by K E Osborn
Goodreads Reviews
Ok Is it possible that I actually want to bitch slap Jeni myself? I need the third installment of this series like NOW! This was a great book with some big twists and turns. I love Aiden, he is perfect in every way I could eat him up. I don't want to say much more for those who haven't read this but I totally recommend this one.
- Melissa Imaromancejunkie.blogspot.com
This book picks up right where Trust Me? ended. It's a continuation of Jeni and Aiden's story. The first book left us hanging with so many unanswered questions. This book is about if Jeni and Aiden love each other enough to get through to what life keeps throwing at them. There are twists but in the end is love enough. Can they make it? God I hope so!!! I really loved this book. It's better than the first book because I'm more invested in the characters. There are twists and turns throughout the book. I love Aiden and Jeni together. They both question each other's love throughout the book but I know they love each other. Their love is the all consuming love because I don't think they can live without each other. It's that can't eat can't sleep kind of love! But can they pull together to get through life's twists or turns or will their love burn out? Go read this book so you can be on pins and needles waiting for book 3 because their story isn't over just yet.
- Stephannie Tolitsky
Love Me?
The Trust Me? Trilogy
By K E Osborn
Copyright 2013 K E Osborn
This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
ISBN: 978-0-9923338-1-2
Book design by Swish Grafix & Web Design
Cover design by Swish Grafix & Web Design
Cover image Copyright 2013 Swish Grafix & Web Design
www.swishgrafix.com.au
Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com
Dedicated to the best family ever!
Poopy, Nanga, Mummy Poos, Wendles and That Pony Tail Guy from TTP.
(Also known as Poppa, Nanna, Mum, Auntie Wendy and Uncle Craig.)
The Aussie Osborns rock!
Acknowledgments
First and foremost I want to thank my mother Kaylene Osborn. Without your help and support I'd never have gotten this far, again!
To all my friends who tirelessly read and re-read Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy and Book II Love Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy as they were coming to life. I know you're all probably sick to death of Aiden and Jeni by now, but without your guidance and help, it wouldn't be as fulfilling.
To my BETA readers - Joanna, Deborah, Jennifer, Melissa, Melinda, Becky, Kirstine, Stephannie, Laura and Maria. I thank you sincerely for your efforts and constructive criticism. Your help made this book what it is.
To my good friend Liz from Magic Within the Pages. I want to say a special thank you for all your support, including blog promotion, messaging, and friendship. You've made my days of endless promotional blogging bearable by chatting with me about anything and everything. Having a friend close by, even if we are three states away from each other has been very comforting.
To my BLOGS - Magic Within the Pages, Fictional Boyfriends, Amber's Reading Room, Quarter Moon Book Diva, Crazy Chaotic Book Babes, Maria's Book Blog, Book Reviews by Lexi, Bex 'n' Books, Jess's Book Blog, 1 Book Lover's Opinion, Confessions of an Obsessed Bookaholic Anomaly, Angels With Attitude Book Reviews, Cajun Book Lover, One More Chapter, The Scribe Library, Bookish and Bushytailed, Lovetiggi's Book Reviews, Life Becomes Me, 50 Shades of Gabriel's Crossfire Unscripted Destiny - Book Club, Endless Reading and Random Musesomy. I thank you whole heartedly for all your efforts in helping me to promote Trust Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy and for continuing to help with Love Me? The Trust Me? Trilogy. Without you I couldn't have done this! There are many more blogs who have helped me throughout this process, and because I cannot name you all here, I have a page on my website dedicated to you with links to your pages. Thank you to each and every one of you for your continued support.
To Devin, my editor extraordinaire - THANK YOU! With all the help and effort you put into my writing, you need a medal! You're a star, and I thank you for always answering my questions and guiding me with your support. I'd be lost without you.
To Shannon - thank you once again for helping with the supply of my giveaways.
Last of all I want to thank YOU, the reader. Aiden and Jeni's journey is well underway. As your support and love grows for the characters, I know you will fall in love with these two people as I have, while following their story as they overcome all the odds thrown at them, and they still manage to find their way to each other.
Stay tuned because Book III All of Me? of The Trust Me? Trilogy is on its way!
Thank you,
Much love
K E Osborn xoxo
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Coming Soon
Connect with me online
K E Osborn
Love-n.
1 A profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.
2 A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection, as for a parent, child, or friend.
3 Sexual passion or desire.
4 Affectionate greeting (give him my love)
Pocket Oxford Dictionary Fourth Edition / www.dictionary.com
Chapter 1
The room shifts to darkness as Aiden rolls over on his tattered mattress. The cell is small and dank, leaving him shivering uncontrollably. I watch him through the bars as a single tear rolls down my cheek. A glimmer of something dark stands in the background as he tries to sleep. His eyes are closed, then the figure floats toward him; dark, endless black nothingness fills the room as he opens his eyes. He rolls over to see the blackness drifting toward him. He sits up on the bed, his back to the wall. His eyes squint as the darkness surges, lifting him from the mattress by the neck, strangling him. He tries to call out for help, but when he opens his mouth, the blackness floods his throat. I reach through the bars to take hold of him, but he's so far away. The blackness engulfs him, and my Aiden is gone.
