Free Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy by K E Osborn

set for two. A small vase of flowers sits in the center. Two single candles sit on either side of the flowers, lit
    and flickering in the mild breeze. I inhale at the sight. Those horrid butterflies flutter around in my stomach with a vengeance.
    I don’t want to disturb him, as he seems far away in his thoughts. I try to make my way silently to the table, but my heel gets caught
    in between two stones. I try to pull it out, and the commotion causes Aiden to turn around. His eyes meet mine, and a beaming smile crosses his face. He’s wearing suit pants, a light blue pinstriped shirt and a suit jacket, no tie. I
    act cool and slowly pull the shoe out of the stones, using some force. My shoe comes free suddenly, making me stumble and fall onto the deck. My clutch falls, opens up, and my things fly out everywhere.
    “Oh my god,” I mutter under my breath. Next thing I know
    Aiden is helping me up.
    “Jeni, are you okay?”
    I stand up and look at him. “I’m falling for you already.”
    His face lights up, and he shows me those perfect pearly
    whites.
    I dust myself off and say, “How embarrassing!”
    “Here, let me help you,” he says, gesturing to my clutch and its contents. I pick up my clutch and lip-gloss, and he picks up my cell phone.
    He clears his throat as he picks up a couple of condoms. My face goes bright red as a smirk crosses his.
    “I didn’t put those in my bag. It must have been my housemate, Sarah. She plays tricks on me like this all the time. Not
    that I go out on dates all the time or anything. I mean, not that I don’t go on dates. I date. Just not often, and I definitely wouldn’t be using those tonight anyway. I mean this is our first date. What do you think I am? I’m not
    that kind of—”
    “It’s fine, Jeni,” he interjects with a giant smile on his face. I suck in a deep breath and take the cell phone and condoms from him and put them back into my clutch. I make a mental note. I’m going to kill Sarah
    when I get home. He leads me over to the railing at the edge of the deck.
    I lean on the railing and look out to the magnificent waterfall.
    “It’s so beautiful,” I say as he tucks a piece of hair
    behind my ear.
    “Sure is,” he says, staring straight at me, making me blush. I look down at the pond, smiling. “Shall we have a seat?” he asks.
    I nod, still embarrassed. I turn around, and he places his
    hand on my lower back and leads me to the table. He pulls out my chair and pushes it back in when I sit.
    “Such a gentleman,” I say to him. He takes a seat. My butterflies are wreaking havoc again, and I start to feel a bit nauseous. I
    take a sip of my sparkling water. Ah, that helps.
    “So, Moronic Smart-ass Man, what’s for dinner?”
    He smirks at me. “Whatever you want, the chef will cook for us.”
    I look at him, surprised. “But isn’t there a set menu or
    something?”
    “Not tonight. Tonight it’s whatever you feel like. Pasta, steak, perhaps seafood?”
    I look at him, confused. “Wow, you really do feel guilty,” I
    say under my breath. I look down to my hands in my lap.
    He looks at me with a confused look on his face. “Guilty?”
    I look up at him. “For crashing into me,” I say shyly.
    “Is that what you think? That I feel guilty?”
    I swallow the lump in my throat. “Maybe?” I say unconvincingly, shrugging.
    He tilts his head slightly. “I don’t feel guilty for crashing into you. In fact, I think it might be one of the best things I’ve
    ever done.”
    My mouth drops with the shock. “Crashing into someone is the best thing you’ve ever done?” I ask, feeling agitated.
    “No crashing into you is the best thing I’ve ever
    done.”
    “Huh? How can crashing into me be the best thing? I mean what if I was hurt or something?”
    He scratches his head. “Crashing into you is the best thing I’ve ever done because I got to meet you. But I’m very grateful you weren’t
    hurt.”
    I sit back in my chair, contemplating what he