Page 24 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

24. RATIONAL

CAMERON

Trying to nail down the mix of emotions in his chest was impossible.

He was amused, certainly, that Dylan had fretted about Ashley for so long only for it all to seemingly work out.

He was jealous, because he was thinking of himself, of course, and his feelings about Ashley, and whether they were null and void because of this new development.

He was worried, because if his bodyguard had a falling out with his trainer, one of them would have to go, and honestly… Cam almost hated to admit it, but he was becoming fond of Dylan after all these weeks of his protection.

The alpha was good at his job, and it was endearing. Competence. How about that?

Dylan also remained tight-lipped about the whole situation, giving them not a single detail of the evening, which made Cameron begrudgingly respect him even more.

As they walked into the gym, Cam tucked all of the warring emotions away, putting them on pause. Or at least he tried to.

Cameron panted as he was bossed around the mat, put through drills and sparring and kicking ass. He’d really come so far in just a month, and he had this alpha to thank.

This alpha that smelled especially delicious today. Ashley’s scent was dulled to him, but usually he caught whiffs, all zinging ginger and refreshing citrus. Today there was something a little more to it, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

He guiltily enjoyed it before putting it out of his mind to focus.

“You are still leaving your left side open,” Ashley said, and tapped his ribs. “Stop that.”

“Fuck,” Cameron groaned. “I keep forgetting.”

“You’ve got this. Again,” she said, and squared up across from him.

He’d definitely gotten more comfortable rolling around on the mat with her, and prepared himself for when she?—

Ashley launched at him, always the first to strike, and one day he’d get a leg up on her, but that wouldn’t be today.

He did manage to get her down to the mat many attempts later, lifting both gloves to the ceiling in a victory punch. “Yes!”

Then he held out a hand to her and pulled her up, her tank strap sliding askew, and he noticed the shiny surface of a bandaid.

“Hey, are you okay? There’s a—“ Cam paused as the bandage on her shoulder registered. Its placement, its newness, after the previous night. “ Oh .”

Ashley covered the mark again, adjusting the straps on her tank top and sports bra. She… shrugged. “We wanted to see how long it would take you guys to notice.”

“Holy shit,” Cameron hissed, gaze lifting from the now-covered bandage to her russet-colored eyes.

“Yeah,” she said slowly, tracking Cam’s expression.

He pasted a semblance of neutrality on his face. “You’re good?” he asked, unsure if he should pummel Dylan for pressuring her, or…

“I’m very good,” she said, and nodded at Dylan, who was?—

Cam glanced over his shoulder to eye the alpha, who was rubbing his own shoulder absently, as if it was sore. Like from a bite.

Motherfucker.

“So you guys have everything figured out, then?” Cam asked, treading lightly.

“Eh. We’ll get there,” she said, and he couldn’t begrudge her the happiness in her expression, barely tamped down behind a wall of professionalism she prided herself on within the gym.

Jealousy wound through his ribs like a vine, curling and spreading and gripping his heart. Had he missed his chance with her? Game over?

How could he feel so disappointed when he had to keep his relationships secret anyway?

“Well, that’s good, yeah. Congrats? I think. Is that what you say?” he laughed, and even to his own ears it sounded strained.

Ashley chuckled and shrugged. “I have no clue. Never been in this position before— don’t! ” she interjected as Cam’s eyebrow rose, an innuendo on the tip of his tongue.

He held his hands up in innocence.

“I did say I wanted you guys to start getting along,” Cameron mused, and huffed. “I can’t wait to tell River.”

“You didn’t have a bet on this one?” she drawled, and Cam ducked his head guiltily.

“It was all in good fun, and about Dylan, not you,” he said. “But I’m sorry we were insensitive.”

Ashley studied him for a moment before waving her hand. “No worries. It worked out in my favor,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.

Cam’s mouth almost dropped open at her meaning, the delivery so out of character for this alpha.

“Who are you?” Cameron asked, and Ashley laughed, bright and lovely.

It drew the attention of Dylan and River, and the alpha raised a brow at him from a book he’d brought as River looked up from his laptop.

Dylan’s eyes downright glittered with affection as he gazed at her, and when Cam shifted his stare to Ashley, she was reflecting the same adoration, aimed across the gym.

“Okay, no. No, this is worse than when you weren’t speaking to each other,” Cameron groaned, throwing his hands up.

Ashley stiffened, and her gaze snapped to Cam, her smile fading a bit, and he wanted to swallow his words.

“Sorry,” he said, waving a hand. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Someone’s jealous,” River called out from their corner of the room. Cam glared at him, and Ashley crossed her arms.

“Jealous?” she asked, voice quiet.

“Not—it’s just—it's not like—“ Cam huffed, and crossed his arms to match her body language. “You’re going to be all distracted now.” The words slipped out in a petty whine before he could catch himself.

It left a sour taste in his mouth, and he wished he could snatch it out of the air.

