Page 23 of Bro Code

“You don’t need to be sorry, I said it was fine.”

Riley stepped back, and Louis looked around for something to wipe himself down with while he disappeared into the bathroom. He appeared a moment later with a towel, which he handed to Louis.

“Thanks.”

He stood by while Louis cleaned himself up, then held out his hand for the towel again, wiped himself down, balled it up, and tossed it at the hamper on the other side of the room. He looked around for his shirt while Louis zipped up and went to the bed and flopped.

He bent one arm behind his head and watched Riley pull his shirt down over those dense, rigid abs, and had the brief urge to ask him to stay so they could do it again. He shut his eyes and quickly looked away to stop any more thoughts like that from sneaking into his head, because this was not going to become a thing.

When Riley was done putting himself back together, he came to the bed and put out his hand to shake. “Until next time, I guess.”

“There’s not gonna be a next time,” Louis said grumpily, not shaking his hand.

Riley flashed that grin again. “I guess we’ll see about that, won’t we?” he said, and went out.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Riley

On Day Two of the retreat, Riley was up at five a.m. doing survival circuits on the lawn outside the chalet. The rest of the morning was just as brutal, and at lunchtime he collapsed alone at the table he’d been eating at since they got here.

He put his phone face-up beside his plate and swiped open his message thread with Lindholm. Lindholm had been slow to get back to him and all he’d really said was that the season was busy, family stuff was busy, and sorry that he didn’t have much time to chat. Riley said no worries. They were all busy. He understood.

Louis came into the dining hall about ten minutes after everyone else did, and Riley’s stomach did a little flip. He immediately looked down at his plate. Stupid. He got carried away by the moment last night. Hooking up twice during a high-pressure weekend with literally the entire team around? It was ridiculous. Louis was ridiculous: he was way too full of himself, and dramatic, and…flamboyant.

That thing he did with his tongue though–

Someone dropped into the seat opposite him, and Riley looked up in surprise. Nic Arsenault was setting down his plate.

“How’s it going?” said Nic.

Glancing across the room, Riley saw Louis sit down at another table. “Fine.” He returned to his food, not looking at Nic. He wasn’t stoked that he’d just come up and sat down like he’d been invited.

Nic started buttering a bread roll while Riley ate in silence. Eventually he said, “You seem different.”

Riley frowned. “What do you mean?”

“From when we were at the Olympics. You were funny back then. I remember you reciting a limerick on top of a mountain,” said Nic. Tonguing potato out of a molar, Riley lifted his shoulder, and Nic shrugged. “Just an observation.”

What was he expecting? For Riley to be happy about New York pulling the rug out from under him?

“Anyway.” Nic brushed off his fingers, picking up his fork. “Probably not my business, eh? How are things going with Rick Gallagher?”

Riley restrained a small scoff. The agent who spends all his time on you? “Great.”

Nic frowned, tilting his head. “He’s no good?”

Riley picked up his water. “He’s fine. Doesn’t seem to have a lot of time for me. But I’m sure he’s got a lot on his plate.”

“Huh. That hasn’t been my experience.”

“Right. Well, it wouldn’t be.”

Nic was still frowning, watching him. “Meaning what?”

Riley sipped the water and set it down without answering. He went back to his food and they ate in silence until he said, “I have a question: why didn’t Liam do the Vanity Fair article and come out with us?”

Nic glanced quickly around the room, like someone could’ve overheard that. “I don’t know that that’s any of your business.”