Page 42 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

It was too much to hope that a European prince would end up with a flight attendant.

When all was said and done, Ren would go on having his lunches with Saudi princes and the sons of billionaires, attending movie premieres with beautiful women on his arm, and dodging paparazzi, while Adrian would return to LA and go back to pushing drink carts up the aisle in economy class.

And it was okay. No matter what else happened in his life, Adrian would always have this adventure to look back on, and he’d always be grateful to Ren for showing him there were still good men in the world.

All he had to do now was find one who could truly be his.

Adrian lay down with his head in Ren’s lap, and Ren fed him pieces of popcorn while pointing out more places in Belvaux and showing Adrian where they were located on his phone.

It was a fairy-tale country that fit perfectly with the fairy-tale prince who had swept into his life and helped him feel joy again.

Looking up into Ren’s beautiful eyes, Adrian knew that despite all his best intentions and brave words, he was beginning to hope for the impossible to happen.

The next day, they docked in Jeddah at seven in the morning. The present Ren had asked Sylvie to arrange was waiting for them, and Veronique delivered it to the cabin along with their breakfast.

“What do you think, poussin?” Ren asked as he opened the slim case and showed Adrian the watch it contained. “It’s a Vacheron Constantin. I don’t believe Faisal has one in this color.”

“It’s beautiful,” Adrian said, stunned by the elaborate timepiece which had a beautiful powder blue face that showed the time as well as the phases of the moon. “Are those real diamonds?”

“Certainement.” Ren closed the case and put it on the table. “I wish you were able to join me today. I think you would like Faisal, and he would like you.”

Adrian had his doubts about that and shook his head.

“I’ll be fine. Without you around, I can catch up on my sleep.

” Which was only a slight exaggeration. They’d had sex while watching another movie—some drama Ren had put on to create background noise—eaten dinner in their cabin, then traded blow jobs in the shower before cuddling in bed.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, they’d both woken and reached for each other, trading drowsy kisses that led to another pair of spectacular orgasms. Adrian had woken with a pleasant ache in his body and a feeling of satisfaction that had him wanting to do nothing more than lie out by the pool all day.

In the shade, of course. The sun wasn’t even at its peak, and he could already feel the heat even through the glass of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“Are you asking for me to apologize for that, poussin?” Ren smirked at him as he lifted his coffee cup and took a sip.

“Not. At. All. Just saying some time to recover would be good.”

After breakfast, Adrian watched Ren get ready and was distressed to see him remove his nose ring and shave all that rakish scruff off his face.

“It grows back,” Ren said as Adrian ran his fingers over cheeks that were now silky smooth, mourning the loss.

“I know, but you look so different. You aren’t going to cut your hair are you? I think I might cry if you do that.”

“The hair stays,” Ren told him, but he did use product to tame the curls and smooth them into a much more sophisticated look.

When Ren put on a pair of light-colored fitted trousers and a subtly striped button-up, his entire attitude seemed to alter as he slipped into prince mode.

Prince Henri was all sophisticated elegance and the latest European fashion as he added accessories that made him look like he was ready for a photo shoot or a red carpet.

He was a far cry from the Ren who lounged naked by the pool and dragged Adrian into the spa for blow jobs in the shower, or even the Henri who had spent the day before scrubbing the galley floors until they met with Rachel’s approval.

Though Adrian had seen Ren in prince mode in Malta and again in Athens with their tour guides, this version made him feel self-conscious and awkward.

Gorgeous, rakish Ren had transformed into the glamourous, jet-setting fashion plate Adrian had seen the day he’d stayed in the blue cabin and stalked the man through his social media accounts and gossip sites.

This was the Prince Henri Renard Sebastien de Montclair who had taken Christiana to an LA movie premiere, who showed up on best-dressed lists and was one of People’s Sexiest Men alive, and who, as Adrian discovered after he’d said goodbye to him in the aft lounge—inside per the captain’s orders so they wouldn’t be seen—was heading to lunch with a Saudi prince with a watch that cost more than all the clothes Ren had bought Adrian in Ibiza.

More than Adrian had had in savings before he spent it all on a first-class ticket to Ibiza.

What had he been thinking? Adrian wondered as he walked back to the forward cabin.

For all Ren had talked about showing him Belvaux after this trip was over, for all Ren had said things that made it sound like there could be a future for them, Adrian knew that couldn’t happen.

They weren’t from the same worlds. They weren’t even from the same universe.

People like Adrian weren’t anything more to people like Ren than playthings who would be discarded when they outlived their usefulness.

For Adrian, that would happen when they reached the Maldives, and Ren would return to his normal life, his usual group of playboys, friends, and acceptable girlfriends.

And even if the improbable happened, and Ren developed real feelings for him, there was no way Adrian could be anything more than a dirty, little secret.

This day was proof of that. Adrian couldn’t go with Ren because it was illegal for men to love men in this country, and showing up on Ren’s arm would be an insult.

As much as this lunch was two university friends catching up, it was also a meeting of two foreign dignitaries whose countries did business with each other.

The Saudis had investments in Belvaux and Belvaux exported products to them that were vital to its economy, so this friendship was strategic as well as fraternal, and if Adrian’s presence put that at risk?

Adrian knew full well which relationship was more valuable.

Adrian couldn’t bring himself to lie down on the bed when he got back to the cabin.

The still-rumpled sheets smelled of Ren and sex and made Adrian’s heart ache as he thought about where Ren was going and what he was doing, and the realization that Adrian would make it impossible for Ren to do his job.

Instead, he sat on the couch and stared out the windows at the marina.

In the other ports they’d visited, the Belle had dwarfed all the yachts. Here, she was about average. There was wealth here on a scale Adrian couldn’t even fathom. Wealth and power and a view of the world and its people that made Adrian feel small, invisible.

As the morning wore on, Adrian’s mood darkened.

When he fell asleep on the couch, his dreams were filled with images of the plane crash, of Ren seeing him trapped in the wreckage and turning away, of him screaming for help and the words sticking in his throat.

He woke with his throat raw, tasting scorch and smelling jet fuel, and at least five more hours until Ren returned.