looks over at my plate.

“I see you still have your healthy appetite.”

I laugh.

“Let me guess. You didn’t want to upset the chef by not eating it all?” he asks jokingly, and I frown at him, pretending to be angry.

“Shhh, it was really good.”

He laughs at my pathetic answer. “I’m messing with you.”

I pull my frown face again.

“Oh, you’re cute when you pretend to be angry,” he says as
he leans in for a quick kiss, the first in front of his entire family. I hear his father scoff at us. Nana tries to rein him in.

Aiden rolls his eyes and starts up a conversation with
Benjamin, who is sitting next to him. The waiter comes around with more drinks for everyone.

“Thank you,” I say to the waiter. He nods in recognition. I take a sip of my wine, sit back, and listen to the soft music playing. Suddenly
I feel very alone. Everyone knows everyone else except for me. I’m here drinking wine on my own. Is this what dinner parties with Aiden would be like? Would he be off entertaining his guests while I sit alone getting tipsy? I look over at Alistair and remember Nana’s words about him—
He is his
father’s son
. Does that mean that Aiden might follow in the same path as his father and, in turn, turn out to be some arrogant, asshole prick? The wine is definitely getting to me. The waiter comes around with dessert. The
chocolate mousse looks exceptionally fluffy, but I’m not sure how much of it I can actually eat. I take the spoon and scoop out a small portion of the mousse and put it in my mouth. It’s like I’ve hit chocolate heaven. Somehow I manage
to consume half the dessert, but I can’t stomach any more. My nerves are starting to get the better of me. Mixed with the alcohol, the scene in the bathroom, and the abuse from Alistair, this night is becoming an emotional roller coaster
ride that I want to get off. I sit back in my chair as the music changes from soft background music to loud but slow music. The dance floor lights up, and people make their way for a dance, young and old alike.

Aiden turns to me. He can see how bored I am. He takes hold
of my hand and looks at me with sympathetic eyes.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have talked to Benjamin for so long. I neglected you. Can I make it up to you by having this dance?”

“Why not? But if you think I’m clumsy, wait till you see me
dance.”

He stands, taking my hand in his, and lifts me from my seat. We make our way to the dance floor. A slow song plays as he puts his arm around my waist and holds onto my hand with the other. He swings me around, almost
lifting my feet off the ground.

“Don’t worry. I’ll hold you tight,” he says, winking at me and pulling me even closer as we sway to the soft music.

Since Jason, I’ve been happy being alone because trusting
someone was too hard. I wasn’t going to risk getting hurt again. As I stare into his eyes, all the doubts and concern wash away. I dance in the arms of my man, never looking away from his gorgeous eyes. I stare deep into his soul, and
I’m here with him in this moment, and maybe, just maybe, Aiden is my exception.

Walking out of the hotel, I feel how tired I am. I stop to say goodbye to his family. I give Nana a hug goodnight.

“You look wonderful tonight, dear. I do hope I get to see
you again,” she says, holding me tight in her embrace.

“Thank you, Nana. I’ll make sure we come and see you very soon.” I give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Brielle rushes over to me and hugs me so tight I almost fall
backward. “Remember what I said. Stick with him; he’s worth it,” she says before she runs over to Aiden. She hugs him and whispers something in his ear. They look over at me, and Aiden smirks.

Callie walks over to me. “I want to apologize for Alistair’s
behavior tonight! There was no need for it. I truly am sorry. You’re a lovely girl, and I see how highly Aiden regards you. Thank you for making him so happy,” she says sincerely and holds me in a tight embrace.

“Thank you, Mrs. O’Connell,” I say back to her.

“Please call me Callie.”

Alistair walks out with the last of the stragglers, laughing as he shakes hands with them. Aiden looks at his father and turns to Mike.

“Ready to go, Mike?” he asks.

“Yes, sir, whenever you’re ready.”

I give quick hugs to Benjamin and Blair as Aiden walks over to me. His father walks over to the group in front of our car but says nothing.
Mike opens the back door of the car. I could cut the tension with a knife.

I walk over to Alistair and put out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. O’Connell,” I say. He stands there staring at my hand.

Aiden tugs gently on my arm. “We should go,” he says softly. I sigh and slowly put my hand down.
That was embarrassin
g. Aiden places his hand in mine and helps me into the car. He slides in beside me. Everyone,
except Alistair, waves goodbye. Aiden winds down the window as Mike starts the ignition.

“I love you, Aiden,” Callie says, bending down at our window.

“Love you too, Mom.”

She gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. She stands back as
Mike pulls out to the road.

Aiden turns to look at me. “I’m so sorry,” he says with worried eyes.

“For what?” I look at him, confused as he holds my hand.

“For my father’s attitude. He’s always acted that way with me, but I honestly didn’t expect him to act that way with you. You didn’t deserve what you got from him tonight. I should’ve punched him or something,” he says, running his hand through his hair.

