Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy (7 page)

“To chance meetings.”

“To chance meetings.”

I manage about three-fourths of my meal. It beats me. I have
another sip of my wine and wipe my mouth with the napkin.

“That was amazing.” We both laugh at my over use of the word.

“Yes, it was a good choice.”

I tip my head. “I am
amazing,
after all.” I wink at him and laugh. He smiles, now knowing that I heard him earlier. He lets out a laugh, puts his napkin on the table, and stands up.

“It’s just about sunset. Let’s take a look.” As the sun is
setting behind the waterfall, he walks over to me and puts his hand out. I take it and stand up. We walk hand in hand to the edge of the deck. We both lean on the railing next to each other, our arms slightly touching. We watch the sun go
down in silence. The chemistry surging between us is exhilarating. He slowly puts his arm around me. There is a slight chill in the air, but I feel like I’m on fire. I feel calm and safe, like this is where I’m meant to be.

The sun finally sets, and little lanterns above us light up in various colors—pinks, blues, greens, and yellows. They are beautiful. Aiden and I both look up at the same time as they turn on.

“Would you like dessert?”

I’m full from the large dinner; I shake my head. “No thank you, but you have some.”

He takes in a deep breath. “Oh thank God, I didn’t want any either, but I didn’t want to be rude in case you wanted some.”

Oh I want some all right!
Obviously not thinking about dessert.

I turn to face him; he puts his other arm around me. We are in the same position as before when the last kiss attempt failed. My arms are
tight around his neck, his arms around my waist. I look down. He lifts up my chin so I’m lost in his gaze. His hand goes back to my waist. He swallows; I think he’s as nervous as I am. He tilts his head and leans in... I back away quickly.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, looking hurt.

“Oh, no, it’s not you. I think... I might have garlic breath.”

He laughs and pulls me back to him. “So do I.” He pulls me in tighter, and before I know what’s happening, his lips are on mine. I give in
and surrender to him completely.

This feels like one of my fantasies, only way, way better. He holds me tight as one hand moves from my waist to caress my cheek, kissing me softly but sensually. My hands move to the back of his head, and I grab a
lock of hair in each hand. He moves our bodies so that I’m against the railing at the edge of the deck. He moves his hand from my waist to hold the rail as I still grasp his hair. The kissing becomes feverishly passionate, his tongue
against mine as they intertwine. Our breathing becomes faster and erratic. Our kissing becomes more intimate. We are in perfect sync with each other. I pull him closer to me, our whole bodies touching. My heart is pounding fast and
hard. His hand moves from my face to the back of my head, pulling me tight. He moves my hair from the side of my neck, breaks our kiss, and kisses my neck slowly and seductively. I sigh and breathe in a stuttering motion. I open my
eyes to see the waitress standing there, gawking at us. I stiffen as I see her. He pulls back and looks at me. With my eyes, I gesture toward the waitress. He turns, looks, and lets out a little huff. He leans in toward me.

“Now that’s a first kiss,” he whispers as he grabs my hand
and leads me over to the table. I can’t help but smile.

I can’t look at the waitress. I’m so embarrassed and sure my face is flushed.

“Would you like dessert, sir?”

He looks at me, raising his eyebrows. “I think we’ve had enough for tonight. Please give my regards to Frankie and tell him I owe him one.” He smiles a special smile at her, and she smiles right back.

“Will do, thank you, sir,” she says then disappears down the
path.

Aiden, still holding my hand, turns to me and takes my other hand. “Feel like going for a drive?”

I look at him, puzzled. “Sure,” I say, wondering where we
are going. I grab my clutch from the table. He enfolds his arm with mine as we head down the path.

I hold his arm tightly. I really don’t want to trip again. I keep my eyes focused on the path as we walk. I don’t want to look at his
handsome face with
that
smile and
those
eyes. Those bright blue eyes are captivating and alluring. I fear that one look and I won’t be able to restrain myself. Just thinking about kissing him is making my knees weak. I exhale quite abruptly, bringing me back into reality.

“Thank you for dinner,” I say quietly, still looking down.

“You’re most welcome.”

