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

            “And your hair is dry,” Mack pointed out to Gavin. “It would look better if you took care of it.”

            “Not all of us are blessed with hair like you and Vlad,” Gavin said.

            “And Noah,” Vlad added. “Noah has good hair.”

            “Thanks, man,” Noah said. “Means a lot.”

            “So does Malcolm. Very thick and soft.”

            “I use expensive products,” Malcolm said. “Mack’s right, dude. You should be trading up from that store-bought stuff. You gotta buy from a salon. Hair like yours is a thing of beauty. You should protect it.”

            “Tilt your head back so I can rinse,” Gavin ordered, reaching for the handheld showerhead attached to the faucet. Malcolm turned on the water for him, and a moment later, warm water washed over Vlad’s head.

            “There,” Gavin said, standing. “We’ll turn around so you can wash yourself, and then we’ll help you out.”

            Vlad grabbed the bar of soap and started to bathe as the guys looked away. Nearly all of them were professional athletes, too, and knew the rules. No staring during the washing part.

            “I’m done,” Vlad said, breaking the silence. “Can you help me out?”

            Noah reached in to drain the tub as Vlad used his good leg to scoot himself onto the edge of the tub again. Colton took one arm and Malcolm the other to help him stand. Gavin was waiting with a towel, which he wrapped around Vlad’s waist.

            It started to fall, so Colton tugged it tighter and tied it. “There you go, little butt,” he said, patting an ass cheek.

            Vlad glared over his shoulder.

            Colton shrugged. “That’s what my grandma used to say when she gave me baths as a kid. She’d dry me off and say, There you go, little butt.”

            Del shook his head. “We have spent a lot of time discussing the Russian’s ass tonight.”

            “It’s worth talking about,” Yan said.

            Malcolm gestured toward the bedroom with his chin. “Let’s get him back to bed.”

            They hobbled out of the bathroom, Malcolm and Colton on either side of him, while the others trailed behind. After getting him settled back into bed, the wet towel still wrapped around his waist and his leg elevated on a pillow, Vlad braced himself.

            “There,” Colton said. “You don’t stink anymore. Now you get to tell us why the hell your wife has never seen you naked.”

            Vlad paused. Took a breath. Looked away as he searched for words they would understand.

            After a moment, he looked up again. “Elena and I . . . we are in a marriage of convenience.”

            They reacted like he knew they would. A moment of stunned silence followed by a slow exchange of glances and then . . .

            “Holy fucking shit.” Mack dragged his hand over his perfect hair.

            “Are you serious, dude?” That was from Colton.

            Del and Gavin adopted matching poses—mouths agape, hands hanging loosely at their sides, and eyes full of what the fuck. Malcolm tugged at his long beard, and Noah made a noise like someone had just insulted his LEGO collection.

            Yan shook his head. “I don’t understand. What does that mean?”

            “What do you think it means? You have read the manuals. We’ve read a hundred marriage-of-convenience books.”

            “Yeah, in historicals,” Mack said. “Are you saying she married you for your money?”

            Vlad swore under his breath. “No.” He clunked his head against the headboard, suddenly weary and wishing he could just close his eyes and sleep for a week. Maybe fatigue was a defense mechanism. The body’s way of protecting you against the emotional onslaught of finally telling the truth. “It wasn’t about money,” he said, rolling his head to look at them. “She needed a way out of Russia. I offered to marry her so she could come to America.”

            The guys processed the information in exhales and long glances between them.