“
No,
you shouldn’t. He is the way he is. You’re not going to change him,
especially
not with violence. I really enjoyed meeting the rest of your family. They were unbelievably friendly toward me. I
felt like part of the family, and I really liked it.” I see Mike’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He spots me looking and shifts his eyes back to the road. It’s adorable the way Mike cares for Aiden.

“You like feeling like part of my family?” he asks with a
cheeky grin.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I say as I rest my head on his shoulder. He puts his arm around me, and we cuddle. I’m so tired that I nod in and out of consciousness all the way back to Aiden’s apartment.

* * *

Mike opens the door, waking me. Aiden kisses the top of my head and announces, “We’re here.” He holds out his hand to help me out of the car. I’m feeling sleepy.

“What’s the time?” I ask as I clumsily get out of the car.

“It’s nearly three in the morning, Miss Taylor,” Mike says.

“Thanks, Mike,” I say as I take Aiden’s arm and we walk to the elevator. I cuddle into him, and he holds me tight, kissing my head as I
yawn. We take the elevator, and the doors open to his living room. I see the Mornington Vale city lights twinkling from his full-length windows. I kick my shoes off, rescuing my feet from certain blisters. I walk over to the windows
to check out the view.

“Come and see this,” he says to me with a beaming smile. I walk over to the balcony door and follow him out. The view is indescribable. The city streets and the twinkling lights in the early morning air glisten
brightly. As long as I live, I’ll never get used to looking at this beautiful sight. I walk to the edge of the balcony and hold the rail. He stands behind me, placing his arms around my waist. He rests his head on my shoulder as we
gaze out at the city lights.

“I guess I’d better be getting home,” I say sullenly, disturbing the peace and quiet. He pulls me around to face him.

“We’ve already slept together once. Why not sleep here? I
mean just sleep. No funny business,” he says. “If you stay over, then Mike can go to bed, rather than driving you home,” he says, pulling out the Mike sympathy card. I look at him and shake my head.

“Well played, Mr. O’Connell, well played.”

He laughs as I take his arm and walk back into the living room. He pulls out his cell phone and sends a quick text to Mike. He opens up the frosted glass doors leading to his bedroom and walks in, with me on his
arm. I suddenly feel a wave of nerves. It hits me that I’m about to spend the night with Aiden, in his bed. I swallow as he looks down at me, sensing my nerves.

“Don’t worry. No funny business, remember?” he says with a grin. I exhale and nod in agreement.

“Um, I don’t have anything to sleep in.”

“Hmm, let’s see what we can do about that.” He fumbles around for a few moments and comes up with a long gray T-shirt.

“Will this do?” he asks, holding it up to show me.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” I say back to him. I take the T-shirt and go to walk off. He grabs my hand, pulling me back to him. I wrap my arms around his neck; he wraps his around my waist. We stare deep into each other’s
eyes. My breathing hitches, and I feel those muscles in my core react, stabbing and clenching at his gaze. I let the T-shirt fall to the floor as he leans in and kisses me. This kiss is different from the others. I’ve felt the wanting in
his kisses before, but this is a need, a real need in him to have me. My hands scrunch in his hair, and I feel slightly dizzy as I get lost in him. We kiss passionately. He pulls me close to him, and I feel his every muscle clench at my touch. Our tongues intertwine. His kiss, demanding and sensual, sends me
over the edge. I start to loosen his tie, and his hands move up to either side of my face. The tie comes free, and I pull it off him frantically, his lips still locked with mine. I start to unbutton his shirt, one tiny button at a
time, baring his chiseled stomach. He lets go of my face and slides his jacket off, followed by his shirt. He picks me up in one swift movement and carries me to the bed, our mouths still searching each other’s.

He lowers me softly onto the covers, letting our lips part for the briefest of moments. He climbs on top. His excruciatingly gorgeous muscles are bearing down on me with such a need that I can’t help but moan. My fingers dig into his back as he kisses me so forcefully it takes my breath away.
He pushes his hips to mine, making me painfully aware of his growing erection. The ache in my core is so strong now it’s distracting. I want this man. His lips leave mine and make their way down my neck. He places kisses slowly and
passionately, letting me catch my breath. My hands move along his back. I feel every tight muscle.

“I thought you said no funny business,” I somehow murmur through my ragged breaths. He stops and moves his gaze to meet mine.

“Do you want me to stop?”

I pull his face to mine and kiss him with the same need he’s showing me.

I feel his smile as we kiss. He moves his arm underneath me
and spins us over so I’m lying on top of him.

“Mmm, dress,” I murmur through the endless molding of our lips.

“It would look even better on the floor,” he says. His hands move down my sides as he starts to ruffle the dress up over my hips to just
under my breasts. I sit up, taking my lips from his for only a moment so he can pull the dress over my head. He moans at the sight, throwing my dress on the floor. Our lips lock again. I position myself straddling him, holding him down.
I’m in control. He moves his hand up my thigh teasingly, the other in my hair. He pulls out my comb and tosses it to the floor. He moves his arm around my back and gently pulls me under him, reversing the role.

