Page 33 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

sixteen

Adrian

Adrian wasn’t prepared for the sight of his luggage waiting beside the passerelle.

In addition to his wayward suitcase, one of Ren’s Louis Vuitton bags sat beside it, and Adrian had a feeling all of the clothes Ren had bought him were packed neatly inside.

But it wasn’t the presence of the suitcases that had his chest tightening and his eyes burning as he tried to hold back tears, it was what they meant. It was time to say goodbye to Ren.

All day, he’d been fighting against the impulse to throw himself in Ren’s arms and beg to stay with him.

He’d also been fighting against the voice in his head that told him he would be an idiot if he did it.

Ren had betrayed him, didn’t that matter?

And wasn’t he worried he was just making the same kind of Ricky mistake he’d made for most of his life?

It clearly wasn’t bothering Ren that he was about to leave, so why was it causing him so much anguish?

Even as he’d struggled to keep his internal debate from impacting his enjoyment of the day, it had gotten increasingly difficult to mask his feelings.

The kiss at the Mdina gate had almost broken him, but then as their meal progressed at Iconic, Adrian hadn’t been able to hold back.

Once they were in the car, and the reality fully hit him, his inner turmoil ramped up so much that he’d resorted to asking Luis for advice.

Luis had suggested he wait until Athens to make a final decision, and that…

hadn’t been the worst idea. But Adrian wasn’t sure.

He didn’t trust himself, and he didn’t know if he could trust Ren.

Except he was having fun, and Ren had been wonderful.

And, damn, he was gorgeous, all dark and brooding on his side of the car as they returned to the marina.

Now his bags were lined up on the dock waiting for him to wheel them away, get in the car with Rigo the bodyguard, and head to a hotel while Ren got on the yacht and sailed off for Athens and the Maldives.

Adrian was numb, his heart pounding, as he turned to the man standing beside him.

This man who was reaching out his hands.

“Adrian, I don’t want you to—”

“I don’t want to go.” His words came out shrill, with a touch of hysteria, but he still heard what Ren had started to say.

They stared at each other as their words echoed in the air.

“You don’t want to go?” Ren asked.

Adrian shook his head. “No. I want to start over. I might be making the stupidest decision of my life, but I want to stay. At least until Athens.”

“Until Athens?” A slow smile turned the corners of Ren’s mouth upward.

“To get to know each other, and for me to decide if I can trust you.”

“And if you decide you can?”

“Then I’ll stay with you all the way to the Maldives.” He bit his lip. “If you still want me to.”

There was a moment when Adrian wondered if the world had stopped turning because everything stood still.

He certainly wasn’t breathing as he waited for Ren to respond, fear slowly gathering that he had just made a terrible fool out of himself.

Maybe Ren had been looking forward to getting rid of him.

Maybe he’d…but then he found himself wrapped in Ren’s arms and pulled off his feet.

“Mon cher! You do not know how many times I wanted to fall to my knees and beg you to stay, but I did not want to put pressure on you.”

“I know,” Adrian gasped. He twined his arms around Ren’s neck. “I’m sorry for being such an idiot.”

“Non. Non. You have nothing to apologize for. I should be the one to apologize to you for not thinking how you would react, for not appreciating the position I put you in. Do you forgive me, poussin?”

Adrian grinned. “I do.”

“Génial!”

Ren set Adrian back on the ground, then kissed him.

If Adrian still felt some trepidation, if the voice in his head whispered its dire warnings, Adrian pushed those aside.

He’d wanted to make a change in his life.

He’d wanted an adventure with a handsome man.

For the first time in his life, maybe he was getting exactly what he’d asked for.

“Would you like me to return your bags to your cabin, Monsieur Adrian?” a deep voice rumbled from beside them, and Adrian whipped his head around to find Rigo standing by the suitcases.

Adrian hesitated, then looked at Ren who cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Yes, please,” Adrian said.

“The forward cabin, s'il te pla?t,” Ren added and smirked at Adrian. “If that is all right with you, poussin.”

“It is.”

Ren nodded at Rigo, then held out his hand for Adrian who took it without hesitation, entwining their fingers as he pulled Ren against his side. “Thank you,” he whispered as the bodyguard carried both bags up the passerelle. He nodded at the man. “He doesn’t seem as scary now. Or as pissed off.”

“Oui. Je sais. When he is on bodyguard duty, he is terrifying, non? But when he is on the ship, he is just one of the crew.”

