Page 17 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

nine

Ren

Ren was silent on the way to the yacht, half listening as Rachel gave Adrian as much of a tour of Ibiza Town as they had time for before heading to the marina.

Occasionally, he added a few words or warned Rachel away from a touchy or embarrassing subject, then ignored her curious look as she met his gaze in the rearview mirror.

When she asked Adrian about his plans while on the island, Ren quickly changed the subject.

Thinking about Adrian dancing in any of the clubs, kissing men who weren’t him, probably even hooking up…

all while he spent his days on the yacht alone with his memories of the paltry assortment of hours they had spent together, it was too much for him.

If he had thought the voyage to the Maldives without friends a form of torture when his father ordered him to Ibiza, it was nothing compared to how he felt about it now as he imagined what the next two weeks were going to be like wondering what could have happened with Adrian aboard.

He wasn’t thinking about Maurice or wishing for any of his other friends, only Adrian.

And what if he was never able to find Adrian again after his punishment was over?

Ren shook his head at the blackness of his thoughts and wondered how Adrian had gotten under his skin so quickly and why thoughts of being without Adrian filled him with despair. This had never happened to him before.

Ren understood attraction, understood the ache in his body when he saw someone he wished to be with, the sensuous thrill of arousal when they came together, but he’d never experienced anything beyond physical need.

Love had never been something to which he aspired in his relationships.

The destiny laid out for him was to marry someone who would provide a strategic alliance for his country by allying Belvaux with a powerful trading partner.

While he’d been told his parents had had a loving marriage, and all evidence pointed toward genuine affection between Phillippe and his wife, Ren didn’t have illusions about his future.

Christiana had been the latest in a string of potential alliances his father had trotted out to him.

All the young women had been beautiful and from acceptable families, and though Ren had slept with a few of them, there was no real spark for him, nothing that made him think he could spend the rest of his life with this person.

Ren knew his father was growing frustrated with him and would like Ren’s inconvenient attraction to men to be the kind of exploration and dalliance that young men had before they settled down with a wife.

For his part, Ren wished his father would give up and wondered if the problem was the women or that his heart was incapable of deeper emotions.

Until the day before when his heart went out to someone having a rough time, and he couldn’t do anything but step in to offer assistance and comfort.

It was a moment so out of character for him, his head would be reeling if Adrian hadn’t proved to be so captivating.

Ren reached out and brought Adrian’s hand to his lips, smiling when Adrian turned a puzzled glance his way. He bit back the urge to thank Adrian for being with him, as confused about the impulse as he imagined Adrian would be.

“If it is all right with you, tomorrow, I will show you other parts of the island,” Ren said.

He caught the warning glance Rachel flashed him. “Henri—”

“Non,” Ren said and switched to French because he knew Adrian didn’t understand it as he told Rachel to mind her own business. He intended to spend time with Adrian for as long as the Belle remained in Ibiza.

With a heavy sigh, Rachel shook her head and turned her attention back to driving as they passed through the marina gates.

She pulled into a parking space at the end of their dock, and Ren ignored her as she turned in her seat to give him the full force of her disapproval by opening the door and getting out of the car.

“Which one is yours?” Adrian asked as he got out on the other side.

“The Belleza del Sol is in slip five,” Ren answered.

Adrian nodded and scanned the anchored yachts. All of them were impressive, but none came close to the Belle’s one hundred and ten meters. She was anchored at the end of the dock, too large to fit elsewhere.

“Which one is slip five?” Adrian asked.

With a smile, Ren pointed straight ahead. “That one,” he said and watched as the size of the yacht registered on Adrian.

“That’s enormous.”

Ren grinned and pulled Adrian closer to his side. “I hope you will say that about me as well, poussin.”

Adrian leaned away from him and gave him a mock glare. Ren could tell it was “mock” because as much as Adrian was trying to look angry, the sides of his mouth twitched upward.

“Your mouth better not be writing checks your body can’t cover,” Adrian said, then he gave a slow up-and-down perusal from Ren’s hair to his toes and back up again that Ren felt on his skin.

“Oh, mon c?ur, you don’t know what you do to me. You make me want…” Ren cut himself off, then took a deep breath. “Come. Let us get on board and relax a bit before dinner.”

