Page 45 of Troubled Skies (Blue Skies #3)

All cell phones were turned off to prevent the chance that pirates could use their GPS signals to locate the yacht, something that seemed to concern Adrian more than any of the other precautions, though those were quite stressful.

Ren caught Adrian worrying at his hands while watching the preparations from the main deck lounge and brought him the komboloi bracelet he had found in Athens, so he didn’t dislocate a finger.

“Come, poussin, it does you no good to see all this. Let us get something to eat and go to the cabin.”

“I can’t eat,” Adrian said, but he returned to the cabin where Ren tried to distract him with video games. Adrian lost every single game they played, and Ren finally gave up.

“There is likely no need to worry, poussin,” Ren said.

“I have been through this a few times and never been in any danger. The captain has said there have been no attacks for weeks, but even if a ship were to approach, we have military and trained guards to protect us.” Unfortunately, nothing Ren said helped, so he pulled Adrian onto the bed and cuddled him until everyone on board the Belleza del Sol had to assemble for a security drill.

Dinner that evening was a somber affair with everyone—Ren, Adrian, the officers, crew, and security detail—eating a simple meal together in the main dining room. There wasn’t much conversation, the air thick with tension, and everyone dispersed quickly after eating.

Ren and Adrian returned to their cabin but settled into the deck chairs to savor the outside while they could.

They were going to be confined to the cabin for the next two days with the curtains drawn, a security measure Rigo had insisted on.

If they had to evacuate, Rigo wanted Ren as close to the helicopter as possible.

“You know, poussin, if I have to be locked in a room with anyone, I am glad it is you.”

Adrian stopped rolling the beads on his wrist and looked up at Ren with a quizzical smile. “Thanks? I think.”

“Non. Non. I mean it. There are few people besides you who would not make me worry about being in such close quarters for so long. But we are very compatible, are we not?”

Shaking his head, Adrian turned his attention back to the beads. “This seems like an extreme test of that theory.” He glanced up at Ren, and then at the marina in which they were moored along with the other ships that would be departing in the early hours of the morning with their convoy.

“Perhaps,” Ren said and reached out for Adrian’s hand.

“What about Maurice?” Adrian asked, turning his gaze toward Ren.

“Mon Dieu! I would throw Maurice overboard within half a day. He does not like to follow rules and would be looking for ways to subvert them to entertain himself.”

“Even if that put you at risk?”

Ren considered that for a moment because, in fact, Maurice had put him in danger before.

Not mortal danger like this, but by challenging Ren to do things he knew would upset Ren’s father or cause a scandal.

Like leaving Christiana in the club. That escape and the kiss caught by the paparazzi had been Maurice’s idea, even though Ren took full responsibility for going along with it.

“I would say non,” Ren finally responded, “but he is the reason I am here right now.”

“Remind me to kick him in the balls if I meet him,” Adrian deadpanned, and Ren laughed.

“It has not turned out so badly, has it, mon chaton?”

He watched Adrian soften as he turned his smile on Ren. “It hasn’t, no. But I’ll feel better after we’re through this part of the trip.”

“You say that now, chéri, but just wait until we reach the Indian Ocean. I hope your stomach is strong if we meet a storm. We are heading into typhoon season.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “Pirates. Typhoons. Countries where I could be arrested for holding your hand. I really should have checked the fine print on this vacation before I agreed to it.” But he was laughing, and that was all Ren cared about.

That night, when they decided it was time to go to sleep, Adrian rolled against Ren, and Ren was surprised to feel Adrian’s stiff cock pressing against his thigh. Adrian kissed him, whimpering softly as he arched his back, a sure sign that he wanted sex.

“Are you sure, poussin?” Ren asked.

“It will help me relax,” Adrian said as he rocked his hips, the tip of his cock leaving a slick trail on Ren’s skin. “I always feel safe when you hold me.”

It wasn’t the most spectacular sex they’d had, but it was still good. It also served its purpose. Adrian fell asleep shortly after his orgasm, curled on his side and wrapped in Ren’s arms. As so often happened, Ren lay awake and admired the gorgeous man he held.

He adored Adrian’s body, delighted in finding new places to touch that elicited the most intoxicating sounds from Adrian, and felt enormous pleasure from even their most casual contact, let alone their more intimate touches.

But of all the things he and Adrian had done together, the fact that he could comfort Adrian, give him a sense of safety, and calm his anxiety would have brought him to his knees in humility had he been standing.

No one had ever felt this way about Ren before.

No one had ever looked to him and thought he could be their safe shelter.

Until Adrian. It was the most precious gift Ren had ever received.

As Ren watched him sleep, he vowed that Adrian would always be safe when he was near. No harm would come to him, no distress. It was a sacred trust Ren did not take lightly and would do his best not to betray.

Their first day at sea passed without incident.

Ren and Adrian kept to the cabin, amusing themselves with movies, video games, and sex.

During their evacuation drill the previous day, Rigo had impressed upon them that they needed to be ready to go as soon as he gave them the signal, clothed or not, so now the couch next to the exterior door held clothing and shoes as well as go-bags containing their passports, phones, chargers, and other essentials.

