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Trust
Book 1 of the
“Believe Series”
L. Chapman
Image Copyright Alekuwka. 2013
Used under license from Shutterstock.com
Cover designed by Sarah at Sprinkle on top studio
Edited by - Paige Maroney Smith
Formatted by Angel’s Indie Formatting.
This book is a written act of fiction. The names characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to a person, living or dead, actual events locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever including internet usage, without written permission of the author.
Copyright 2014 by L. Chapman
Dedication
In memory of my Nan and Brother.
Forever in our hearts, Miss you.
Gracie Hutchinson
James William
You will lead a rich and successful life.
.
Amazon Fan Picked Debut Romance Author 2013
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
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
Mark’s POV
Acknowledgements
Believe Series book 2
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Acknowledgements
A Believe series Christmas special
Our First Time
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Acknowledgements
Book 3 of the Believe Series
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Acknowledgements
About the author
Work by L Chapman
Prologue
I love this time. Our time. John has the weekend off. He is lucky that he never has to work weekends. I’m only off today and tomorrow, and then I leave for a three-day first aid course. John should be arriving soon; I just finished showering and getting dressed. Well, when I say dressed, I mean putting on my sexy red bra and panties set, just the type that he likes, nice and lacy. I put on a short, red halter neck dress over the top of my lingerie to give him a bit of work to do. I never wear things this short when I’m out. These are for John’s eyes only. John and I have been together for five years. I don't remember the last time we have actually spent a full day together. We still have separate homes; in fact, he stayed at his house last night.
“Hi, Megan,” John calls out as he walks through the door, locking it behind him like he always does. That will keep anyone from disturbing us.
“I'm in the lounge.” I am so excited; I stand still and wait for him to walk in.
“Now, then, sexy.” He pauses as he gives my ensemble a once-over. I can’t do anything but blush.
He is in his normal T-shirt with a logo of a band on it and jeans. His brown hair is short as usual; I wish he would let it grow. It would give me more to grab hold of during our intimate times. His eyes are a dark intriguing green colour. “I love what you're wearing. Are you going to stand up and give me a twirl?” John enquires as he winks at me.
I stand up and walk straight into his arms, “I don't twirl...unless you twirl me.”
“Oh, sexy, I am going to twirl you so much and you know it,” he says as he places his lips to my neck and kisses the nape.
Oh, he knows how to get me going.
Chapter 1
“Megan, I can’t decide which dress to wear tonight. Which do you think, the pink one or the purple one?”
I walk from the en-suite bathroom of the hotel that we are staying in for a few days. I’m wearing a soft cream dressing gown; the hotel’s logo is elegantly embroidered on the left-hand lapel. The logo is of two green twirls intertwining with the letters HH under it. Jenny is in the lounge, wearing a matching gown; she is standing in front of a huge mirror mounted above the electric fireplace and straightening her shoulder-length blonde hair. As I walk past the la
rge black corner sofa, I look at the dresses that are hanging in front of the big floor-to-ceiling windows, which provide a fantastic view of the city. It is like looking at a picture postcard. This part of the city, which is away from all the tourist traps, is the real city and I have fallen in love with it.
Everything about this suite and the hotel impresses me. This is the first hotel in the city I have actually stayed in; I have only ever come down for the day before. When I see hotels like this, I can see why some people live in them.
“Jenny, these dresses are the same, right?” I enquire as I stand in front of the two dresses, feeling them. They are both made out of some thin cotton material, perfect material for January.
Her green eyes sparkle as she walks towards me. “Yes, they are the same. You know me. If I like a dress, I get it in every colour I like.”
Both dresses are strapless, straight up and down with a ripple section across the chests. Jenny always chooses amazing dresses, very pretty and elegant, never anything too long. She loves her legs. The dress is gorgeous, but not something I would wear, as it is too short for me. Jenny will look stunning in either.
“Go with the purple one, Jenny. You look good in purple especially that shade. I’m going to get changed.”