Hand in hand, they walked the length of the dock until they found themselves at the very end where Sylvie, the chief stewardess, was waiting for them with a tray on which rested two champagne flutes.

“Welcome aboard, sirs,” Sylvie said as she handed them each a glass with a wicked grin.

“Merci, Sylvie. May I present my special guest for this evening, Monsieur Adrian Bennett?”

“My pleasure,” the stew said with a slight bob of her head.

“I thought there was to be no alcohol on the ship,” Ren said as Adrian took his drink.

“Yes, but we’re not on the ship,” Sylvie said with a wink.

Ren sipped from his glass and smiled as he savored the bright flavor of his favorite Veuve Clicquot on his tongue. “Merci, Sylvie,” he said as he lifted his glass toward her. “I am not sure Monsieur le Capitaine will appreciate the indulgence, but you have my gratitude.”

“The captain is not on board at the moment. He’s spending our remaining hours in town with his daughter.”

“Bien,” Ren said, feeling relieved that he did not have to present himself to the Belleza del Sol’s formidable captain just yet.

The man ran a tight ship, and Ren had frequently run afoul of his insistence on order.

The last thing he needed was for his father to find out he had brought a man on board for a romantic dinner.

Feeling lighter, Ren toed off his shoes and stepped onto the gangway, champagne still in hand.

“Would you like me to give you a tour of the yacht, Monsieur Bennett?” Sylvie asked as she followed them.

Before Adrian had a chance to answer, Ren said he’d show Adrian around. “I’m sure you still have things to attend to before we depart.”

“Always,” Sylvie said. Once they were on the deck, she inclined her head. “If you need anything during your stay with us, any of the crew will be happy to assist you.”

Ren breathed a sigh of relief as she disappeared through a set of glass doors.

There were parts of the ship he was not ready for Adrian to see such as the main dining room that could seat twenty for a formal dinner—made all the more impressive by his family’s coat of arms hanging on the wall above where his father usually sat—or his father’s library where the décor was similarly…

royal. He wanted to maintain the illusion of being “just Ren” for as long as possible.

“Please allow me to show you the ship?” Ren asked and crooked his arm, smiling as Adrian took it.

They stood midship on the main deck with three decks rising above them like tiers on a wedding cake.

Ren had grown up on yachts like this one, replaced every few years by something larger and more luxurious.

The Belle was by far the best they had owned, but while he had come to adore the time he spent at sea, he much preferred travel by plane for the speed with which he could reach his destination and his next party.

As Ren showed Adrian the pool and spa, the main salon, the movie theater, where the elevators were located, even Rachel’s impressive galley, he wondered if that might change if Adrian were to be his travel companion.

He pushed that thought aside. It was an impossibility, so there was no sense in entertaining the fantasy.

When they reached the sun deck, Ren flopped onto one of the lounges that ringed the hot tub and kicked out his legs.

Adrian remained standing, his gaze drifting from the Belle to the ones that surrounded them and then to the city.

The view from here was spectacular, but Ren could tell that wasn’t what he was seeing from the knitted brow and slight frown.

“It’s…overwhelming,” Adrian finally said. “Thank you for inviting me.”

The formality of Adrian’s speech troubled Ren, and he feared Adrian was about to tell him he couldn’t stay. “Is something not to your liking, poussin?” He held out his hand in invitation for Adrian to join him on the lounger, but Adrian remained standing by the rail.

“It’s amazing,” Adrian said and flashed Ren an overly bright smile before he turned to look at the city.

“But…” Ren rose and went to Adrian. “What aren’t you saying, mon cher?

Please, tell me.” When Adrian failed to respond or even look at Ren, he gently placed his hand below Adrian’s chin and raised it so Adrian would meet his gaze.

“Please, poussin. If you need something, if there is something I can do for you, please, tell me.” And as much as Ren hated to give voice to his fear, he still added, “And if you are unhappy or wish to leave I need to know this, too.”

Adrian scanned Ren’s face as if searching for something, then shook his head. “I don’t know why I’m here.”

“Ah.” Ren smiled. “Because I asked and you said yes and made me very happy.”

“But why did you ask me?”

“Because you intrigue me, and I want to know more about you.”