Page 12 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

12. FIGHT

DYLAN

For only the second time, Dylan arrived with Cameron. River wasn’t with them; he was hung up in a meeting with producers.

As soon as they walked in, Ashley peered up from the front desk and greeted them with a smile.

“Hey guys,” she said, and next to her, Nic smiled.

“Hey, welcome!”

Dylan offered polite nods, as was the bodyguard style, leaving the small talk to Cameron. Especially after his first and hopefully last encounter with Nic.

It wasn’t often that the gym was filled at the same time they trained, but today it was busy. Other celebrities he recognized were being trained by other employees, and there were several faces he didn’t recognize.

Their grunts and the metallic clang of the machines filled the air.

He maybe should’ve paid more attention to what was said, because when he dragged his gaze away from Ashley moments later, it was because she was leading them through the gym, past the corner Dylan had unknowingly named theirs.

Instead she directed them down the hall to the room they’d used in the previous session.

“It’s a little loud in there today. I figured we’d be more comfortable in our own room.”

“Awesome. Can we do that? Just claim it?” Cameron remarked.

“Yeah, they’re usually reserved for classes, but just as often we train clients back here, too.”

“Hey, why do they get a room?” someone asked, and Dylan turned, the aggression in the voice putting him on alert.

Ashley was beside him in a flash, hiding Cameron from view.

The alpha who’d spoken—a big, muscled meat of a man—glared at their group and took a step forward.

Dylan tensed, but Ashley stepped up. “You must be new here. I’m the manager,” Ashley said calmly. Too calmly. Her scent flared, spicy ginger filling the air.

Dylan clocked the exits, then watched Nic eying the situation from the desk, seemingly unconcerned.

“Oh, yeah? Is that all? A little name tag?” he mocked, leaving behind his bench and approaching.

“Do not take another step,” Ashley barked, her voice low and dangerous but the command landing all the same. Even Dylan’s muscles seized at the demand.

The other alpha grunted, the veins in his neck protruding obnoxiously as he was forced to obey. His face went red with rage.

“You little bitch,” he bit out, and flung a pointed finger over her shoulder at Cameron, who was oozing stress behind them. “Just because he’s an omega, he gets special treatment?”

“I think you should mind your own business. Go back to your set,” Ashley told him—far too kindly, in Dylan’s opinion.

This was Ashley’s territory; he wouldn’t step in unless necessary.

With the bark released by her suggestion, the alpha took his chance. Spittle flew as he growled, and Dylan tensed, but he didn’t even need to act.

A lot of things happened at once.

The angry alpha trying to prove himself rushed forward.

Ashley calmly waited until he was within reach and jabbed her hand forward to hit him in the throat, which made him cough and sputter. Then she slammed her elbow into his stomach and tossed him over her shoulder like an empty wrapper instead of an alpha twice her size.

Dylan swelled pride, a purr spilling out of his lips.

Behind him, Cameron whined, his scent sweetening with arousal.

Dylan stepped back, seeking his gaze, and as their gazes locked, they stopped both sounds.

When he turned, Ashley was barking down at the alpha. “I suggest you get your things and find another gym. You’re no longer welcome here. Now, have I put you in your place enough, or do you want to go for round two?”

The alpha’s face was still red, still angry, but he was holding his throat and… nodded.

“Good,” Ashley spat with one last grumble, and pushed up from the ground.

She stood at the mouth of the hallway, in front of Dylan, protective and fierce and such an alpha that Dylan couldn’t separate the pride and arousal coursing through him.

Dylan stepped back and pulled the door to the room open, ushering Cameron inside. His pheromones were sweeter than usual and it was filling the hall. “Inside,” Dylan said.

He glanced to see Ashley still standing strong, and watched her wrap things up. The alpha gathered his things and did the walk of shame. He didn’t even pause at the door to turn in his key card.

That was when Dylan noticed River, eyes wide, at the display. He moved out of the way, giving the angry alpha a wide berth.

With a huff, Ashley brushed her hair back and motioned for River to join them.

They finally entered the room together, and the tension was so thick you could’ve cut it with a knife.

“Sorry about that,” Ashley said. “Rest assured Nic’s already deactivated his key card. That guy won’t be back.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll say it,” Cameron said, throwing his hands up. “That was so hot!”

Ashley’s cheeks flared, and Dylan caught the twitch of her lips. “I’ve just got to get the mats—hold on,” she said, and made her way across the room, avoiding eye contact with any of them.

Dylan stood awkwardly, eying the mirrors in the room and the weird cork floor. In the reflection, he watched Ashley push on a flat panel in the wall, which opened a small closet where apparently the mats were stored.

“Here, we’ll help,” Dylan said, and made his way over to grab the end of the mat she slid out of the closet. Her scent was smoothing out, the bitter note leaving it, and he couldn’t get the sight of her throwing that guy over her shoulder out of his mind.

“Thanks,” she said, and offered him a polite smile.

It was one she’d offer a stranger on the street, probably, but it made his chest sing all the same.

He laid the mats out where she wanted them, and soon the floor was covered.

“No coffee today?” Dylan mused once he joined River at the benches.

