Page 25 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

25. ADJUSTMENTS

ASHLEY

Ashley watched Dylan and Cam and River leave, knowing she had to finish the rest of her shift.

It kind of sucked.

…Which were the opposite kind of thoughts a high-end training professional was supposed to have.

When was she going to face it? She’d crossed the line a long time ago.

Was it smoking weed together or fucking his bodyguard, you think?

Ashley stifled a laugh of disbelief, waved goodbye, and mourned the kiss she didn’t get from Dylan.

“You’re gonna be all distracted now.” Cameron’s words rang in her mind.

Maybe Cameron was right. She was all distracted. It was hard to uphold that line between them, especially when it was so beyond blurred between her and Dylan now. Their bond was so new it hadn’t fully settled into her bones yet. She wanted contact, affection, kisses!

Not distance and politeness.

Cameron’s distressed expression from the mat flashed through her head. “If anything, I’m the distracted one! ”

She was distracting her client, a movie star with an iron schedule and only a few weeks left. The fun, casual way they regarded each other wasn’t so fun and casual when an omega was jealous, when it threatened to jeopardize a dynamic that worked so well.

Especially because Ashley was secretly… delighted by the idea of his jealousy. They’d been skirting—and, admittedly, crossing—the line of professionalism for a while, but they were running out of time.

Maybe they’d all have to get used to polite coldness, if that’s what it took to keep them all on track.

Ashley shifted into work mode, cleaned their private room, stored the mats away, and allowed herself to dwell on someone safe: Dylan.

All morning she’d had to bury the giddiness, the excitement, and the wonder so she could focus. It had warred with the matching feelings she’d sensed through their bond.

Ashley didn’t know if she’d ever get used to it. Even now, she could feel a faint echo of Dylan’s emotions, contentment and a bit of amusement. It made her wonder what Cam and River were doing that was so funny.

She felt the smile on her lips, and didn’t bother packing it away with the mats before she trailed into the main room, dodging weight lifters and other trainers with their clients before she situated herself behind the main desk.

“Hey,” Nic greeted her.

“Hey boss,” she said, and scanned her way into the computer to go over the rest of her schedule for the week.

She’d be seeing one other client twice this week besides Cam, and she clicked over to read her notes from last time.

“Seems to be going well with the movie star,” Nic mused.

Ashley rolled her eyes, and didn’t much care if Nic saw it. She knew he wouldn’t take offense.

“He’s shaping up to be a pro. Still leaves his left side open, but I’ll train it out of him.”

“Only a few weeks left,” Nic continued, and Ashley nodded.

“I know, but I’ve got a plan,” she said.

“Does this plan include addressing the way he looks at you?”

Ashley spun in her chair to face Nic, who was shuffling papers that were probably already organized, trying to look innocent.

She squinted at him, considering whether to bare her shoulder to him, if it was any of his business, and whether that would get him off her back about getting all packed up.

“I don’t think that’s very professional,” she hedged.

Nic lifted his eyes and arched a brow. “I think you worry too much about being professional. We all trust you get the job done. It doesn’t mean you have to ignore the signs that are there.”

Guilt snared her. She didn’t deserve the pedestal Nic placed her on, not when it came to this.

Ashley cleared her throat and shrugged, tugging at her tank strap. “One step at a time, Nic.”

His gaze latched onto the bite, and his mouth dropped… along with every single paper he was holding.

“Nic!” she whined, and crouched down to help him collect them.

She was vaguely aware of him lowering to gather a few himself, but she felt his stare. “Not the omega, though,” he guessed.

Protected by the counter, she knew no one would overhear her when she hissed, “No. The bodyguard, Dylan. We grew up together.”

“The one who got away,” Nic murmured. “God, that’s so sweet, Ashley!” he said, voice rising a few octaves. “I would hug you if it wouldn’t make my omega grumpy.”

“I accept the sentiment,” she drawled. “You’re unhealthily invested in my love life.”

“Listen, as a happily mated beta, I have to find the entertainment somewhere. I’m a romantic at heart, and I just want to see you happy.” He paused, rocking back on his knees. “And I have to say, after so many years of working alongside you, it’s a good look on you.”

Ashley handed him back the papers she’d collected, feeling color draw to her cheeks. “Well. Thanks, boss. Is it so obvious?”

