Page 38 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

Nodding, Adrian put a small bag on the table, while Ren placed a small box on Adrian’s plate.

“I’ll go first,” Adrian said. “That way, I can stop worrying whether you’ll like it or not.”

“I am sure I will like whatever you have found for me, poussin.”

Ren reached into the bag and found himself holding a small statue of Clio, the muse of history. The wood was a striking golden color interspersed with darker layers that had been sanded smooth until it felt like velvet to his fingers.

“It’s carved from olive wood,” Adrian said. “The stall keeper told me olive trees can live for hundreds, even thousands of years, and it thrives even in harsh conditions, so it’s become a symbol of longevity, understanding, and perseverance, as well as peace and abundance. Do you like it?”

Adrian’s face was adorably hopeful, but he needn’t have worried. Ren had received many more elaborate presents over the years, but this one had been chosen with such care and thought for who Ren was rather than impressing him that he couldn’t help but love it.

“It is wonderful, poussin. Thank you.” Ren pushed the box toward Adrian. “Now it’s your turn.”

As Adrian opened the box, Ren understood the anxiety Adrian had felt when their positions were reversed.

It was a silly thing to be worried about, especially since Ren had bought Adrian an entire wardrobe of clothing, and this was a mere trinket purchased for a pittance.

He admitted that the challenge of selecting a gift for Adrian, of choosing it himself and then handing over the euro note had been something of a novelty, and he’d second-guessed himself several times before finding something that felt exactly right.

Perhaps that was why his pulse raced as Adrian lifted the string of wooden beads and held them up so the light shone through them.

“These are beautiful,” Adrian said. “Promise me, you didn’t spend more than the twenty euros I gave you.”

“I promise I did not.” Ren reached for the beads and took them from Adrian’s hand.

“These are komboloi,” he said as he slipped them onto Adrian’s wrist and tightened the closure.

“They’re worry beads. You pull on your fingers when you are anxious, poussin, I thought these might help when I am not there to soothe you. ”

Touching the bracelet with his fingers, Adrian slipped his hand into Ren’s. “They’re perfect. Thank you.”

Ren brought Adrian’s hand to his lips. “Pas de quoi, mon chaton. Does this mean I have passed your test?”

“With flying colors.”

“Bien.”

“I do have one more gift for you,” Adrian said and reached his free hand out for the bag that still sat before Ren.

“So, you did not succeed at your own challenge?”“I did. I just had a little left over and thought these were kind of funny.” He dug into the bag and pulled out a small, bright blue wooden phallus on a keychain.

“They’re all over the market, and the vendor told me there’s a town called Tyrnavos where they hold a phallus festival every year to celebrate life and fertility.

I figured, if I’m staying with you to the Maldives, you’re going to need all the life you can get. ”

Ren laughed. “You are a delight, chéri.” He took the keychain from Adrian and put it back in the bag. “But you are all the life I need.”

The expression on Adrian’s face turned almost feral. “Should we take our lunch to go?” he asked.

“Non. Rachel would be insulted if you brought another chef’s food onto her ship.

But there is no hurry. We will have plenty of time to test out what powers this trinket has.

” Ren leaned closer and kissed Adrian. “I have been to Athens many times, but I have never experienced it the way you have shown me today. It was a revelation. Merci.”

When Ren brought their mouths together again, Adrian smiled against his lips.

He couldn’t quite identify all the emotions that coursed through his body when Adrian hummed.

There was pleasure, of course, as there always was when he and Adrian shared intimacies, however small they might be.

But, there was also pride and satisfaction that he had pleased Adrian with his choice of gift, as well as a recognition that Adrian’s approval and delight meant more to him than his fondness for what Adrian had given him.

However much he adored the little olive wood figure for its simple beauty, its value came from the fact that Adrian had chosen it with Ren’s passion for antiquities in mind.

More though, Ren realized Adrian’s reaction to Ren’s gift, that Adrian was pleased with what Ren had chosen for him, mattered far more to him than his own gratification at what he had received.

Even as their kiss deepened and Ren’s body came alive with desire as it always did with Adrian, that awareness expanded to include Ren’s understanding of what Adrian’s continued presence on the yacht meant to him.

When he first asked Adrian to accompany him, he had been thinking mainly about his own need for companionship on what promised to be a dull and boring journey, and he had been happy at their compatibility in and out of bed.

But that feeling had been eclipsed by experiencing Adrian’s joy at the trip, his excitement at their explorations of Valetta and Athens, at the way these places became new for Ren because he was seeing them through Adrian’s eyes.

Perhaps even more, though, was the way Adrian’s enjoyment had become more important to Ren than his own.

Adrian’s pleasure, Adrian’s comfort, Adrian’s happiness, and the way he could provide them for the rest of the trip: these were the things Ren found himself contemplating as they ate a simple lunch of stuffed zucchini blossoms and local sea bass.

The thought that he had abandoned Christiana in an LA nightclub without a second thought filled Ren with shame, especially when he realized it was impossible to conceive of doing the same thing to Adrian.

It was as they walked back to where Rigo had parked the car, that Ren began to get an inkling that saying goodbye to Adrian at the end of the voyage might not be as easy as he had originally anticipated.

