Page 36 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

The words were said offhand, but they hit Adrian with the force of a freight train, and he suddenly couldn’t breathe.

He sat up and crossed the deck to the table where they had left their plates, his mind a mess of warnings and questions and reminders to himself that Ren was just talking.

It was what he would say to anyone he was with and did not mean he was thinking of a future with Adrian.

They did not have an epic love story. There would be no happily ever after.

When Adrian left the yacht for the final time, that was it.

This vacation romance was done, and he would never see Prince Henri Renard Sebastian de Montclair of Belvaux again unless it was on a gossip site.

As if he needed reminding, one of the bridge crew appeared, his white uniform gleaming in the dim light, two yellow stripes on his shoulder marking him as an officer, to let “Monsieur le Prince know the captain would like to turn the lights on again, if it so pleases His Highness.”

“Oui, oui.” Ren waved a lazy hand at the officer without getting up. “You may turn the lights on. God forbid, we enjoy an unblemished sky for too long.”

“Merci. Monsieur le Capitaine also requests the pleasure of your company at dinner tomorrow night.”

“Of course,” Ren replied.

Adrian watched the man bow and depart, then turned to look at Ren who hadn’t moved from his spot on the lounger.

The air was thick between them, and Adrian couldn’t tell if Ren was upset by the interruption of the officer, the reminder of the dreaded dinner with the officers, or by Ren’s earlier remarks of there being something for them after they arrived in the Maldives.

But Adrian wasn’t going to let himself think about that.

“You should eat your dinner before it gets cold,” Adrian said.

“Je sais,” Ren said, but he didn’t move from his spot on the lounger.

Something was definitely up with Ren, and Adrian ran through a mental list of what they had done that day looking for the moment Ren’s mood had turned, but he could find nothing.

“Are you tired of me already?” Adrian asked only half joking.

The question made Ren sit up, and he stared at Adrian in shock. “Non, poussin. Absolument pas. I am just in a mood.” He rose from the lounger and sat across from Adrian at the table. Although he picked up his fork, he poked at the food on his plate.

Adrian watched him for a moment, anxiety keeping him from eating until Ren looked up, smiled, and reached out for his hand.

“Truly, chéri, it is not you. I would be in even a worse state if you were not here.” Ren kissed his hand, then held it against his lips.

“I have adored every minute with you, and I do not like to think what this trip would have been like without you.”

The question of whether Adrian would continue after Athens hung in the air between them, but Ren didn’t ask him. Instead, Ren looked back at his plate and asked what Adrian wanted to do in the city.

“We will most likely arrive before the sun tomorrow morning and be underway again by early afternoon,” he said. “There will not be much time to be tourists, but I will speak to Sylvie if there is something in particular you would like to see or do.”

“Obviously, I want to see the Acropolis, if that’s possible,” Adrian said. “But, let me do some digging.” He thought for a moment, then cocked his head at Ren. “You planned our day in Valetta. How about if you let me decide what to do in Athens and surprise you?”

Ren studied Adrian, and Adrian wondered if Ren was going to object, but instead he smiled. “D’accord. But you will need to run everything past Rigo. If he objects, there is nothing I can do to sway him.”

“Challenge accepted,” Adrian said, and Ren laughed.

They finished their meal, then carried their dishes back to the crew mess.

When Adrian saw Sylvie, he told Ren he’d meet him back in the cabin, then went to talk to the chief stew about an idea he’d had.

Ren had done so much for him since they met.

There was no way Adrian could match the clothing or expensive meals—there was a high probability that what Ren had spent in that Ibizan boutique was equal to what Adrian made in six months, and he didn’t even want to think about what that lunch had cost—but there were other things he could do to show Ren how much this all meant to him.

Ren was in the shower when Adrian slipped back into the cabin half an hour later. He went to the closet and stripped off his clothes intending to join Ren but stopped when he saw his suitcase.

After returning to the yacht the day before, Adrian had told Sylvie to leave his bag packed.

He was still undecided if he was going to remain on board after Athens, and Ren’s talk about pirates had actually given him pause, so he didn’t want to make more work for the stews.

Was this what had upset Ren? Thinking back, Adrian realized Ren had gotten quiet after they dressed for dinner, and then there had been that very pregnant pause before Ren had asked what Adrian wanted to do in Athens, and the pointed way Ren had told him how much his presence on the yacht meant to him.

Although Adrian was prone to falling too hard too fast, he tried to remember what Rachel had told him: love affairs with royalty seldom ended in wedding bells, but having the right person in your life for even a short time could be enough.

Was Ren the right person? Adrian smiled when he thought about the man now showering in the bathroom.

If he wasn’t, Adrian had no idea what that person would be like.

I’m happy , Adrian thought, and that’s all that matters right now.