I walk back into the en-suite bathroom and change into black leggings; I slip my feet into a pair of gold Grecian goddess sandals. I pull on the cream dress, though to me it feels more like a top. I like the way the rounded neckline is cut low, but not too low, and I like the way the material billows and floats. I apply some lip-gloss, a must have in my life. Some people love shoes; some love handbags, but I adore lip-gloss.
I run a brush through my long, brown hair with its natural blonde highlights. Unlike Jenny, whose hair has always been naturally curly, I don’t have to straighten my hair. Mine is naturally straight, which can be a pain, as I love it with a little wave.
I stand, looking at my reflection in the rectangular bathroom mirror to make sure I look all right before I leave the bathroom to rejoin Jenny. Jenny is applying her make-up; she doesn’t need it, as she has flawless fair skin. Nevertheless, she always wears it, a lot of it!
This could take some time, I think to myself as I walk over to the sofa and sit down.
“Jen, you look fab,” I comment. I wish she realized she doesn’t need to take so much time getting ready, well, putting her make-up on. She is naturally pretty.
“Thanks, Megan, you look fab, too. I love those shoes. They would work so well for my wedding.” Jenny giggles, looking at herself in the mirror.
I giggle. “Yeah, Jenny, they would.” I lift my foot up and look at them. I love these sandals, and they are so comfortable and pretty and work with everything, unless it is raining.
Jenny is one of my closest friends; we first met at work four years ago. She was the extremely shy girl that did not say much, but that quickly changed and she soon came out of her shell. She is now one of the most confident people I know. In addition, if truth be told, I do not know what I would do without her in my life. When Jenny left the company two years ago, we remained friends; we are like sisters, so close. Jenny has never been close to her sister, Sam, unlike she is with me.
Jenny’s been with her fiancée, Rich, for longer than I have known her, and the three of us are great friends. We’re in the city shopping for Jenny’s big day. It’s only six months away, as Jenny constantly reminds me. I can’t wait for the wedding, and I still can’t get over the fact that she asked me to be her Maid of Honour.
“Are you ready?” I ask, as I am getting bored of sitting and waiting.
“Done, let’s go.” Jenny spins around, showing me her outfit that she has finished off with a pair of black stilettos.
I stand up and grab my sparkly black cardigan along with my sequined clutch. They match perfectly. I always say that life without a little sparkle is far too boring. With my clutch safe beneath my arm, I head for the door with Jenny following behind me.
Jenny decided that we should go out for a drink while we’re here, though I would have preferred to stay in. Jenny looked at me with that look of hers that says “please, you know you really want to”, so I decided I would go out with my friend and have a little fun, while I still could.
Rich is out with his best man, Luke. I still don’t know what to make of Luke. I’ve only met him on a couple of occasions. He is famous and knows it. He comes across very cocky, but you never know what he might be like in a different situation. Luke is about the same height as Rich. He is slim with dark blonde hair and very dark green eyes.
We leave the hotel and head out into the night. Walking next to Jenny, I listen to my friend talking about all her plans once she and Rich are husband and wife. I hope her plans work; she hopes to have the fairy tale wedding and marriage. I hope she gets her happily ever after because I am not sure such things happen.
This part of the city is a mixture of boutiques and wine bars, and Jenny quickly finds a place that she likes. I look up at the establishment’s name and it intrigues me, and I smile at Jenny as we head for the entrance. My eyes once again settle on the neon sign that reads “Bar 3000”.
We giggle and walk toward the bar. It has six expansive floor-to-ceiling windows mounted in black modern frames, and it looks very smart and classy. It seems quite empty, but that’s fine by me as we only popped out for a quiet drink.
As we open the double doors to the bar, I notice that the exterior décor continues into the club. Everywhere is stylized black and red décor with huge flat screen televisions hanging on the walls. The main bar is centralized and runs in a complete circle, and I can see bar staff busy behind the gleaming counter and stools positioned the entire length of the bar.
The bar is busier than it had looked from the outside with mainly men sitting in small groups or in pairs. Most of the customers have their eyes on the screens. A football match is playing, and this would certainly account for the lack of women.