He pauses and turns my body so that I have to look at
him. He moves so that his body is facing mine. He winks and gives me a mischievous smile. Suddenly he pushes me so his entire body is trapping mine against the embankment. His hand is at my face. His lips are kissing me passionately. My arms wrap around his waist as I pull him closer so his hips are
against mine. I become breathless at his touch, so powerful, so masculine, and so seductive. His passion grows, as does his erection against me. He moans as he bites my bottom lip. My head falls back, and he kisses up and down my throat
feverishly. This is so intense. I feel my knees beginning to buckle. He pulls my leg up, holding it to his side. I swallow down a lump that has formed in my throat, and he pulls his head back up to kiss me...

“Jeni, Jeni?” I hear my name called as I wake from my
reverie. Aiden opens the car door for me.

“Ladies first.”

I look up at him as I realize I’ve imagined a steamy hillside romance while walking back to the car.
Sheesh
.

He looks at me. “Are you okay?”

I flush red. “Yes. Fine, thank you,” I say as I stumble onto the back seat of the car.

Aiden climbs in effortlessly and sits next to me. Our bodies
are touching ever so slightly.

“To the scope please, Mike.” He looks at me with that gorgeous smile. The car pulls off, and he takes hold of my hand, which is lying in my lap. He starts to stroke it gently.

“You have such beautiful, soft skin.”

All I want to do is jump on him and kiss those tender lips. I restrain myself; it is, after all, our first date. I look at the rearview mirror to see if Mike is watching us. He seems to be concentrating on the road
ahead.

“Thanks,” I say timidly. He curls his hand, our fingers intertwined in a tight grip. I look down to our hands and bite my bottom lip. Is this really happening? I’m in a pink Cadillac, holding hands with this most
amazing guy. To top it off, he’s looking at me as though I’m the only thing in the world that he cares about. Surely this is a dream! I look into his bright blue eyes. I close my eyes tightly and re-open them, trying to wake from this
dream world I must be in. When I re-open them, he’s looking at me. A confused look forms on his face. I inhale sharply, and my eyes widen as he starts to smile at me.

“This is real?” I say out loud. Quickly I realize what I’ve
said. My mouth drops open, and I sit back in the seat, looking into my lap pretending that it didn’t happen.

He lets out a small laugh. I sense that he’s looking at me. He takes hold of my head with his hands and turns me, and his lips meet mine.
His lips are soft and sweet. I feel as though I’m tingling all over. It’s such a tender, affectionate kiss it takes me by surprise.

“Yes, this is real,” he whispers as he softly kisses my forehead.

He lets go of me and sits back in his seat, smiling. He
takes hold of my hand, and we spend the rest of the trip in silence. We drive down a dirt track, through some gates, and turn up a steep hill. Once at the top, Mike pulls the car to a stop. I look around, and there is nothing but
darkness and the night sky. I wonder what we are doing here as Mike opens the car door.

“Thank you, Mike,” I say. Mike tips his hat as a reply. I step out of the car and walk around to meet Aiden. He reaches out and takes my
hand. We walk into a field. I smell the lush green lawn. There is silence all around, and all I hear is the sound of my heart beating in my ears.

We walk to the edge of the field where the cliff ends. There
is a huge drop, and at the bottom, I see the city lights glistening. There is a telescope and a picnic blanket sprawled out on the freshly cut lawn. I look up at him with a thrill of excitement. The clear, dark night sky is riddled with millions of tiny sparkling stars.

“I love looking at the stars,” he says, breaking the silence.

“Me too, they’re beautiful.”

“When I was young, I used to spend hours just watching the sky. It was a form of escape for me. My father was demanding, so it was a way
for me to relax, away from all the pressure.”

He takes the telescope and leans it toward me so I can take a look.

“Tell me what you think,” he says, motioning for me to look.

I see distant stars magnified. I close my other eye, and the beauty takes my breath away.

“This is amazing,” I say, still looking through the telescope.

“You like that word, don’t you?” he asks, chuckling, making
me back away from the telescope. I look at him, raising my eyebrow.

“Oh stop pretending you’re angry,” he says even more cheekily. This time he winks at me.