Ashley paused at his… criticism, which is not how he’d meant it, but how she would hear it, at least without the context of his emotions.

Her fingers twitched where they were resting on her arm. “Would you like a new trainer?” she asked gently, and he swore all the air was sucked from the room.

“No! Absolutely not,” he urged. “I don’t want another trainer.”

In fact, it was the opposite.

He was just an omega who wanted his way. If he really went in on the self-reflection, he was jealous that Dylan had a connection with Ashley, which really came down to wanting her attention to himself.

God, you are such a movie star, he thought. And an omega.

He wanted Ashley.

And until this moment, when she might be further out of his reach than ever, he hadn’t realized just how much that was true.

“I don’t want another trainer,” he repeated, and sucked in a breath to say it was the opposite, when she spoke.

“If this is going to impact our professional relationship…” she began, dropping her arms and lifting a hand to rest over the fresh bite. Was she even conscious of doing it? He met her gaze and it was worried, but locked solely on him.

She was seeking Dylan for comfort. Dylan, who she’d mated not twelve hours ago!

What am I thinking?

He blinked. If he was so interested in Ashley, this was not the way to go about it. Not by practically insulting her! Not by questioning how dedicated she was as a trainer.

Where was suave red carpet Cameron when he needed him?

You’re not an actor for nothing!

He swallowed his impulsive confession and lowered his arms, holding them up in an awkward—hopefully charming—surrender, as if to clear the air.

“It won’t,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry—that was overstepping, and and rude. If anything, I’m the distracted one, clearly. You’re honestly the best trainer I’ve ever worked with, and I don’t want to lose that. Don’t make me start over with a stranger when we’re so close to filming,” he begged, heart racing.

God, if he’d fucked this up so quickly…

She was a brick fucking wall for the next longest ten seconds of his life, before finally nodding once. “Alright, then. Let’s finish up today’s session,” she said.

He could’ve collapsed with relief, but instead stepped up to face her as they began another sparring session.

He needed to focus. No more thoughts of Ashley and Dylan being mated and what that would mean for their dynamic and why that mattered, because she was his trainer .

There were only a few short weeks left, and then they would likely part ways. Cam hated the thought of it.

But for now, he’d have to enjoy the time he did have, and keep his emotions on lockdown.

Easy, right?

Cameron groaned as he dropped face-first into the nest. It was comfortable, but not giving him the comfort he was looking for.

River hummed a sympathetic noise, and Cam felt the bed dip as his boyfriend took a seat.

“You okay?” he asked.

Cam rolled his head to the side. He wasn’t on the mat, wasn’t training, didn’t have to focus, so now was an appropriate time to whine. “They bonded,” he mumbled.

Cam’s eyesight was boring into the side of River’s thigh, but he felt the beta pause, hesitant, before his palm came to rest on Cam’s shoulder. “That was… quick.”

“That’s what I thought,” Cam muttered. “But she seems…” He thought of the way she’d sought the touch of the bond mark during their conversation. “...Happy.”

“I thought Dylan’s good mood was just because he got laid,” River said. “This makes much more sense.”

“The way they look at each other,” Cam grumbled, and hid his face into the mattress. The eyes they’d made at one another after the session made Cam’s chest seize. As if parting ways, Dylan leaving, was going to ruin both of their days.

“What about it?” River asked.

“It reminds me of us,” Cam admitted. “God dammit.”

“Jealous?”

“Yessss,” Cam hissed, burying his head again. “And a few other things.”

“Like?” River asked, and fuck, it was so River to want to talk shit like this out. Cam kind of just wanted to wallow and whine.

But River’s touch was comforting, and Cam propped his head on his hands so he could speak clearly.

“Happy they’re happy,” Cam began. “Afraid I missed my chance. Yes, jealous. I want her attention. Also excited, I guess. Maybe we’ll get to see more of her.”

Since Dylan was stuck to Cam’s side all the time, it only made sense that Ashley would be hanging out with them more.

“Bummed,” Cam finished, and let his head knock into River’s thigh. “We’ve only got a few weeks left. Then what? I just move on, like a rational person?”

He heard the twitch to River’s lips, and his touch solidified, fingers digging into his shoulder in a mimicry of a massage.

“That is what people usually do, yes.”

“I don’t like it,” Cam said.

River hummed supportively. “So this is more serious than the last time we talked. What were you hoping from this whole experience? The training, getting ready for the film?”

Cam sighed as River cut right to the heart of things. “I don’t know.”

“Yeah, you do. You’re a romantic at heart, Cam.”

Begrudgingly, Cam admitted he was right. “Okay, fine. So what if I imagined the crush blooming into something romantic and permanent?”

“Who says it still couldn’t?” River asked.

Cam’s brow furrowed. Was River just humoring him?

“Says the life bond the two of them just committed to,” Cam drawled.

