Isn't It Bromantic (Bromance Book Club #4) by Lyssa Kay Adams

            Silence again. Longer this time. And far more ominous. “Okay, first of all, neither the fuck have I. But more importantly, why exactly has your wife never seen you naked?”

            “Please, Colton. I cannot explain over the phone.” Elena’s footsteps padded softly on the stairs. “Just . . . please. Can you come over in the morning?”

            Colton made several noises under his breath that sounded like very dirty words. He finally returned to the phone. “I’ll be there. But believe me, I’m not coming alone.”

            He hung up before Vlad could protest but also just in time, because Elena chose that moment to walk back in. She had a bottle of water, a plate of cut-up fruit, and the information Madison had given them.

            “I know you said you aren’t hungry, but I think you should eat something. I was reading the information about the painkillers they gave us, and it says the pills can make you nauseous if you take them on an empty stomach.” She stopped short. “I—I’m sorry. Are you on the phone?”

            Vlad lowered his cell to his lap. “I was talking to Colton.”

            “I can come back.”

            “No, it’s fine. He hung up.”

            “Everything okay?”

            “The guys are coming over in the morning.”

            “Oh,” she said, blinking rapidly. “Okay. That’s good. I’m sure they want to see you.”

            “They’re going to help me take a bath,” he blurted.

            Her cheeks turned a soft pink of understanding.

            “I didn’t want to impose on you,” he said.

            She set down the plate of fruit on his nightstand. “No, of course. I understand.”

            “I just thought it might be embarrassing since, you know . . .”

            The pink became the color of a Detroit Red Wings jersey, and he cursed himself. There was no need to be specific, as if she didn’t know as well as he that the most intimacy they’d ever shared was a single kiss on their wedding day.

            Her movements were stiff as she backed away from the bed. “That is very considerate of you. It would probably be embarrassing for both of us. And I need to get groceries tomorrow anyway, so maybe I’ll do that while they’re here.”

            “Good idea.”

            She backed up farther. “You should eat and then try to get some sleep. I know you didn’t get much last night. I’m going to unpack my stuff, and then we can turn the game on.”

            He cleared his throat. “That’s not necessary.”

            “You really do need to get some sleep.”

            “No, I mean, the game. I’m not going to watch it.” He looked away from her and from the inevitable questions in her eyes. If she voiced them, he wouldn’t be able to answer. Not coherently. Not in a way she could possibly understand. But he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t watch his team play without him.

            “Vlad—”

            “No game.”

            A moment passed before she nodded. “Okay. No game. I’ll check on you in a little while.”

            She retreated, her footsteps leaving tiny indentations in his carpet. Though she was just across the hallway, she felt a million miles away suddenly. Which was ridiculous. She’d been a million miles away from him for forever, it seemed, and absolutely nothing about that had changed just because she was here. He strained to listen to the sounds of her in her room, just like he’d done every night during the four months she’d lived with him after she came to America. Every slide of a drawer, every creak of her mattress, every splash of water in her bathroom. They were nails on the chalkboard of his psyche.

            That smile she’d given him earlier had filled up his room with light, and now it was dark again. The fact that her smile was already a source of emotional vitamin D for him was all he needed to know about why this was a bad idea. Soon, she’d be gone for good, and it would be like the sun burning out completely. He’d endured that particular kind of winter before. He wouldn’t survive it again.