Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Axel
What the hell was I thinking, inviting Jade on a tour of the island? It’s not like I don’t have enough going on.
As I change my shirt for the third time this morning, I shake my head at Nimue, curled in the centre of her bed. “It’s all right for you. You can just lie in sunbeams and chase butterflies or whatever.”
I blow out a sigh as I look in the mirror. This will have to do. I don’t know why I feel so nervous. Jade is a guest, after all, and not the first one I’ve taken for a tour of the area. She’s the first one I had a poster of in my shop, though.
I’m not going to think about work today, or the sour taste the interaction with Mish left in my mouth.
She could have seriously injured Jade; it’s bad enough that she can’t surf for the next week.
I already called Indah and had a go at her, not just about keeping Mish contained, but also about sharing council business with her.
Yes, Mish is a local, but she’s not on the council.
And I don’t need her two cents about whether or not she thinks I care about this place. It should be obvious that I do.
I tell myself that my concern is purely for how Mish’s actions could have affected Jade on a professional level, as well as my guest’s safety in general.
But I’m already sweating through this shirt.
Fuck. I think of how she looked, moonlight silvering her hair, the jade of her eyes dark as she gazed at me.
How she felt in my arms. I would have kept holding on to her, if she’d let me. And that way lies danger.
I closed my heart off a while ago. The same time I closed up my business, removing myself from the world, from everything with the power to break me.
Apart from the ocean. It sings in my blood, calls to me.
Even though I don’t enter her anymore, she is still there, still waiting.
Going out with Jade feels, somehow, as though I’m diving back into those waves.
Screw it. This shirt will do.
I head over to Jade’s cabin just on 10 am. She’s sitting on the front step, legs bent, her elbows resting on her knees as she gazes out to sea. When her gaze lands on me it’s distant, as though part of her is still out in the waves.
“Morning. How’s the leg?” I keep things light, push down the surge of emotion at the sight of her. Ignore the gathering storm.
She blinks. “Uh, okay. Still stings a bit, but I slept okay. Been sleeping really well, actually.” Her lips curve.
“Good. You ready to go?”
She stands. Her low-slung cargo pants reveal a tanned flat belly, a tattoo curling along one side of her hip.
I wrench my mind away from where that tattoo might go, how low it extends.
Her cropped T-shirt clings to the curves of her breasts – it’s slightly transparent, a triangle bikini top visible underneath.
Her long blonde hair is in a single braid, pulled back from her gorgeous face.
Why am I doing this again? My dick twitches, seeming to need an answer. I tell it to fuck off and leave me alone.
Jade picks up a small backpack and slings it on, sticking her chest out in the process, which I do my best not to notice.
“I figured we’d be going by scooter,” she says.
“We are. Doctor said to take it easy with the walking, remember?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah. I remember. Shame about that perfect right-hander out there. I hope you’re not gonna show me more waves I can’t surf.”
“No.” I start to smile. “I’m going to show you somewhere better than that.”
A short while later we’re on my Vespa, heading out through the village. It’s another beautiful sunny morning, warm air kissing my cheeks. Jade’s body presses against mine, her arms around my waist.
I’m completely aware of every warm inch of her.
This is going to be a long day.
Jade
I must have tried on about five different outfits before I settled on a T-shirt with my new cargo trousers. It’s to protect my leg, I tell myself. That’s why I bought them. Plus, I know they make my ass look great.
The T-shirt is part of a new diffusion label from Ocean’s Curl. Zara and I worked as consultants on the design side of things. The top is sheer and stretchy, printed with a photographic image of palm leaves in different shades of green. Perfect with my eyes.
Why I’m making so much effort is beyond me.
Or at least, I’m denying it to myself.
I just broke up with my boyfriend of four years. I do not need to throw myself at the first available man, no matter how hot he is, or how strong his arms felt wrapped around me.
But as I straddle the scooter, pressing myself against Axel, it feels pretty damn good to be that close to him again.
As we speed along narrow roads, I remind myself that I’m his guest, and he probably does this for everyone who comes to visit.
I would, if I lived somewhere this beautiful.
The roadsides are thick with green vegetation and colourful flowers, and I catch the occasional glimpse of a traditional house, timber-built and surrounded by palms, or fields with more of the glossy brown cows.
The land starts to rise, the hillside dropping away on one side of the road, the view opening up.
The ocean is turquoise shading to dark blue, fringed with white where it breaks on the golden curve of beaches.
Warm wind tangles in my braid, kisses my cheek as we turn inland and the view is lost, jungle rising around us.
After a little while Axel slows, then pulls in at the side of the road.
“Come on.” He glances back at me, taking off his helmet, running a hand through his sandy blond hair. I catch another whiff of his sexy bonfire scent and resist the urge to close my eyes and breathe it in. Come on, Jade. Leave it alone.
He gets off the scooter, offering me his hand. I take it, leaving my helmet on the seat. He lets go as soon as I’m standing. This is probably a good thing.
