Page 33 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

33. PLAN IN ACTION

DYLAN

Dylan’s plan had less to do with actual action and more just… waiting.

Waiting for the opportunity to lure Ashley here, where he knew both she and Cam really wanted her.

Dylan checked all the locks once more, drew the shades, and eyed the closed door in the apartment, down the hallway to the right.

Protecting Cameron the past few months had been… easy, for the most part.

Maybe too easy.

Once the omega had grown out of his petulance and actually let Dylan do his job, things had fallen into place. Dylan was getting comfortable, and that scared him.

Example: Here Dylan was, shoving scent blockers into his nose and hoping for the best.

Cam’s scent was usually dull, a barely-there hint, a memory of honeyed vanilla that was often a little too sweet, a little too thick for Dylan.

Today, this evening, it was like walking through a wall of it.

Cameron’s heat was here, and they were in it for the long haul.

The sounds from the bedroom were muted, but it had faded into the background. He couldn’t exactly wear headphones, just in case something was wrong.

It was his job.

And he was happy to do it.

But he also felt… weird about it. Waiting out in the living room and trying to busy himself.

He tried to read, but when the plot turned explicit, he switched to cleaning.

His phone buzzed. How is everything?

I feel like a creep, he responded to Ashley.

Well, don’t be creepy.

Thank you for your endless wisdom.

Always.

Dylan sent her a photo of himself with the scent blockers in. They looked as obnoxious as they felt, white nose plugs doing their scent-canceling duty.

You look ridiculous.

Thank you, so flattering.

He felt her amusement through the bond, and laughed to himself.

Call and distract me?

Can’t be a good bodyguard if you’re distracted, her text read, but seconds later his phone rang and her contact photo appeared.

He swiped to answer.

“Hey, handsome,” she answered teasingly.

“How’s your evening?” he asked, leaning against the breakfast bar so he had a view of Cameron’s hallway.

After two months with no incidents, it wasn’t like Dylan was afraid of a fan breaking in, but…

You never know.

And he wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating a situation at the expense of his client.

Again.

“Eh, it’s so-so,” she said, but Dylan felt her discontent through the bond.

“Bored?” he guessed.

Ashley sighed. “Yes! It’s just a few nights— not a big deal, I know.”

“Aww, do you miss us?” Dylan mused.

He hadn’t even realized he’d included Cam and River in that phrase until Ashley hesitated.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” she said. “Imagine that.”

Dylan chuckled, gaze trailing to the door that Cam and River were hidden behind.

“I’ve resorted to wiping down the counters.”

“Oof,” Ashley whistled low. “Rough times.”

“Tell me about it,” he drawled, and placed the phone against his shoulder as he turned back to keep his hands busy.

“The gym’s been quiet, too,” Ashley admitted. “I feel like I have nothing to do now.”

“Other clients not keeping you busy?”

“They are! Their sessions are lower-key, no deadlines like for a Hollywood star,” she murmured. “And Nic hasn’t added anyone new to my roster. Guess he’s happy with how the last one turned out,” she huffed.

Dylan snickered, recalling the way Nic had practically interrogated him that one morning.

“Was he smug about it?”

Ashley sighed. “No, it was actually really cute how happy he was for me. I mean, maybe he was a little proud.”

“Well, he accomplished his goal, I suppose, so…”

Dylan extended an arm to lift up a bag of chips to wipe under, realizing the rest of the counter was still covered in other bags, too. Some of them opened, some of them not. The pink bakery box he’d had delivered just a bit ago was still taped shut, because the fucks hadn’t taken a break since he’d decided to order them.

They were filled with a pastry he’d learned was Cameron’s absolute favorite, a prosciutto, jam, and brie pastry. Then there was a bit of everything—salty, sweet, trail mix, meat sticks, nuts, little cakes.

He wasn’t entirely sure what Cameron would be craving, but River had given him some ideas.

Dylan blamed it on his boredom, honestly, that he set the bag down and opened the cabinet.

Cameron’s meal prep was often stored in bento boxes, and Dylan knew there were a few around…. here.

He grabbed one of the largest containers, and plucked a few extra dividers from the stack.

There were enough compartments for a handful of each type of snack. They were all going to go stale if River kept leaving them open.

As he was slotting the dividers in, he paused. “Hey, is it weird if I, like… prepare their snacks or something?”

He practically heard her head tilt. “Wow, you must really be bored, huh?”

“Well, I can’t read, and I can’t put headphones on. I guess I could watch television, but I just… I don’t wanna just sit around.”

“You’re just antsy,” she said, amusement trickling through the bond. “You should work out.”

“God, you’re such a gym rat,” Dylan teased.

“It’s a valid suggestion. And to answer your question, uh… no. I don’t think it’s weird.”

The pause was more telling than her words.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Dylan asked.

“I mean, it’s just snacks, right? That’s not weird.”