“So? In a pack, multiple people can be bonded.”

Cam paused. A pack was… a lot. Was River interested, or was he just spouting ideas to make Cam feel better? Do I want a pack?

He wanted River. And he wanted Ashley, who now came as a package deal with Dylan. Doing the math certainly pointed to a pack.

Two alphas? When Cam usually couldn’t stand an alpha at all?

Then again, Cam had known Ashley was different from the beginning, her awkwardness not at all like other alphas he knew. And Dylan had earned his respect—and maybe even appreciation, but Cam wouldn’t ever tell the alpha so—after all their time spent together.

But having a pack meant so much more for him than it did for an average omega. He was famous . He’d have to clear it with management, and figure out how to “debut” them as a pack.

He lifted his head to peer up at his beta, brow knotted over jade eyes.

It would make River happier. To be public together, as a pack.

That thought alone almost made Cameron want to jump head-first, to commit to this not-so-wild but maybe impulsive idea.

But then all of their lives would be put under a microscope, and that was a lot to ask. What if Ashley and Dylan didn’t want a pack, didn’t want to be part of a movie star’s life?

“I don’t know,” Cam said, deflecting as doubt filled him. He took a breath and explained what happened on the mat with Ashley. “We’re joking about this like a pack is already an option, but I don’t think she’s even interested like that.”

River shook his head. “Or… maybe she was just worried her connection with Dylan was going to jeopardize her position as trainer. Think about it,” River said, patting his back. “I mean, from what we’ve gathered, Dylan definitely fucked off at a wrong time, for a long time. I’d feel a type of way about that. It only makes sense that she’d try to beat you to the punch.”

“But I wouldn’t ever?—”

“She doesn’t know that, babe,” River continued. “All I’m saying is, don’t give up all hope yet. And quit pouting.”

“M’not pouting,” Cam muttered, definitely pouting.

“Sure,” River said. “You wanna court her?”

“Courting is reserved for omegas,” Cam pointed out.

“Yeah, true. But as we’ve already pointed out, you’re neither rational nor normal,” River teased.

Cam shook his head. “You’re unbearable.”

“Am not,” River said, and Cam felt his warmth as he leaned down to his ear, mustache tickling the sensitive skin. “You love me.”

“Yeah, but I’m not rational nor normal, remember?” Cam retorted.

“Rude,” River murmured, and nipped at his neck. “Hmm. How do you think they did it?” His hand trailed down Cam’s shoulders to his lower back, gripping tightly.

“Nooo, I don’t wanna be horny about this,” Cam whined.

“Really?” River asked, voice all deep and velvety in his ear. “Not even a little?”

“No,” Cam mumbled, still pouting.

“Surprising. How do you think they did it? You think she pegged him?”

Warmth struck Cam’s gut. “Yeah, ‘cause she walks around strapped, River,” Cam drawled sarcastically.

“Just musing,” River teased. “I wondered why he kept rubbing at his shoulder. Makes sense if she bit him there.”

Cam tried to push the images out of his mind. She was his trainer; she was mated. Fantasizing about her wasn’t going to help the situation at all.

But if her bite was on Dylan’s shoulder and his bite was on her shoulder…

“They did it at the same time. Bit each other, I mean,” Cam said.

“Oh, that makes sense,” River said. “Probably missionary, then.”

Cam gasped as River got an arm under Cam’s left one and flipped him over, crawling across his lap. “Straight people are so boring.”

Cam rolled his eyes. He knew River was baiting him, and damn him if it wasn’t working.

“Dylan’s definitely not straight,” Cam pointed out. “He’s totally checked out your ass before.”

“Doesn’t make him not straight,” River said. “I have a great ass. Appreciated by everyone.”

Cam let his hands settle low on River’s waist, grinding said ass into his lap. “I can’t argue with that.”

River leaned down, crushing their lips together briefly before trailing lower, nipping at his jawline and inhaling right at his pulse. Cam didn’t have much of a scent most of the time, but River claimed it was strongest after the gym. Cam tangled his hands in River’s dirty blond curls, tilting his own head to the side to give River more room.

The beta licked a stripe up his neck, and Cam shivered as the cool air met the damp skin when he nuzzled lower, at his collarbones.

“This could be Ashley,” River said, and bit at his skin.

Heat struck, low and heavy, and Cam floundered. Was River teasing? Or suggesting?

Cameron had to keep River a secret because of his management, because of his career. His fans loved him because of the fantasy, the idea that they could possibly have him.

Cameron only wanted River.

And… Ashley. Now a package deal with Dylan.

Did he want to jeopardize his career?

River laved at his skin and it pulled Cam out of his thoughts. He didn’t have to make any decisions right now.

He pulled River’s head by his hair, combing his fingers through it. “Let them have their honeymoon phase first.”

“But you’ll think about it?” River asked.

Cam groaned and River dove back in to kiss him. “Just think about it.”