I take Mr. Snuggles, my trusted teddy bear, and hold him tight to me for comfort. The light is still on from a couple of hours ago when I woke to the same nightmare. I take a deep, calming breath. I would've thought by now I'd be used to this, but it still devastates me every single time I dream it. I look at the clock. It's five in the morning, and I start to remember the sentencing for Aiden's trial.
***
"All rise," the bailiff calls out then the judge walks in and sits down.
"Be seated. We are here today for the sentencing of Aiden O'Connell. Mr
. O'Connell, you have been found guilty of embezzlement by a jury verdict. I am now adjudging you guilty of said offenses.
"Having adjudged you, I will now impose the following sentence: I'm ordering that you be committed into the custody of the state penitentiary for a term of eighty-four months or seven years. A good behavior bond will be set at forty months.
"You will be provided a copy of the judgment so you can read the conditions of your sentence. Mr. Monroe, you have the right to appeal the jury verdict and the sentence that the court has imposed. Should you choose to appeal, you must file your Notice of Appeal within ten days from today. Should you file that motion, I will take it under advisement and rule on it as soon as possible. Court is adjourned."
"All rise," the bailiff says then the judge leaves.
Matthew and Rachelle sit in the back of the courtroom, smiling. Karma will get them eventually, I hope. I cry uncontrollably into my hands as Aiden is taken from me for seven years; he leaves quietly, this time in handcuffs, no struggles like at the trial. He's being incarcerated for something I know in my heart he didn't do.
* * *
I decide to get up from our bed and make myself a coffee. I find myself drinking it black these days since it reminds me of him. The apartment feels empty as I walk from the kitchen to the living room and sit on the sofa. I turn on the TV to the early morning news, where they're still covering the story of the embezzlement from Mornington Vale's biggest financial corporation. I switch the channel to cartoons; the Road Runner is speeding down a road while Wylie E. Coyote tries to push a boulder onto the road in order to capture his prey. He, as usual, fails miserably.
I drink my coffee, still wearing the gray sweatpants and a shirt of Aiden's. It's been three days since the sentencing, and Alistair has been demanding that I go remove Aiden's possessions from his office. I'm not sure how I'll cope with that. What a great start to my New Year. It's February, and I'm living in my incarcerated boyfriend's apartment, with no job, no prospects, and a broken heart. Happy New Year to me!
I sit on the sofa, mindlessly watching the morning cartoons. Even though there are funny parts, I don't laugh; I can't find the strength. Sarah is constantly asking me to come back to her house and take up my old room, but I can't leave here. I need every reminder of him I can get. I walk into our closet and take out one of his shirts from the hamper, and holding it tight to me, I smell his masculine aroma. I swallow a lump in my throat. I climb back into bed with his shirt on my pillow next to me as the pull of unconsciousness calls.
* * *
It's eleven fifteen in the morning. After walking to the en-suite, I wash my face and look at myself in the mirror. I look pale, gaunt, thin, and generally terrible, shocking even. I exhale as I brush my knotted hair and my teeth. Choosing my jeans and one of Aiden's polo shirts, I put them on. I message Mike that I'll be heading into the office today to pick up Aiden's things. Mike is waiting for me as I walk to the elevator and head down to the parking garage. He looks concerned; this is the first time I've left the apartment since the sentencing.
"Miss Taylor, are you sure you should be doing this today?"
I look at him and shrug. He opens the front passenger door for me, and I make my way awkwardly into the car.
"Miss Taylor, have you eaten anything since I saw you last?" he asks anxiously. I look at him and shake my head. He exhales abruptly and starts the car. What's with the constant nagging? I'm alive, so I must be eating something. We drive in silence to the office.
"Do you want me to come in with you?"
I shake my head and I step out of the car. I walk up the stairs to the automatic doors and I see the reception desk where Josie and the other girl are working calmly. Josie spots me and looks at me sympathetically. I ignore her. I know how she really feels. She doesn't want Aiden anymore now that he's been branded a criminal. I continue to the elevator, taking the ride to Aiden's office. My heart starts to pound as I get closer. The doors open, and I see Rachelle sitting at her desk. She looks me up and down, her mouth drops open as she sees me. I ignore her stares and I walk into the foyer, take a deep breath, and walk toward my desk. The flowers he gave me on my first day are all shriveled and decayed. How fitting...