“But I’m an alpha.”

“Okay, okay, yes. Under normal circumstances I think that would mean something, but you’re the bodyguard! Making snacks for said body isn’t weird.”

Dylan’s brow furrowed at the cabinet before him. “Justifying this is weirder than just doing it.”

“Oh, just do it!” Ashley groaned, and then melted into chuckles. “If I can bring the omega a blanket, you can organize his snacks.”

Dylan shook his head, lips twitching before he caved and laughed.

Here they were, just two alphas, overthinking a simple task for an omega.

The only difference was that Dylan didn’t want to join the other two for this heat.

They were only approaching the evening of the second day, so Dylan hadn’t seen much of River, and none of Cameron.

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it. I’m doing it,” Dylan said, and continued to pour and arrange the snacks in their little slots before rolling all the bags up or resealing them properly. “They probably won’t even notice. Too distracted.”

“Well, it’s the thought that counts,” Ashley told him, and Dylan heard the other room go quiet in a rare moment.

Then the doorknob rattled, and Dylan paused. “Hold on, I hear stirring,” he said.

Ashley went quiet, and Dylan lowered the phone to his chest, turning toward the hallway as River appeared.

He looked a bit haggard, but that was par for the game when it came to seeing an omega through their heat.

“Hey, need some fuel?” Dylan asked, pushing the container to the edge of the bar.

River looked tired, nothing but a robe on, haphazardly tied.

He continued closer, leaning against the counter, and with just a few feet separating them, Dylan could scent Cam on him, even this close.

The desperation, the neediness, adding spice to Cam’s usually sweet scent.

“Is that Ashley you’re talking to?” he asked.

Dylan glanced down at the phone pressed to his chest. “Yeah. Why?”

“Cameron… wants an alpha,” River said quietly.

Dylan’s heart leapt.

This was it.

“What?” Dylan asked, just in case he’d misheard.

“He wants Ashley. Won’t stop begging.”

Dylan wanted to jump at this chance, but he also did not want them to rush into anything. “Are you sure?”

River ran a shaky hand through messy hair. “He wants her.”

Dylan lifted the phone to his ear. On the other end of the line, Ashley was silent.

“Ashley, did you hear that?”

“Maybe,” she said, sounding strangled. “I’ve never been around an omega in heat,” she admitted.

“I’ll give you a minute,” River said, and sat on a stool by the bar. He looked tired, and Dylan went to the fridge to get him a bottle of water. His smile was tired.

Dylan trailed down to the opposite hall, dipping into his bedroom so he could talk to Ashley privately.

“Do you want to?” he asked.

He heard a shuffle over the phone, as if Ashley was sitting up or adjusting her hair.

“I do. A lot, actually,” she said, and her excitement was a gentle burst in the bond. Followed by the rattle of nerves. “But I don’t think I can… be impartial about it.”

“You like him,” Dylan guessed.

“I… yeah. Yeah,” she finally said.

“He’s not your client anymore,” Dylan reminded her. Ashley’s resolve had lasted through the training, longer than he’d expected. But now there was no more excuse, no more boundaries to fear crossing.

Dylan could’ve heard a pin drop before she finally released a shuddered, “No, he’s not.”

“You want a pack,” Dylan confirmed.

“Yeah. With you,” she said softly. Love shone through their connection, and it made Dylan’s heart seize.

“I think seeing Cam through his heat isn’t a terrible place to start,” Dylan mused. “He clearly wants you, as an omega who wants an alpha. I don’t think that’s very far off from Cameron wanting Ashley, you know what I mean? If it was just an alpha he wanted, he’d settle for me, wouldn’t he?”

He practically felt the light bulb go off in her head, even all these miles apart.

“You’re okay with this?” she asked.

Dylan rolled his eyes. “Yes. Now will you get over here already? River looks like he’s been eaten alive.”

On the phone, he heard a door shut, and his lips curled. “Are you already on your way?”

A pause. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Dylan grinned, hung up, and made his way back out to the bar. River’s water bottle was empty, and he was eying the snacks but refraining.

“She’s on her way.”

Tension fled River’s shoulders, and he nodded before grabbing the box of pastries and a snack bento. “Good. Just send her in when she gets here.”

“Hey,” he said, catching River’s attention before he could disappear. “You okay with this?”

River sucked in a breath, then managed to meet his eyes. “It stings a little, not gonna lie. But it’ll be good for them,” he admitted.

Dylan placed a hand on River’s shoulder and gave him a supportive squeeze. “You’re good for him, too.”

River’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, and Dylan released him so he could return to where he so clearly wanted to be. “Thanks for the pastries. I’ll be sure to tell Cameron who got them.”

Dylan tossed him a water bottle to take along, and then he retreated back down the hallway to the nest.

Where Ashley would be soon!

Dylan eyed the door, and smiled at the anticipation in the bond.

The stars were aligning. This pack was happening .