Slowly, tantalizingly slow, he pulls my legs up. They wrap
around his back. He kisses me again forcefully, our tongues going rogue and finding each other. His hips start to move, as do mine in motion with his.

“Mmm, pants,” I murmur. I move my hands down to unbuckle his
belt. My legs unravel as he raises his hips off mine, making the task easier to accomplish. Slowly I release his zipper. He stands up, pulling his pants down over his hips, past his knees, and eventually off at the ankles, leaving him
dressed in only dark blue briefs. He looks amazingly hot, his every muscle reacting to my touch. He leans down next to me on the bed. His hand skims across the top line of my underwear, and I’m practically panting with want. His fingers move slowly down to
that
area, gently rubbing, his lips still
kissing me. My need is becoming unbearable. I arch my back at his touch. Slowly he eases his hand down the front of my underwear. He pulls my underwear off my body. I gasp, gripping tightly at the bed sheets. His index finger finds its
way to me and rotates on my clitoris, slowly, gradually picking up speed. My breathing quickens as I moan with pleasure. He kisses me softly, moving his two fingers and easing them into me.

“Mmm,” I murmur. He pushes in and out of me, rotating his
thumb on my clitoris at the same time. His breathing hitches as he picks up speed.

“You’re so wet and ready for me. I like that.” He nuzzles into my neck, kissing me. His pace quickens. I feel like I’m basking in a vast
heat. My body starts to react to the motion, in and out, in and out. I moan loudly as he kisses me, muffling my sounds.

“Let it go, baby,” he says as I feel the height of pleasure
inside me. I arch my back, and my body starts to quiver, my breathing erratic.

“Aah, aah, oh, Aiden,” I say as he lingers over me. I grab his back with my hands, pulling him close to me. We are kissing feverishly as I orgasm and fall apart beneath him. He kisses my neck as I slowly regain
composure.
Oh my, is this what I’ve been missing out on?
I have to have more, now!

I sit up on the bed. Aiden looks at me curiously.

“Are you okay?” he asks, softly kissing my hand.

“I’m amazing, thanks to you,” I say. I take out the lip-gloss, unclip my bra, and throw them to the floor, allowing myself to be completely naked in front of him for the first time. He gasps and looks me up
and down, the moonlight cascading in through the window.

“You’re so beautiful, Jenifer Taylor,” he says, stroking my arm. I lay back down on the bed. He stands up and takes down his briefs, freeing his large erection. I stare in awe at his length. He makes his way on
top of me.

“Are you sure you want to do this, baby?” he asks, staring into my eyes.

I gently kiss him on the lips. “Absolutely,” I say, making him smile.

He kisses me tenderly, softer and less forcefully than before. I feel his erection pushing against my core. I’m breathing in staccato as he eases himself into me. He lifts his head and looks into my eyes, and I bite my bottom lip with pleasure. The feeling is strong, all encompassing,
overwhelmingly fulfilling as he eases in all the way. My hips move, the motion synchronized with his. I moan as he picks up the pace.

“Oh, Jeni,” he murmurs into my neck.

I grasp his back and pull him closer to me. There is no air between us. I wrap my legs around his bare body. He thrusts into me hard, endlessly and strongly. I feel his weight on top me, surrounding me. His hands take mine, interlacing our fingers and placing them above my head. He kisses me
forcefully as he moves inside me. The sting of pleasure hangs on a precipice as he unremittingly thrusts inside me. I feel the heat within me start to rise again. I arch my back, he starts to moan, and our foreheads meet. He looks at
me with those bright blue, lustful eyes staring right into me. His face tightens with pleasure as he thrusts again, sending me over the edge into an orgasm, bigger and more powerful than the previous.

“Ooh, Aiden,” I scream. I’ve never felt anything like this
before. It feels so good, so right. I tighten my muscles. He tightens his grip on my hands. He thrusts one last time deeply into me, pausing to unload himself into me.

“Je..e..eni,” he murmurs on release.

Our bodies start to relax. He lies there, still on top of me, surrounding me. I feel safe and protected. My heart is pounding in my chest. Sweat beads atop his forehead. He wipes his brow with his arm and rests
his forehead on mine.

“You are
amazing
,” he whispers to me. We gaze into each other’s eyes.

“I’m amazing? What does that make you then?” I say through staggered breaths. He looks at me.

“Outstanding?” he asks with a grin.

“Amazingly outstanding,” I say. I kiss his soft lips, still falling from grace as our breathing slows. I wince as he pulls out of me and rolls over onto the bed next to me. We both lay there, trying to catch our
breath. He moves his hand to hold mine as my eyes softly close. My breathing steadies back to normal, and we both sleep from exhaustion.