River shrugged. “It’s Wednesday. Wednesdays are always the intense day.”

“You can say that again,” Ashley muttered.

“But what about my sweet treat?” Cam whined, and Dylan stifled a laugh.

“Sorry, babe, you have to settle for me,” River said.

Cameron pouted, and Ashley clapped her hands together. “River did you a favor, Cam. Wednesdays are intense, and today, even more so. Come on,” she said, and motioned him over.

Cam sighed, stripped off his jacket, and revealed the shirt underneath.

Dylan noted he was wearing a full shirt today instead of his usual tank, and wondered if that’s because he’d learned his lesson last time.

Even Ashley had struggled to focus when he’d shown up with hickies and marks all over his shoulders. River was the only one who’d looked smug about it.

He wondered how many marks warranted a whole shirt, and decided it was none of his business.

Dylan took a seat on one of the benches along the wall, beside River.

“Bring work?” Dylan asked as Ashley and Cam began.

“Yeah, they liked the changes, so I’m off the hook for now. Figured I can get ahead on the next one,” he said, and didn’t sound too happy about it.

Dylan cocked his head to the side. “Are you not happy with it?”

“No,” River said, and then shrugged. “How’s your bodyguard romance?”

Dylan shushed him and glanced over at Ashley and Cameron.

“Oh, Cam knows,” River said, not even looking up from the laptop he pulled out.

Dylan groaned and leaned his head back.

“Dude, it’s just romance. Chill out.”

With a glare, Dylan let the silence lie for just a moment, and River was oblivious the whole time. Finally, he sighed. “It was great. I loved the ending.”

“Did they end up together?”

“Of course,” he muttered. “I don’t like it when they don’t end up together.”

“Hm. Telling,” River said, tone dry.

Dylan stared at him and tried not to read too much into that comment, and… failed.

So what if Dylan didn’t like to read about the love interests not ending up together? So what if that happened to reflect how he felt about his own circumstances with Ashley?

The cadence of her voice was comforting to have in the background as she trained Cameron, and Dylan pulled out his phone just to have something to do with his hands.

He found a text from his sister, with some photos attached of her on a trip with his former pack. It looked like she was happy, and while it had taken him a bit to come around to the fact that his college pack had been into his sister, ultimately it was for the best.

Dylan belonged here , anyway.

“—like Dylan,” Cameron said, and Dylan lifted his head at the sound of his name.

Ashley was standing with her arms crossed as she and Cam went back and forth about something. Neither of them looked particularly happy.

“What happened?” Dylan whispered.

“Cam is throwing a fit. He wants you and Ashley to spar.”

“What?” He sat up a bit straighter just at the prospect.

He’d been watching her kick Cameron’s ass for days now, stretching into weeks.

“I’m not sparring with Dylan,” Ashley returned, voice hushed.

“Why not?” Cam asked, throwing his hands up. “He’s competent!”

“He’s not my client.”

“So? Like we’re gonna tell on you. I know what it feels like to get pummeled into the mat. I wanna see what it looks like instead. It’ll help me focus.”

Ashley huffed a sigh, and finally glanced over at Dylan. Her eyes widened as she realized he was watching, and he shrugged as if to say, I’ll take one for the team.

“Fine! Fine,” Ashley said, and shook her head. “But I’m not sparring with him until after we finish your session. No slacking,” she reminded him.

Cameron looked rather proud of himself as he agreed, and Dylan… well, Dylan’s heart was racing.

He was going to spar? With Ashley.

Ashley.

He didn’t know if he wanted to purr or growl.

“Don’t freak out,” River said, voice hushed.

“I’m freaking out,” he said softly.

“It’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that, River.”

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Pop a knot when she pins you? his subconscious kindly supplied.

“I don’t know that, either,” Dylan lied.

“It’s just a sparring session. She’ll throw you to the mats a few times and Cam will be happy. No harm, no foul.”

“Right,” Dylan said, and nodded, making himself believe the fib.

Yeah, it was just sparring. No big deal.

It was a huge deal.

Dylan stood on the mats across from Ashley, gloved up, and he couldn’t breathe. Mostly because every breath was filled with her scent, citrus and ginger zapping him to life, and partly because Dylan couldn’t believe he was standing this close to her. Making eye contact.

“Cam wants to see what a few of the moves that I’m teaching him look like, that’s all.”

“I’m just a demonstration dummy,” Dylan said, and her lips twitched before she got her expression under control.

“Exactly. I’ll go easy on you.”

“I thought he wanted to see a sparring session.”

“We’ll get to that,” she said.

“Come on, we’re gonna run out of time,” Cameron called out.

“You’re my last client of the day, so no worries if we go over,” Ashley said, surprising Dylan.

“Nic won’t mind?” Dylan asked.

Ashley arched a brow. “Have you met Nic?”

“Right,” Dylan agreed with a shake of his head.

“Ready?” she asked a moment later.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Alright, so,” she said, projecting her voice as Cameron stepped closer, at the edge of the mats. “This is what you’ve been learning,” she began.

Ashley was so knowledgeable. So capable.