“I’m shocked. Shocked and appalled,” I say matter-of-factly.

“That’s amazing,” he says back to me with an all-encompassing smile. I can’t help but laugh at him. He lies down on the blanket looking up at the stars as he pats the blanket next to him. I swallow
and lie down so we are barely touching. We both stare up at the stars. There is a slight breeze wafting the smell of his aftershave over me; it’s calming and masculine. I take in a deep breath, inhaling his aroma. This is so peaceful. He
suddenly turns on his side to face me, propping his head on his hand. I turn my head to look at him.

“Thank you for this; it’s amazing,” I say as I turn toward him mimicking his position, propping my head up with my hand. “Why did you
really
choose ADF to get your car fixed?” I ask, breaking the staring competition.

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” I say as he inhales abruptly.

“You gave me your details after the crash on a ‘with compliments
from ADF Automotive Repairs’ slip. I thought, with a bit of luck, that it might be your local mechanic, and I was hoping to run into you there. I rang to book my car in. When you answered the phone with your name, I put two and two
together and hoped it was you. I booked my car in, and here we are.”

My mouth drops in shock. “Are you making that up?”

He laughs. “No, I still have the ‘with compliments’ slip if
you want to see it.”

“Wow. You came to my work just to see me again? Why? I was so mean to you.”

“Yes, you were, but you’re fiery and feisty and so cute when you’re angry. I had to see you again.”

I look at him with amusement. “I can’t believe you’ve done
all this for me. I mean, getting your car fixed where I work, sending me flowers, dinner at that gorgeous waterfall, and now lying here under the stars with you. It’s more than I deserve.”

He looks deeply into my eyes. “You deserve so much more,” he says and leans over and gently kisses me. I exhale and roll over onto my back with my hands under my head. I gaze up at the beauty surrounding me, Aiden on my side and above me the starry night.

“Do you think all men are the same?” I ask, though the question is directed more to me than him.

He tilts his head. “No, I think most men give us good guys a bad name.”

“Isn’t that something a bad guy would say to a girl just to have his way with her?”

“Um, yes, I guess it could be seen that way.”

I sit up. “Ha! So you
are
a bad boy then?”

He sits up at the seriousness of my question. “No, I’m one
of the good guys.”

I bite my bottom lip as he moves his hand up to cup my face. He brushes my lips with his thumb and caresses my cheek.

“What’s brought this on?” he asks. I move my head, looking
down. He pulls my face back up with his hand so my eyes meet his. I swallow the lump in my throat.

“I just...” I mumble as he looks at me.

“It’s okay. You can talk to me.”

I exhale. “I have major trust issues with men. My dad left before I was born. My ex... well, he cheated and left me. I can’t just trust that you are who you say you are. I mean how do I know that you won’t treat me
the same way?”

He sighs. “Trust issues, huh? I can work with that.” He smiles, lightening the mood. “Let’s take this one day at a time. I don’t plan on hurting you. I don’t think I ever could. Trust is a big thing. It has to be
earned. I’ll do my time until you trust me. I’m not planning on going anywhere. I don’t know about you, but for me, there is something here, and I’m willing to wait and work at it to find out what that is. That’s if you want to?”

I can’t help but smile. “I think there’s something here as
well, and with time, I’m sure I’ll trust you.”

“I can live with that.”

“Wow! That got serious real quick,” I say, laughing. He nods in agreement. “Aiden,” I say softly.

“Yes, Jeni?”

“Kiss me!”

He lunges toward me, pushing me back to the blanket. He places his hand under my head to stop it from colliding with the ground. He moves on top of me, and we both laugh as he strokes my hair. Softly and
steadily, he kisses me with passion. I feel him smile as he starts to move, and then before I know it, he’s tickling me. We both laugh hysterically as we roll around on the blanket like teenagers. In this moment, I feel pure happiness. I
haven’t felt this way before. This man makes me feel warm and safe. This is how I want it to stay, forever. We spend most of the night talking about our lives, our families, and indulging in general chitchat until we fall asleep in each
other’s arms under the sparkling night sky.