Ren typically became bored with his companions once the glow of his initial attraction faded and the tediousness of getting to know them took over. That wasn’t the case with Adrian.

He and Adrian had talked and shared a great deal over the past several days, enough so that when Adrian issued his challenge, Ren had had no doubt he would find the perfect gift.

Furthermore, he wanted to find the perfect gift for Adrian, and as soon as he had seen the komboloi, he knew he’d found it.

Far from becoming bored with the man, each passing day, each passing hour, only deepened Ren’s interest in him.

With wonder, he glanced at Adrian who was fortunately too taken with the ruins of Hadrian’s Library to notice, realizing this had never happened to him before.

On the way back to the marina, Ren entwined their hands, taking comfort in the warmth of Adrian’s skin against his own. Adrian rested his head on Ren’s shoulder, and Ren didn’t think he’d been this happy or content in a long time.

That feeling continued up until he and Adrian stepped back onto the yacht.

They were met by Sylvie who informed them that the captain wished for him to join the officers for dinner that evening at eight.

The invitation was clearly meant for Ren alone, but he was going to be damned if he’d leave Adrian to fend for himself.

Adrian was his guest. Moreover, Adrian was someone about whom Ren cared a great deal.

“Merde,” Ren muttered as he and Adrian made their way to the forward cabin.

“Is it really so awful?” Adrian asked. “It seems like it would be kind of fun.”

“We’ll see what you think after we are released from this evening’s purgatory.” Ren opened the door to the cabin and strode through it.

“I didn’t think I was included in the invitation.”

“Non, you were not, but Monsieur le Capitaine does not decide you are not worthy of being in his presence.”

Adrian arched an eyebrow. “So, you’re going to tell me I’m not worthy?” he asked, but he was smiling. “Ren, it’s fine. I’ll just have dinner with the crew or at one of the umpteen million tables on this ship. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is a big deal, as you say.” Ren caught Adrian’s hands in his and brought them to his lips as he tried to ease the pounding of his angry heart. “You are my guest, and this is my family’s yacht. I will have you by my side tonight, or I will not go.”

“That’s very sweet of you—”

“It is not sweet at all. If I have to endure this torture, I would like to have something to distract me.”

When Adrian opened his mouth, Ren could tell he was going to offer more objections, so Ren kissed him. It was part distraction, part forestalling any further discussion, and part because it had been too long since Adrian’s taste had been on his tongue.

The sparks they had ignited at the restaurant quickly turned to flames, and Ren pressed Adrian against the door then went to his knees.

Leaning forward, Ren inhaled the heady musk of Adrian’s arousal.

He mouthed Adrian’s rapidly hardening cock through the thin fabric of his trousers, nuzzling into the scent as his hands sought out the button and zipper that kept him from getting his mouth around that rigid flesh.

Once the trousers were out of the way, Ren closed his lips around the head of Adrian’s cock and circled it with his tongue, loving the sharp exhalation that came from above him.

He opened his eyes and stared at Adrian as he opened his mouth and gave him entrance.

Adrian must have seen the hunger in his eyes because he wasted no time in fully burying his cock, touching the back of Ren’s throat.

Ren swallowed around him, swirled his tongue, and brought his hand up to cup Adrian’s balls.

They’d been teasing each other through lunch, and Ren felt the tension in Adrian’s body as his hips rocked forward, seeking to dive deeper into Ren’s mouth.

His own body hummed with arousal as he opened wider to accommodate Adrian, but it wasn’t enough.

He was hungry for this man, hungry in a way he hadn’t felt before, and he knew what he wanted. Pulling off, he met Adrian’s eye again.

“I want you to fuck my mouth, poussin.”

Adrian growled and tangled his hands in Ren’s hair. “Your wish is my command, Your Highness,” he said as he held Ren in place and forced his cock even deeper into Ren’s mouth with steady thrusts.

It didn’t take long—Ren knew it wouldn’t—before Adrian was on the edge and his movements lost rhythm.

With deft fingers, Ren undid his own trousers, moaning as his hand closed around his cock.

Adrian gasped, shuddered, then flooded Ren’s mouth with hot cum which Ren swallowed as he stroked himself off.

Trembling, Adrian moaned as his climax ebbed, while Ren’s hit with full force.

He swallowed around Adrian’s softening dick, rewarded with a final, bitter spurt of cum as his cock pulsed into his hand.

Moaning, he continued to jerk himself until he grew too sensitive, and then he slumped against Adrian, still mouthing the man’s spent cock until Adrian pulled back, then slid to the floor beside Ren.

Adrian brought Ren’s hand to his mouth and licked him clean, humming with approval at the taste, then pulled Ren into a kiss.

Eventually, they showered and lay down on the bed. They continued to kiss and caress each other until the rumble of the ship’s engines told them they were about to get underway, and Adrian insisted on getting dressed so he could watch them leave Athens from their private deck.

Ren was only too happy to oblige him, wrapping his arms around Adrian’s slim waist and holding him while Adrian aimed his phone at the yachts in the marina, then turned it around to take a selfie.

“Will you be sending that to Luis?” Ren asked as Adrian considered the photo.

Turning, Adrian slipped his arms around Ren’s neck. “Nope. This one is just for me.”