“You’ve been smiling all morning,” he informed her.

Ashley groaned and got to her feet, helping Nic up with a hand. He huffed like an old man and she snickered at him.

“Wow, you’re gonna have, like, a whole pack!” Nic said, following her lead and keeping his voice down.

“Oookay, slow down, there. No one said anything about that,” she whispered. “Like I said, one thing at a time.”

Nic nodded as if he completely understood. Then he winked, which had to mean the opposite, right?

Ashley’s eye twitched.

If everyone kept assuming she was getting all packed up, she might actually start coming around to the idea.

Which is not what she just vowed to herself half an hour ago!

“I’ll keep it quiet. I can see you’re worried,” he said. “Congrats, Ashley. You deserve it.” He squeezed her arm. “Now I’ll get back to doing my actual job.” He waved the hand holding the papers and disappeared into the back.

Ashley shook her head well after he was gone, and chuckled softly.

It dawned on her then that he was the first person she’d told. With no one at the counter, Ashley pulled out her phone to check her group text with Jordan and Kenzie.

She was sure they’d be excited for her once they heard the whole story, and yet her stomach quivered with nerves as she imagined telling them.

Yeah, so, you know that guy who disappeared for ten years and mysteriously showed up again at my gym? Well, I forgave him and now we’re going to be together forever!

She snorted, and found no messages awaiting her. The last was an update about Jordan’s brother, who they’d gone to visit after he’d been in a wreck. He should’ve been released from the hospital by now, and she was taking their silence as good news.

Ashley sent them a quick message anyway and then put her phone away, focusing on work once more.

She missed her friends. They often stayed over at her house, making the place not feel so lonely.

Ashley envisioned going back that night, and frowned.

She was a freshly mated alpha who… was going to sleep alone tonight?

She had to stop herself from visibly pouting before she talked herself out of her disappointment.

It might not have been usual, but what part of her and Dylan’s journey had been usual thus far?

He was in the middle of a job where he couldn’t leave his client, and that was fine!

As she clicked into a further schedule, she found the blank slots where Cam would no longer be on her roster.

Fuck.

What was she going to do when it was time to film, and Cam needed to be elsewhere?

How long did it take to film a movie? Months?

Okay, no. I need something to do with my hands.

Ashley grabbed a towel and cleaner and went around sanitizing some of the empty machines, just to have something to do, and refusing to think about the future.

She chatted with some of the regulars, and nodded to the trainers who were out and about, and pointedly didn’t think about what she’d do when her… mate was gone for months at a time.

Ashley finished the rest of her shift and drove home in silence. When she pushed in the front door, the house was as empty as always. While the ache of her mom’s death was ever present, sometimes it was easier to bury than others. This was not one of those moments.

Her mom would’ve been so happy that she and Dylan had found their way back together.

In her pocket, her phone buzzed as she collapsed upstairs, in her bedroom. It had certainly changed since she was an angsty teen, no longer covered in band posters and dirty clothes, but repainted and updated in colors she thought would fool her into not feeling like she still slept in her childhood bedroom.

She bounced against the bed and pulled her phone out, finding a message from Dylan.

Want to eat dinner with us?

She smiled at the words on the screen. Through their bond, he could probably feel her emotions, and it occurred to her that she’d likely never be able to lie to Dylan ever again.

There was a kind of freedom in that, in not being able to hide the depths of your emotion. It was extremely vulnerable.

With her lips pursed at that realization, she responded.

Yeah, where to ?

Want to come to Cam’s for now and we can decide? Or if you’d like, we can come to you.

Ashley tilted her head to the side. On one hand, having a full house would be interesting. On the other, Cam’s apartment was new and modern and not full of outdated furniture and carpets.

And she was just one person. Easier if she just joined them.

I’ll head that way soon.

She could have dinner with them for a night.

Ashley arrived outside the apartment and smelled something garlic and onion and delicious… until the door opened.

“What is going on?” she asked, eyes wide as she took in the smoky scene.

River was waving a dish towel at one of the open windows beside the television, and Dylan was opening the other.

In front of the door, a sweating Cameron looked stressed . He smelled it, too, honey and vanilla now bitter and burnt… just like the pan sitting on the stove.

“What happened?” she asked, and pushed the door open wider to clear some of the smoke. Her alpha instincts kicked in, and all she wanted to do was soothe him.

