“Look,” Bly said, his lips close to her ear so she could hear over the roar of the rotor and the wind. “That’s where we’re going—it’s a sacred temple over the water.”
It was a Hindu temple, he explained, as a smiling Balinese boy handed them sashes to tie around their waists before they could enter. Para Ulan Danu Bratan rested beside a mountain lake with the main temple at the water’s edge and a smaller “floating” structure on a tiny island. They walked inside the ancient structure, its rough stone walls festooned with moss and algae. They were quietly reverent, with only the sounds of insects and birds in the air and water lapping at the shore.
“This temple is dedicated to the gods of water, those who bring fertility and abundance to sustain the generations,” Bly said. They stood close together and his hands untied the scarf from her hair and used it to bind their wrists together. “This is important—it means we’re bound to one another for the rest of our lives. The legends on the island say that even if we are parted, we can’t escape each other until the end of time.”
“I like that,” she said, close to tears again at his gentle words spoken with absolute conviction. “Until the end of time. We’ll decide later if that’s long enough. I don’t think I’ll ever have enough of you, Bly.”
“I’m so deeply in love with you, Charlotte. I wanted to bring you here so you would always remember that our love is a special kind of magic. There’s something I want to ask you, and I’m sure you know what it is. But you’ve turned me into an incurable romantic and I have it all planned out, so I hope you’ll agree to go on another trip with me as soon as we get back to San Diego. I want to be certain that your memory is firmly intact and that whatever your answer is, you’ll mean it when you say yes or no.”
“Another trip? Where will we go? What about my job?” she asked, although she knew she would gladly go with him to the ends of the earth, and that she would certainly say yes if his question was what she hoped it would be.
“We’ll go on my boat to Hawaii. It’ll be smooth sailing, and the islands are extraordinary this time of year. As for your job, you’ve barely missed a day of work since you joined the law firm. I feel certain they’ll give you a leave of absence.”
“That sounds like something I can handle, an extended vacation on a yacht in the Pacific. The few days we’ve spent here in Bali have been great for my state of mind and for restoring my memory. I think I can safely say that time spent with you, Bly, is the perfect cure for me.”
The End
For more of Charlotte and Alexander Bly’s adventures told with a bit more sizzle, Legal Action and Legal Heirs are available exclusively on Amazon, happy reading!
For other titles by Kimball Lee
The Best Man
By Ellie Meade
Maid of Honor, Kayley Frost, finds herself in sunny Aruba attending a wedding she should have never agreed to go to. As she settles into her room an unexpected knock at her door signals that her life as she knows it is about to change, forever. Daniel Weston, NFL star and best man, saunters into her life, setting Kayley’s world on fire. Daniel brings a desire back to Kayley that she didn’t realize she’d lost, and for that, she will forever be grateful.
Copyright 2014 Ellie Meade
Chapter One
Hearing my section board doesn’t make me as excited as it should. There are times in your life when a vacation in paradise would thrill you, and then there are times when you dread having to pack your bags. I have dreaded this “vacation” since I agreed to go on it. My “best friend” decided on a destination wedding, I shouldn’t say best friend, I should say… frenemy. My mother taught me to keep my friends close and my enemies closer. Once thicker than thieves, now I can barely stand the woman. It could be due to the fact that she is now marrying my ex. The once love of my life, or so I thought at the time, didn’t stop her from going after him. Girl code did not apply.
I laugh mirthlessly as I settle into my seat, remembering how she’d informed me of her unashamed actions. “Kay Kay don’t be silly, you dated him like two years ago. It’s not like you were ever in love or anything. We are in love, you should be happy for us.” That was the day I checked out on our friendship. Her tone was as if she were talking to a child. I wanted to choke the shit out of her, but I didn’t. Instead I tightened my fingers into clenched fists and mentally counted to ten.
When I could act like a lady again I replied.
“You’re right, Nicky, I can do better than him. I hope you two have a wonderful life.” I smiled sweetly at her as I patted her arm and walked out of the restaurant before my lunch was even served.