Although I am not looking for a man, I cast my eyes across the room, but none of the men warrants a second look. As we reach the bar, I notice a group of three men standing farther down the bar.
Chapter 2
One of the men does catch my eye. My gaze lingers, and I fear that he has clocked me looking at him. His eyes appear to sparkle, and his amazing smile reaches his eyes. He has neatly trimmed short brown hair, but it is long enough to play with. Where did that thought come from, I think to myself, as I let out a nervous giggle.
He is wearing a black shirt with the top two buttons undone. The shirt is tight, and I can tell that he works out. I can see his arms and chest are so defined from here. He looks strong. He’s also wearing dark coloured jeans, but with his companions standing between him and me, I can’t really see any more.
We are standing at the bar not too far from the three men, and I cannot keep my eyes off him. Once again, he catches me looking, so I quickly divert my eyes back to the bar.
I ask Jenny what she would like to drink, and she asks for a vodka and Coke. A barman, wearing a black T-shirt with the “Bar 3000” logo embroidered on the chest, comes over and I ask for a vodka and Coke for Jenny and a Diet Coke for myself. Jenny just winks at me, knowing what I am like when we are out. I never begin with alcohol, always a Coke first.
From the corner of my eye, I see that the stranger that had caught my eye is heading in our direction. Once more, I find my gaze drawn toward him, and I am unable to take my eyes off him. He is absolutely breathtaking, and his blue eyes are almost mesmerizing. As he walks towards us, he rolls up his sleeves showing off his tanned and well-defined forearms. I start to feel my heartbeat start to race as he closes the distance between us.
I look at Jenny, only half listening to what she is saying, all the while keeping an eye on him as he continues to walk towards us. I can feel my heart beating faster with each step he takes, and finally, he stops right next to us. I have never felt like this. It can’t be right.
We take our drinks from the ba
rman, and I pay for them.
“Good evening, ladies.” He smiles.
I am so glad Jenny is here. She is more confident than I am, and her being here is very reassuring.
“Hi,” Jenny replies, as she turns fully around to face him, moving closer to me and giving me a little nudge to say “hi”.
“How are you both this evening? My name’s Mark.” He looks straight towards me.
I look at him, unable to talk for a moment and thankfully, Jenny speaks up, thus avoiding an awkward silence. “We’re very well, thanks. I’m Jenny.” Jenny is friendly as always, looking at him and smiling.
I finally find my voice and introduce myself. “I’m Megan, and it’s nice to meet you, Mark.”
Jenny giggles and glances quickly at Mark and then at me and smiles. “Megan, I’ll be back in a minute. I need to ring Rich.” Jenny moves closer to me, giving me a little hug.
I smile, taking Jenny’s drink for her. “Oh, okay, honey. Tell him I said hi.” As Jenny walks off, she blows a kiss at me.
I should have known that she was going to leave me alone with Mark. Jenny knows the type of man that I like, and by leaving us, she has given me a push in the right direction. I am not happy about this, but I know she is trying to help me. I never used to back away from males, and I would chat and flirt a bit, but never make a move unless I really liked him. I now avoid all men, and Jenny knows I do.
“Now, that is better.” He sounds so happy; he gives me a big smile and moves closer towards me.
“Why’s that?” I ask. My heart is beating so fast. I am so worried. Am I in danger? I look in the direction Jenny went in, but I can’t see her. Why did she leave me?
With that amazing smile of his, he looks me straight in the eyes and says, “Megan, it was you that I noticed, you and your beautiful eyes.” I could feel the flush of heat rise to my face. “Why has your boyfriend left you on your own on a night like this?”
I just shook my head and laughed. “That’s a terrible line, Mark. You’re only trying to find out if I’m in a relationship.” I sip my Coke before continuing. “Mark, I’m single and pregnant, which you will have already noticed. That means I’m going to be single for a long time to come,” I state as I place my hand over my small round belly. “So, where’s your girlfriend on a night like this, or should I assume that you’re just a player?” I can’t believe I just said that, but Mark just smiles at my bluntness.
Believe Series box set