“He was trying to impress you again,” River called out, and through her bond with Dylan she felt a spike of amusement.

Ashley arched a brow at the omega and held an arm out before she could stop herself. He tucked into her side and her hindbrain flared as she squeezed him.

“That’s very sweet of you,” she said, and rubbed her hand up and down his arm. “But I told you, you impress me plenty on the?—”

“Mat, yes, I know,” Cameron sighed, and pulled away.

Ashley didn’t like that. She narrowed her gaze, studying the tension in his shoulders.

Right. Boundaries. Lines. Professional.

All it took was a little bitterness in the omega’s scent for her to cross the line so readily.

You can do better than that!

He trailed over to dump the pan in the sink, and when he sprayed it with water, steam sizzled and rose from it to fill the room.

She wrinkled her nose and followed him into the little alcove while River and Dylan flapped dish towels at the window to disperse the smoke.

“What was on the menu?” she asked.

“Literally, it was supposed to be so easy,” he complained as he grabbed a sponge. “Just pasta. I was going to make my own roux.”

Ashley reached around him and stole the sponge, their hands sliding together amongst the water and dish soap.

“Hey, we’ve all burned a meal…or three,” she admitted, and bumped him out of the way to take care of it.

“Maybe next time you can cook together,” Dylan interjected from the living room. “Make a night of it!”

Panic flared. Boundaries, Dylan, boundaries! But he couldn’t hear her thoughts, just feel her emotions.

Cameron turned his attention from the other alpha to meet her gaze, eyes wide and vulnerable, and Ashley’s chest inflated with the need to… to scoop him up, to kiss him.

Her cheeks heated at the thought, hoping maybe the steam was too foggy for him to tell.

“Like a date night?” he asked, peering closely at her.

Hesitation threaded through her, but then Dylan was there, soothing, encouraging. What an enabler. Dammit.

She folded under those big hazel movie-star eyes. The date night didn’t have to happen now. It could happen after they’d finished training. Where was the harm in that?

“Sure,” she agreed, and if she wasn’t too distracted by Cameron’s sudden smile, she thought she felt Dylan in her bond, a little smug. “How about we order in tonight? Do you still want pasta?”

He frowned down at the sink. “No, I’m mad at pasta.”

She chuckled, finishing up the pan and proving the mess was gone.

“We can leave that for now. Let’s help River and Dylan with the fanning.”

She pinched his side as she went, and his grateful smile was a little sly.

Ashley narrowed her gaze at him, this actor, but was distracted as he handed her a towel and tugged her toward the door.

As they worked on clearing the smoke, Ashley ordered Cam’s favorite Indian food from her phone, passing it around to get all their orders. By the time the apartment was clear and they’d sprayed the hell out of it with some pretty-smelling air freshener, the food had arrived.

Ashley accepted the bag and made her way back to the couch, taking her seat beside Cameron and placing the holy grail on the coffee table.

He snuggled up to her side, and Ashley tried not to feel a type of way about it, but she loved having him near.

Dylan was on her other side, but the only glances he ever sent her way were pleased and happy. The bond revealed much the same.

As River got them drinks and took his designated seat on one of the floor cushions, Ashley decided to herself that they needed a bigger couch.

She caught the thought before it could really form, realizing she was thinking of the future. Them, all together.

Like a… pack.

But they weren’t a pack. Not yet, and maybe not ever. Soon Cameron would finish filming, and then he’d move on, and Ashley would stay at the gym, and their lives would move in separate directions.

Or, in a fantasy world, she and Cameron could more freely begin to prod at all this tension between them.

After training.

Until then, they’d adhere to the bold lines and firm boundaries… tomorrow. A fresh start.

For tonight, though… maybe Ashley could indulge.

Spend the evening here and let herself and Dylan live in the fantasy for a bit.

Just one night.

One night turned into two, which turned into a week. She was on cloud nine, sleeping next to Dylan each night, cuddling up to him on the couch while Cam and River did the same.

She’d eat dinner with all three of them, and then they’d part to each do their own thing, or more likely end up watching a movie together.

Cameron put together Instagram-worthy snack displays, impressive arrays of charcuterie or flavors of popcorn and candy she’d never heard of. He claimed it was his way of spoiling her, and she tried not to let her cheeks get red about it. At least it wasn’t a sparkly dress or any more chandeliered restaurants.