“What does he do when he doesn’t have to watch out for you?” Adrian asked as they followed Rigo onto the yacht.

“He serves as a relief officer for the bridge crew when we are at sea, but when we get to the Gulf of Aden, he will be guarding the bow of the ship in case we are threatened by pirates.”

Adrian shivered. “Pirates. You’re not talking about the ones with peg legs, eye patches, and talking parrots, are you?”

“Non, poussin. I will not lie to you. Once we pass through the Suez Canal, we will sail around the Horn of Africa where pirates are frequent. We will be with other ships and have an armed escort, and a helicopter will be positioned on the bow in case I need to be taken off the ship. I have done this many times without incident, but there is always a risk.” Ren had sobered as he spoke, and now he took Adrian’s face in his hands, his dark brown eyes staring intently at Adrian as if he wanted to see Adrian’s reaction.

“When we reach Athens, I will ask if you want to continue. It would be unfair to ask you now when we are, as you say, learning to trust each other. So, I do not want you to tell me your mind until then. D’accord? ”

With a nod, Adrian touched his lips to Ren’s in a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”

“It is my pleasure, poussin. May we go inside where we will have more privacy? I believe we have one more dessert course in which to indulge.”

Heat pooled in Adrian’s belly. “That sounds perfect,” he said and let Ren lead him up the stairs and into the forward cabin.

As soon as Adrian shut the door, Ren pushed him against it and brought their mouths together.

He was instantly hard, had been since Ren issued his decadent suggestion, the arousal he’d felt at the restaurant blazing into desire so quickly, he was nearly dizzy.

Fortunately, Ren had him pinned against the door, so he was in no danger of falling as his body practically vibrated with the need to get as close to Ren as possible.

It had been too long since Ren’s hands had been on him, and he reveled in how this man made him feel.

In his entire life, Adrian had never felt so cherished, so desired, so wanted .

He was almost delirious with how much he needed Ren in return.

Having made his decision to remain with Ren, Adrian was able to give himself over fully to the pleasure of Ren’s attention and the needs of his own body.

Somehow, they made it to the bed with most of their clothes still intact, but as the back of Adrian’s knees met the mattress, Ren took a step away from him and began to strip. Adrian followed suit, never taking his eyes off Ren as each inch of skin came into view.

“I think I’m getting paler,” Adrian said as he took off his shirt and compared his fair skin with Ren’s that had turned golden brown under the Mediterranean sun.

“You are perfect, chéri,” Ren said as he stepped out of his trousers and briefs and kicked them aside. “Except that there is too little of your beautiful skin available for me to touch and kiss.”

“Then maybe you should help me out,” Adrian said, letting his hands fall away from the button on his pants.

Ren was on him in an instant, tugging his shirt off his shoulders and all but pulling his trousers down. Kneeling, Ren drew the pants off Adrian’s legs, tapping his feet to get him to lift them so Ren could strip him completely.

Even though Adrian expected it, he still shouted when Ren’s mouth engulfed his cock.

Ren hummed around his length, tongue teasing until Adrian couldn’t help but thrust deep into Ren’s throat, which only made Ren hum louder in approval as he dug into Adrian’s ass cheeks with his strong fingers.

Well, okay, if that was what Ren wanted, Adrian would be more than happy to let him have it.

Bracing his hands on Ren’s shoulders, Adrian thrust deep again, fucking into the silky warmth of Ren’s mouth. His hips pistoned forward and back, and Ren swallowed around him every time Adrian felt the tip of his cock brush the back of Ren’s mouth.

He moved his hands from Ren’s shoulders to tangle in his hair, loving the way it curled around his fingers. Adrian pulled on the strands, and Ren moaned.

“You like that?” Adrian asked and did it again when Ren nodded.

Adrian laughed with the sheer pleasure of having his cock buried in Ren’s mouth, and Ren at his feet.

His entire body was alive, every nerve ending tingling as his climax began to build.

It was heaven. It was freedom. It was…Adrian didn’t care.

All he knew was that it felt amazing, and he was helpless to do anything to stop the orgasm that barreled through him, flooding Ren’s mouth and leaving him gasping, mind obliterated.

Ren continued to suck and tease and swallow until Adrian cried out.

Ren pulled off him with a pop, and Adrian let go of Ren’s hair, falling backwards onto the bed as he tried to regain his breath.