She told Dylan what move she was going to make and how he was likely to respond, and while Dylan had of course taken his share of defensive and offensive courses with the company that hired him, it was so intriguing to have it broken down so simply.

She’d sweep his leg out and push on his shoulder to send him sprawling, and Cameron would ooh and aah from the edge of the mat.

She threw him over her shoulder at one point, almost making his nightmare a reality. He had to talk himself down.

They traded slow punches until they got used to the rhythm and could pick up the speed. Dylan was tentative at first, afraid he’d accidentally hit her, but Ashley was…

Terrifying was one word for it.

She knew so much about the body and its reactions. How to hit him where to make him move a certain way so she could finish him.

Dylan was usually instinctual about that kind of thing. Ashley had it down to a fucking science.

She’d aim for his left side, knowing he’d shift to defend, and then go for his right at the last second. Where she saw a weak spot, she showed no mercy, and Dylan knew he’d be sore the next day.

Maybe this was good for him, too. He didn’t think he was so out of practice.

“That’s the thing about alphas,” Ashley said as she pulled him up from the mat. “They depend too much on being an alpha, think it’s all reactive—that it comes naturally.”

His pride was bruised, but that was the least of his worries. “It’s probably situational,” Dylan said. “Sure, here on the mat with a professional, instincts won’t do much good, but try to get between an alpha and their omega, and I think it’s a different game.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ashley asked, gaze darting to Cameron and back to Dylan.

“Not like that, ” Dylan said. He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about them.

“Ouch,” Cam said, and Dylan rolled his eyes. Of all the sparring today, he knew this was one fight he couldn’t win.

“How about one true sparring session, then we can call it?” Cameron asked.

“You haven’t seen enough?” Ashley asked, brushing sweat from her brow.

It wasn’t fair that she looked so downright attractive with her face flushed and glistening beneath the lights. What were supposed to be harsh fluorescents instead cast a lovely glow on her.

She was in her element.

It looked good on her.

“Call me curious,” Cameron said.

“Fine, you up for it?” she asked.

“Sure,” Dylan said, because for the first time in weeks she was speaking directly to him, meeting his eyes, and he wasn’t all that eager for it to end.

“Alright, places then,” she said, and he met her in the middle of the mat, tapping her gloves together.

He sucked in a breath, full of her electric scent, and tried to calm his pulse.

“Don’t go easy on me,” she said. “It’s the least you could do.”

He hated the thought of possibly hurting her, but—well, he had a feeling he wouldn’t get that close.

“Alright,” Dylan agreed. “Okay.”

Cam counted down, and Ashley… came alive.

He watched a determination and calmness settle over her that was honestly a little scary.

He went defensive right away, because he had no choice. Ashley came right at him, no beating around the bush or drawing out the moment. He managed to deflect a few of her hits, but a couple landed, and while they smarted, they didn’t truly hurt.

“Now who’s going easy, huh?” he panted as he got some distance between them.

Ashley grunted and came at him again, no holds barred.

Fuck, he thought.

It was disjointed at first, sloppy, the way he was dodging and attacking. He was thinking too hard about where she was and where she’d be and how he didn’t want to hurt her.

He stumbled back and caught himself before he went down, sucking in gulps of air as they stared at one another across the mat.

Everything around them fell away, except where his feet were planted on the mat and where Ashley was.

Looking gorgeous even while red-faced and sweaty and Dylan was such a fucking idiot .

His frustration with himself leaked into his movements, and suddenly it was… fluid, the way he and Ashley went at each other.

Feeling that emotion, raw in his chest, made him fight better. Ashley stopped holding back, and so did Dylan, and they circled each other.

At some point Dylan was distantly aware of the door closing, but he was too lost in the moment to connect the dots.

Ashley came at him again, always on the offensive, and Dylan magically dodged her, again and again and again, their wrists and gloves glancing off the other.

Her scent leaked in the room, trying to overpower his own, and it was sharper than usual, aimed like a strike.

“You’re fighting like you’re mad,” he panted after a long stretch.

“Of course I’m mad, Dylan!” she spat, teeth gritted. The next words landed like a blow. “You left!” she growled, full alpha.

It was then that Dylan realized they were inches apart, breath sawing between them.

She was pissed. Finally. An emotion.

He could kiss her.

He knew that wasn’t the right move.

“You have a right to be mad,” he said.

She huffed, groaning loudly, and it turned guttural a split second before she came at him.

She went for his middle section, and Dylan dodged wildly, already off balance, and he’d known he’d end up losing this battle before it’d even begun.

She aimed for his face and he blocked it at the last possible second. Then she repeated a move he’d seen a hundred times that day alone, sweeping his leg out and slamming into his shoulder at the same time.

He went down with an oof, and… stayed there, staring up at her. Her teeth were grit and she was glaring down at him, daring him to get back up.

But he didn’t want to keep fighting her. Dylan tilted his chin up, baring his throat to her, another alpha.

Her gasp was loud, before silence roared between them.

A moment later he felt the mat decompress as Ashley collapsed next to him.

The room was quiet except for their breaths.

The fight was over.

And Dylan had never stopped loving her.