He leads me along a small path through the trees.
“Oh, wow.” I pause, pulling out my phone.
The trees have opened up and we’re standing at the edge of a valley.
The land drops away below us, ridged into terraces, each one edged with tufts of bright green vegetation.
The opposite side of the valley is the same, the terraces undulating as the land curves, a beautiful pattern of light and shade, as though the hills are made of stacked layers of green felt.
“Rice terraces.” Axel is standing next to me. “I’ve seen the famous ones in Ubud, but I think these are just as good.”
“They are.” I’ve also been to Ubud, but these terraces feel different, I suppose because there’s no one here apart from me and Axel.
It’s how I imagine Bali used to be, before tourism took over.
I take a few photos, mesmerised by the colours, the curving stacked shapes.
Then I glance at Axel. “Sorry. Can I… I mean, I know you want to keep this place secret. At least, that’s the impression I get.
I won’t post them to my socials or anything. I’m taking a break from all that.”
“Why do you think I don’t upgrade the Wi-Fi?” Axel grins, his eyes twinkling. “Can’t have you influencers spoiling the place.”
“I’m not an influencer!” As his grin deepens I realise he’s messing with me. “Hey!”
“Come on,” he says, taking my hand again. “Need to keep going.”
I let him pull me along another path, taking us away from the terraces and deeper into the jungle. Brightly coloured birds dart overhead, vines like entwined snakes hanging from the trees. Larger shapes crash through the branches, and I realise what they are.
“Monkeys!” I pause to watch them play, laughing.
Axel tugs my hand. “A bit further.”
“Do you bring all your guests here?” I say, as he takes me deeper into the jungle. We’re heading downhill again, the path winding through the deep green.
He turns back to me. “No, Jade. Only you.”
It’s as though thunder rumbles between us, a moment of deep connection.
Oh fuck.
I follow him further along the path, telling myself my breathlessness is just because I’m tired and a bit out of shape.
Which is utter bullshit.
But this is all far, far too soon.
The pathway widens and I catch up with Axel, walking next to him.
It curves between huge trees, then there’s the sound of rushing water.
We cross a stone bridge over a small river, the balustrades shaped to look like dragons, horned heads with open jaws at the end.
I trail my hand along the carved stone, wonder rising in me.
We descend further into a gorge, more vines like twisted ropes hanging from the cliff edges. It’s like being in an Indiana Jones movie. I am awestruck. Then the gorge opens out into a clearing.
And my jaw drops.
We’re at the base of a cliff. Water trickles from a small opening into a large shallow pool enclosed by a carved timber barrier, blocking access to the cliff. There’s a painted timber shrine at the centre of the pool, rising from the clear pale green water.
Behind me are more pools, these ones deeper and rectangular, filled with golden fish. And beyond them, water cascades from moulded clay pipes into a pair of deep baths, a pathway running between them.
It’s utterly beautiful, the shrine painted in reds, yellows and blues, the fish pools tiled in aquamarine, the baths lined with terracotta tiles embossed with patterns of leaping fish.
“Where are we?”
“This is a temple, dedicated to the spring coming from the cliff.” Axel points to the cleft in the rock.
“It’s amazing.” I turn slowly, taking in the flowing layout, the way everything feels serene, like it’s been here since time began. “Do people use it?”
Axel grins. “Yeah, of course. The water comes from the cliff here, into the pool around the shrine. Then it’s filtered into the fish ponds.
From there it’s filtered again, into the baths.
There are two because one is for men, one is for women.
And then the water from the baths flows into the river. ”
“You were right.” I breathe in the calm, letting the sound of water rush over me, the silent magic of a holy place. It’s exactly what my battered heart needs. I need to send Anna the biggest gift basket I can find to thank her.
“I was?”
“About this place being better than waves.”
“That’s quite a statement, coming from a surfer.”
“Maybe ‘better’ isn’t the right word. In a lot of ways, it’s similar. Worship of water. But this is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Water shrines have existed on these islands for a very long time.” Axel moves closer to me. “They’re part of the culture.”
His bonfire scent teases my nostrils, and I swear I can feel the heat coming from him.
We gaze at each other, a moment of connection.
His hand comes up and he tucks a strand of loose hair behind my ear.
My entire body tingles at his touch, my nipples standing to attention. God, I hope he doesn’t notice.
Or do I?
I swallow. “Uh, that makes sense. They’re surrounded by water, after all. Live with it every day.” We’re so close to each other. I barely know what I’m saying.
“Yes.” Axel blinks, like he’s waking up. “Lots of water here.” His throat moves. “We can go, if you’ve seen enough?” He takes a step back, and I want to reach out and bring him closer again.
No. Bad Jade.
“I might take some photos before we go. Just for me.”
I need to distract myself. Axel Black is not your rebound. I repeat the phrase like a mantra as I wander around, snapping pics with my phone, trying to capture some of the magic of this place.
But if he’s not my rebound, what is he?