Page 25 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)
“Non? You don’t think so?” She shrugged.
“My mistake because it seems to me as if the two of you have come to know each other very well in such a short time.” Another shrug.
“But what do I know? I have known Henri for nearly a decade, have watched him grow into the man you met, and know you must be very special for him to defy his father this way. Perhaps you should think about why you want to push him away.”
“So, you think I should stay because it’s what he wants?” Adrian bristled.
“Absolutely not. I only want you to think things through before you run away from something that could be wonderful for the both of you.”
“You don’t know me.”
“True.” Again, Rachel gave another shrug that was so similar to the gesture Adrian had grown to adore from Ren. On Rachel? It really pissed him off. “I don’t know you, but Henri seems to.”
Rachel stood and headed for the doors to the interior, pausing just before she stepped through to look back at Adrian.
“His father and brother are the only people who say no to him.” She gave a sly grin and shake of her head.
“And me, of course. But he is used to getting what he wants. It’s difficult for him to be patient.
The fact that he’s giving you the time you asked for to come to a decision on your own, that he wants you to stay because you want to rather than because he is asking, that should tell you a great deal about how much he has come to care for you already. ”
“But there’s no future for us, is there?”
“Does there have to be?” she asked. “Not every love affair has to end in wedding bells. And most do not, especially with royalty. But sometimes having the right person in your life even if for only a short time is enough, non?” Again, Rachel shrugged, and Adrian really hated the gesture.
Without another word, the chef disappeared into the interior leaving Adrian to think about what she’d told him, what Luis had texted, and all the wonderful things Ren had said and done since they’d met.
Adrian took a sip of his coffee and made a face because it had gotten cold, then picked up a chocolate croissant and took a bite.
It really was delicious, and he pondered his dilemma while he chewed, swallowed, and took another bite.
By the time he was licking the crumbs off his fingers, he’d made up his mind.
With his heart pounding, he made his way to the lower deck through empty lounges and corridors.
It was slightly unnerving to have all this space and yet be the only person around.
Adrian knew there were about sixteen crew on board.
With the exception of Rachel and the stews, they were mainly bridge and deck crew and spent their time away from the interior areas.
The idea that Ren would have to spend this trip by himself tugged at Adrian’s heart.
While he might understand why Ren wanted companionship, there were still things he needed to be certain of.
He’d been misled too many times in the past to blindly agree to travel to the Maldives with someone he’d just found out was fucking royalty.
Adrian stepped through the sliding doors into the pool area.
Ren immediately sat up and tracked him as he made his way to the loungers.
Ren’s expression was both hopeful and wary, and it broke Adrian’s heart a little to realize that Ren was already anticipating rejection, but he wasn’t going to be swayed by soulful eyes and a sensuous mouth alone.
“So, you’re a real-life prince,” Adrian said as he stopped by Ren’s feet.
Ren’s shoulders slumped. “Oui. Born and bred. How did you find out?”
“A friend. He recognized you from a pic I sent him just to be safe.” Adrian shook his head. “I still think this might be a kidnapping.”
“Non, it is only a kidnapping if it comes from the kidnap region of the Mediterranean. This is just sparkling impressment.” Ren gave him a grin that under other circumstances he would have found endearing.
Adrian shook his head. “Too soon. I haven’t forgiven you yet.”
“Oui, too soon. I should be ashamed of myself.” Ren flashed puppy dog eyes at Adrian.
The corners of Adrian’s mouth twitched but he fought the urge to smile. There were questions he needed answers to first. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I do not know. I have rarely been in a position of needing to tell anyone who I am. Most people I meet already know, or there is someone to make the introduction for me, so I did not know what to do. As we spent more time together, there was never a moment it seemed right to tell you as I found it is not an easy thing to work into conversation.” He shrugged and gave Adrian a wan smile. “And I found I liked you not knowing.”
Adrian’s nerves were strung tight, and he bristled, ready to lash out, but Ren leaned forward, staring up at Adrian.
