Later that night, the men and dogs were on the second floor, getting ready for bed. André came out of the bathroom in his sweats with no shirt. Ryan, toothbrush in hand, was on his way in. He was also bare-chested. They both froze. Ryan tried not to stare. André had obviously not been away from his workouts long. His muscular torso covered with thick salt and pepper hair caused Ryan’s groin to tighten. He redirected his gaze to André’s face. He saw André look away as well.
After an awkward moment, André put his hand on Ryan’s shoulder. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. Ryan knew the man appreciated all that he was doing for him. He resisted the urge to pull André into a flesh to flesh embrace. Instead he just placed his hand over André’s.
“Good night,” he said. “Sleep well.”
“