Rigo knocked on that door a couple of times after they left port to gauge their readiness and seemed satisfied even if he had interrupted Ren giving Adrian a spectacular blow job. Ren thought it was hilarious, while Adrian’s face flamed as bright red as his hair.

By the time they went to sleep that night, Adrian had relaxed somewhat. Either that, or the stress had worn him out enough that he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next day dawned overcast and muggy, the sea choppier than it had been the previous day.

“There’s a storm nearby,” Ren said as he stared out the window.

Adrian didn’t get a chance to respond because Rigo appeared at the door, military rifle in his arms. Ren knew at once a pirate ship had been spotted and grabbed his backpack even before Rigo motioned for them.

“Adrian, chéri, we must go,” Ren said as Rigo burst in and told them they needed to get on the helicopter immediately. Above and around them, Ren heard the sound of people hurrying to their appointed stations.

Ren started for the door but turned as he realized Adrian wasn’t following him. A chill ran down his spine at the sight of Adrian standing frozen by the bed, eyes wide, fingers pulling at the beads on his wrist so hard, Ren feared the cord that bound them would break.

“Adrian,” Ren called.

“Your Highness, you must go now,” Rigo reached out a hand, but stopped short of touching Ren. “Now!”

“I know,” Ren snapped, but he couldn’t leave Adrian. He’d promised. Despite Rigo barking orders, Ren rushed to Adrian’s side and took hold of him, trying to push him toward the door. “Adrian, we must leave.”

“I can’t,” Adrian whispered through bloodless lips.

“You can.” Ren resorted to tugging on Adrian, getting him to move one foot, then trying for another step forward. But, Adrian was stuck fast, his feet riveted to the floor.

“Your Highness,” Rigo said. “If you do not go now, I will throw you over my shoulder and carry you.”

“Ah!” Ren reached for Adrian again, but instead of pulling on him, he bent and lifted Adrian into his arms. “Now, we go.”

“Put me down,” Adrian said even as he clung to Ren’s neck. “Just leave me.”

“Non, chéri,” Ren said as he ran toward the helicopter. “I told you I would not leave you behind. I promised. Put your head down on my shoulder so you do not see what scares you. We will be all right.”

Adrian nodded and did as he was told, his hands digging into Ren’s arms tight enough to make Ren’s fingers tingle. But Ren had Adrian, for which he was grateful. He hadn’t doubted Rigo would leave Adrian on the yacht, but that hadn’t been an option for him. Adrian was too important.

Climbing into the helicopter was awkward with Adrian in his arms, but Ren managed it, settling into the rear seat and securing himself with the jump straps, then sliding headphones over his ears and another set over Adrian’s.

When he tried to slide Adrian into the other seat, the man whimpered, his grip on Ren’s arms turning painful, so Ren wrapped his arms tighter around Adrian and told the pilot they were good.

Rigo climbed into the seat beside the pilot, and they were airborne within seconds, rising away from the yacht.

In the distance, Ren could see a small craft making its way toward the convoy.

“Do not look, poussin,” Ren soothed and tucked Adrian’s head tighter against his shoulder.

Rigo turned in his seat and glared at Ren. “You promised, Your Highness.” The anger in his voice came through clearly over the headset.

“Je sais. I know. I am sorry, but I also promised Adrian that I would protect him, and that promise was more important.”

“More important than your safety?” Rigo shook his head, but bit back whatever else he might have said when Ren glared at him.

“I made it clear to you that I would not leave him behind, and I did not. That is the end of our discussion on the matter.”

Dipping his head, Rigo faced forward in his seat and turned his head toward the smaller ship Ren had noticed.

Ren muttered French curses under his breath as he turned his attention back to Adrian whose body was rigid.

He wished he could offer words of comfort, but the headset would broadcast those words to both Rigo and their pilot as well, and it could potentially distract them, so Ren kept silent and rocked Adrian gently.

From the air, Ren watched one of the vessels from their military escort move to intercept the smaller craft, driving it away as the convoy increased its speed.

Communication from the ships below crackled over the commlinks, and each terse message made Adrian flinch.

Ren wished he could remove the headphones, but they were necessary to protect Adrian’s ears from the deafening noise of the helicopter’s rotors.

The standoff between the convoy and the pirates continued for half an hour, but Ren’s sole focus quickly became Adrian and trying to calm his anxiety.

He held Adrian’s hands, rubbing his thumbs across the rapidly beating pulse in Adrian’s wrists.

At a certain point, he said to hell with the other men listening in and began talking to Adrian in what he hoped was a soothing voice, even singing his mother’s song.

He wished he had told Adrian about her, and sighed, overcome by a feeling that he would never get the chance to tell Adrian all his secrets, and that scared him more than the threat of the pirates.

“I want you to know everything about me, and I want to know everything about you as well. I promise we will have time to do that.”

Adrian finally lifted his head, and it was the trust in his emerald gaze that made Ren realize why he couldn’t have left the man behind even in the face of Rigo’s threats: he was in love with Adrian.