“It was not because I wanted to deceive you, but because…” he spread his hands in front of him, palms reaching outward in supplication.
“People perform for me, they act in a way they think will please me and are not always their authentic selves. It makes it difficult to trust what people say to me.” Ren made a face.
“And I perform for them as well. I have told you, I am the younger son, the younger prince , the spare, the plan B in case something happens to my brother before he has children. People have expectations of me because of that. But you…you had no preconceived idea of who I was supposed to be or what I was supposed to do or how I was supposed to act. For the first time in my life, I was able to be me, just Ren, getting to know someone to whom I am attracted. You have no idea what a gift that is for me, poussin. What a treasure you are. And why, though these are not circumstances of our choosing, I am not sorry that you are here with me.”
Ren’s eyes were full of worry and doubt, and a vulnerability that made Adrian realize what Rachel said was true. Ren did care. But Adrian needed to know one more thing.
“Is this about me or because you don’t want to be alone?”
Ren’s hesitation confirmed Adrian’s worst fears, and his temper finally got the better of him. “You know what, never mind. Fuck you, Your Highness. I want to leave. Now.”
Adrian was almost all the way to the sliding doors when Ren caught hold of his wrist. He whirled around and wrenched himself free, staring over Ren’s shoulder to ignore the fact that the man—the prince —was naked and that his cock had been inside him the night before.
With crushing shame, he realized he’d been a complete fool once again. Was he ever going to learn?
“Adrian, please, wait.” Ren took a breath and stepped back, allowing distance between them. “Please tell me how to make this better for you, mon cher. I will do whatever you ask of me.”
“You know what you can do for me? Get me off of this fucking boat.” Adrian waved a hand at the water that surrounded them. “Oh, but you can’t because you need to be in the Maldives in two weeks, and the captain can’t disobey orders from your father, so who cares what your plaything wants.”
“You are not a plaything,” Ren said, and Adrian glared at him.
“Did I want to be with you? Oui. From the moment I saw you at LAX. You were enchanting with your red hair and your gold jacket, a picture of elegance that caught my eye immédiatement. And when I ended up seated across from you on our flight…” Ren shook his head.
Adrian saw his hand move as if to take hold of Adrian once again and stepped away from him.
With a sigh, Ren continued, “I thought how lucky I was to be so close to you and hoped to get to know you. But then there was our kiss…” Adrian bristled, and Ren held up his hands.
“I know, I know, it was not something you would have done if you had not taken your pill, but for me…Adrian, mon cher, that moment is seared in my brain. Everything I have done since then has been so I could have more time with you, so we could get to know each other better.”
“And so you could get me into bed.” Adrian’s gaze fell to Ren’s cock, and he glared at it, wishing he could make it shrivel up and fall off.
Ren let lose a string of curses and stomped off to retrieve his towel which he tied around his waist with jerky movements, clearly angry and muttering words Adrian couldn’t understand.
Only when he was partially covered did he return to stand in front of Adrian.
He took a deep breath. “Did I want to sleep with you? Of course. I have told you I am attracted to you. Is this a crime? Is it wrong for me to want you? You are beautiful, poussin. But that alone would not have been enough for me to defy my father and bring you on board our ship so I might spend more time with you, get to know you. I would not have asked Rachel to prepare a special dinner for you. If I only cared about sex, I would not have done any of this.”
Ren gave that one-shoulder shrug that Adrian had found endearing, now it just pissed him off even more, and he cut Ren off before the man could say another word. “You lied to me. Repeatedly. I want a different cabin until I can get the fuck off this ship. Preferably on a different deck than you.”
Any satisfaction Adrian might have felt when Ren’s shoulders drooped was wiped away when Ren said, “Of course. I will have Sylvie move your clothes.”
Adrian had no idea why he found the idea of the stews moving his clothes so galling, but it bothered him immensely. “I can do it myself,” he snapped. “Just let me know which room I can have and then stay the fuck away from me.”