I walk toward Aiden's office. I enter, shut the door behind me, and lean against the closed door. I feel panic rip through me as my breathing shortens. I exhale staring at his untouched desk. The memory of us together before he was arrested fills my head. I picture myself sitting on his desk as he kisses me. I sigh and shake my head looking over to the boxes that Alistair has placed on the floor. I walk over to his desk and look at the photo of us at Skye's birthday party. My eyes start to well with tears as I place the photo into the box.
Alistair slams open the door as he enters the office. "Good, you're here. Now get his shit out of here as quickly as you can. I don't need his crap lying around as a reminder. I can't even call him my son, that fucking pathetic excuse for a man!" He walks back out as quickly as he came in, slamming the door shut as he leaves. How can he say that about Aiden, about his son? My head is pounding while I continue packing his office, and I feel the urge to vomit. I run quickly from the office to the bathroom. I barely make it in time, expelling bile from my mouth into the toilet bowl. I slide to the cold tiled floor, shaking all over and crying into my hands. I feel an overwhelming sense of loss and loneliness. I look up and see Brielle walking toward me. She winces and holds out her hand to help me up.
"I saw Father storm back into his office, and I realized that you must be here. I thought I'd come down and see how you are."
"Thank you. I could really do with your support at the moment."
She hugs me tightly. "I know how you feel. I can't seem to shake this depression either, but at least we can be here for each other."
I nod, and with Brielle's help, I find the strength to pull myself together. I walk to the sink, wash my face and hands, and we head out toward the office area. We notice straight away that Rachelle is not at her desk. As we get closer to Matthew's office, we hear voices. I halt suddenly and stand outside his office door so they can't see us. Brielle looks at me strangely, but I put my finger up to my lips, gesturing for her to be silent.
"You didn't see what she looked like Matt. She's a mess. You did that to her, and I helped."
"As if I care. She'll get over it. She'll move on and forget all about Aiden by the time he's out."
"I don't know, Matt. She looks devastated, and I feel guilty."
"Don't feel guilty. Aiden deserves what he got, and we are reaping the benefits."
"I know the rewards for this are monetary, but destroying their lives is not what I signed on for."
"You need to pull yourself together. It's imperative that we remain united. Aiden deserves this, and I'm enjoying every single minute knocking him off his high horse, the arrogant prick."
My hand moves up to my mouth in shock, and Brielle lets out a gasp. I take out my phone, open the recording app, and press record, my hands shaking violently. Brielle steadies my hand with hers as I position my phone just through the doorway to video record their conversation.
"I don't think that ten million dollars is going to help my conscience, Matthew, but I love you. I'll follow along and trust your decisions."
"Rachelle, it's not just about the money. It's always been about ensuring my position as vice president so I can take over from Alistair when he retires. This place will be ours, Rachelle. We will own this corporation, and it'll be worth way more than ten million. We'll be rich beyond our wildest dreams, and we can do anything we want. Don't you see, setting up Aiden was the best thing we've ever done? Rachelle, think about it. He does seven years, four if he behaves himself, and then he's out. He can start his life again. In the meantime, we'll reap the rewards. He's a tough guy. He'll be fine.
"Anyway, I've enjoyed destroying Alistair's little family. It's been awesome to sit back and see his world collapse right in front of his eyes. Alistair has always put Aiden before me
while I'm the one working my ass off and making all the money for the company. Alistair will regard me as his number one son now that Aiden is out of the way. He'll take me under his guidance while I take him down from the inside. Just goes to show that even with my messed-up childhood, I can be the 'good son' and not the spawn of Satan, like my mother used to call me. I'll enjoy showing Mother just how clever I can be when I own this huge conglomerate, and I'll make sure she gets absolutely nothing. Stupid bitch!"
My emotions start to run riot while I record their conversation, first anger then bitterness then elation as I realize we may have something to use to help Aiden. My hands continue to shake as I listen.
"Matthew, I think we should take what we have and go. Go somewhere, another country maybe, and start again."
Matthew sighs. "Look, we've everything we need right here. We don't need to run. Anyway the detectives would've taken the embezzled money out of our account by now. We don't have any money to run with. We need to play this out. What gets me about all this is how easy it was to set Aiden up. The Swiss bank account idea was genius, and so easy to manage over the Internet. Your idea of planting the original transfer receipt and with-compliments slip we used was exceptionally creative; who knew you could be so deceptive? It was so easy to pull off using Aiden's name, his computer and cell phone to transfer the money between the various accounts. Hopefully, in a year or so Alistair, the old fucker, will croak; and then this will all be ours. If not, we can always help him along. I heard arsenic does a great job in small doses over a long period of time."
My eyes widen with shock. Now he's planning to kill Alistair? Oh. My. God. I stop the recording, look at Brielle, and signal with my eyes to the elevator. We run to the elevator, and I press the button continuously, hoping they don't come out and see us. Finally the doors open, we enter, and I press the close-door button frantically. The doors close, and I breathe a sigh of relief.