She’d even come around to the 24k gold cones they smoked out of, even if she felt ridiculous doing so. She came around to the expensive strains much more easily.

She got to see the films that inspired Cam to become an actor, and a number of them left her a little teary-eyed.

Most of the movies River wanted to watch made her laugh so hard her stomach hurt.

Dylan liked gritty action movies or romcoms; there was no in between with him.

Ashley liked anything and everything, and each film they watched together taught her something new about one of them.

“What are your favorite movies?” Ashley asked one night.

“I know I’ve been introducing you to a bunch of eclectic shit, but I really love a romcom,” Cam admitted. “I was in one at the very beginning of my career, but haven’t had the opportunity to revisit it.”

She frowned at him. “Like the one that girl at the restaurant mentioned. Do you like the action movies you do?”

“Of course, yeah,” he said. “This will be the third, and I don’t know, I just want a change of pace.”

“Your manager should look into that for you,” River said. “They’re supposed to support you.”

“They’re supposed to support my career, ” Cam corrected. “And currently, my career is in action.”

They shared a look and a flash of bitterness crossed River’s face that she’d never seen before. This must have been a conversation they circled many times.

Ashley didn’t like that. Cam should be able to star in whatever movie he was feeling, without having to adhere to what was expected of him.

“Sounds like you need a new agent,” River muttered.

Ashley agreed, silently. “It will happen. I believe it,” Ashley said.

The smile he shot her made her stomach flip, but she ignored it as they all turned their attention to the movie.

Seven days into the weirdest—happiest—week of her life, she received a text.

Hey! We’re back in town, and dropped by your place to say hi. You’re not home! Where are you?

The text was from Jordan, and their return meant her brother must have been okay.

Welcome back! I’m staying with a friend, but we can hang out tomorrow? Can’t wait to see you guys! How is your brother?

The reply she received was from Kenzie, not Jordan.

A friend, or Dylan? Kenzie asked.

Ashley bit down on a smile, knowing she’d have some explaining to do the next day.

You got me.

Oh. My. God. Kenzie sent each word as a separate message. You’ve got to tell us everything.

Tomorrow, Ashley promised.

“What’s so funny?” Dylan asked, arm tossed around her shoulders on the couch.

“Kenzie and Jordan are back, which means I’ll have to tell them about you.”

“And why is that funny?”

Ashley glanced up at him. “Because they’ve heard about all your sins.”

Dylan let his head fall back into the couch. “Oh no. So they hate me?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Ashley said, and patted his chest.

“Dooooghouse,” River sang softly amongst chuckles from the floor in front of the couch. He was working on his laptop instead of paying attention to the movie, but that was par for the course. Each night he and Cam took turns sitting beside her. She tried not to be flattered, but her cheeks still pinkened if she thought about it too hard.

“Don’t worry, I’ll find an opportunity for you to redeem yourself with them,” she told Dylan.

“Are you going to introduce us?” he asked. “I’ll be on my best behavior.”

“Let me test the waters first,” Ashley said. “We’ll hang out tomorrow and I’ll see how they feel.”

“You’ll make a good case for me?” Dylan asked. On her arm, his finger began making circles against her skin.

“Of course I will,” Ashley promised. “I’ll tell them all your best qualities.”

“Enlighten me,” Dylan teased.

Ashley opened her mouth, then closed it, pretending to think extra hard. “Hmm…”

Beside her, Cam snorted, and Ashley elbowed him.

“I know there’s one somewhere,” Ashley mused. “Let me think a little longer.”

Dylan pinched her arm and she snickered, patting his thigh and gazing at him with a grin. Did she look as love struck as she felt?

“Rude,” he murmured, a smile tugging at his lips.

“By tomorrow I’m sure I’ll think of something,” she drawled.

Dylan squeezed his arm in and tugged her closer, planting a kiss to the side of her head. “You better,” he retorted.

Ashley practically preened at the kiss, and turned her head to offer her lips.

“If I must,” he sighed, and then kissed her properly, short and sweet and so affectionately it made her chest tight.

Just a few months ago, if someone had told her Dylan would come back into her life and they would end up together, she would’ve denied it.

But here she was, snuggled up next to him on the couch, irrevocably in love.