Page 6 of Ashley & the A-Listers (Sweetverse)

6. SHOWING OFF

ASHLEY

Ashley winced as she stepped outside, beelining for her car beneath the bright morning sun.

Sunglasses. Coffee.

The two necessities.

Traffic was busy, stretching her short commute far too long, but she still had enough time to stop at a local coffee shop.

“Thank god,” she muttered, pulling into a parking space.

It was crowded, go figure. But she wouldn’t let a handful of other caffeine fiends get in her way.

The bell on the door dinged and she waved at one of the familiar baristas, Clarissa, who always made her coffee so perfectly, before getting in line.

The analog clock on the back wall confirmed she had a few minutes to spare, and the line was thankfully moving! Small mercies.

Her gaze trailed back down, setting on the person in front of her, whose sandy blond hair was messy and shoulders were wide. Silently, she appreciated his shape, and wondered if his back rippled with movement beneath his sweater like she imagined.

It would be so easy to reach for his shoulder, offer a dazzling compliment, and squeeze her hand to feel the muscles beneath.

But that was super alpha behavior and Ashley was… working on it.

She was a good girl and stayed in line as it moved a bit too slowly for her liking.

He smelled nice, his scent trying to break through the burn of hot espresso. She could only get a whiff—a weak suggestion of papers and ink, and maybe even a hint of smoke.

Ashley shook her head and averted her attention to the little display of breakfast foods.

A little extra protein couldn’t hurt anybody this morning, could it?

The beta in front of her moved away, and she glanced up enough to catch sight of his profile as he walked toward the pick-up counter.

Sharp jawline, mustache, and hair in that artful disarray framing his face.

She swooned a bit, but shook herself out of it as she stepped up to the counter.

“The usual?” the barista asked.

Ashley nodded. “Yes, please, a large.”

In her appreciation of a beta, she forgot to order food, and decided it was probably for the best because behind the counter was busy . She didn’t need to add one more thing to their plate this morning.

“You got it,” the barista said, and spun the device so Ashley could tap her card. “It’ll be over there.”

“Thank you,” Ashley said, and smiled brightly before scooting over to the line.

She got a few glances, as per usual. Female alphas were rare, and she was used to drawing attention. Today was no exception, and she met a few gazes, most of them darting away to avoid eye contact. Except one.

The beta, who was focused on his phone, thumb tapping at the screen as he waited for his coffee. Disappointment bubbled up, but she stomped it out stubbornly.

Oh, stop it, she thought to herself.

Ashley shook her head, and went to lean against a small spot in the wall while she watched the baristas work magic and prepare coffee.

She got lost in thought— not about the beta, thank you very much—and stood up straight, pushing off the wall when they called out a large caramel macchiato with an extra shot.

Angels practically sang as she approached, reaching for the large cup with her caffeine inside.

Unfortunately, someone else reached out as well, and Ashley was so absorbed in her own head she didn’t realize until it was too late.

She was practically holding hands with a stranger around her coffee, and ripped her touch away, startled.

“Oh, sorry—“ she began, and glanced… not up, but right across, and met the gaze of the goddamned handsome beta. “Hi,” she greeted, as if she knew this man.

“Hi, sorry,” he said, and removed his tattooed hand. “I guess we have the same order.”

“I guess so,” she agreed, and smiled, waving her hand. “Please, go ahead.”

But he was already shaking his head, lips curling beneath that mustache. “No, no. I insist. I’m in no rush.”

If that was the case…

Ashley curved her hand around the cup and claimed it. “Well, thanks. I’m on my way to work.”

He glanced at her attire and smiled. “Nice. I’m headed to a gym myself.”

Ashley arched a brow at that. “Daring move. What if I didn’t work at a gym?”

He chuckled. “With glutes like that? I decided to risk it.”

Ashley’s cheeks flamed, and she appreciated the brazenness of this beta.

“I never skip leg day,” she said, tipping her coffee at him, then managed to catch the time on her watch and cursed silently. “Gotta run.”

“Have a nice day,” he said, which was such a formal way to say such a thing, and yet it sounded so natural from him.

She felt his gaze on her as she walked away and tried to remember how to do such a simple task. It wasn’t until the door closed behind her, the bell dinging a goodbye, that it hit her.

Should I have gotten his number?

Fuck!

Ashley didn’t have time; she was going to be late.

She sought the safety of her car and beelined to work, leaving just enough seconds on the clock to complete the opening chores.

And the whole time she tried to forget the tattooed hands and that smooth voice and what that hot beta possibly looked like under his sweater.

Because she had to face something much worse: her childhood ex-best friend.

“That’s a stupid idea,” Ashley told Cameron later that morning. “I’m not sparring with Dylan.”

“Why not?” Cameron asked, arms crossed as he stood strong on the mat.

Dylan was across the gym, sitting in one of the chairs and reading his book again.

A man with muscles like that should not also be able to use the brain behind those pretty eyes. It just wasn’t allowed. Cosmically.

And yet there he sat, flipping the pages every few minutes and doing his best to give Ashley the space she’d asked for.

Maybe she should spar with him. She bet he wouldn’t look so good all frazzled and surprised as she took him to the mat.

Warmth flushed through her and she changed her thoughts, quickly.

“He’s hardly getting on my nerves right now. There’s no reason for it,” she finally said.

“Give him about half an hour,” Cameron muttered.

The alpha himself was heading toward the other side of the gym, and Ashley focused her attention on the omega, rolling her eyes.

“Cameron, we’ve got seven weeks until you need to be a pro. We cannot slack off right now,” she scolded, imagining her career flushing down the drain because Cameron looked like a hack on set. Distantly, she heard the door chime as someone entered the gym.

“Oh, come now, I think we can make an exception this one day,” a warm, amused voice called out.

Ashley turned to find the exact same very attractive beta from the coffee shop inside the gym, hands casually tucked in his pockets, a smile tugging at his full lips and twitching the curved mustache on his upper lip. His sweater was removed, and her suspicions from the coffee shop had been correct—he was fit, with muscled arms beneath a tee tight around his biceps.

“River?!” Cameron practically shouted, and tore off across the gym at breakneck speed to launch himself at the beta.

She glanced at Dylan, the bodyguard, but he was the opposite of alarmed, watching on with something like pride at the obviously familiar newcomer as he stuffed his keycard back in his pocket.

If he wasn’t on alert, she probably didn’t have to be, and good thing, too, because Cameron collided with the tall beta—River? His sweater was thrown over the arm that was holding a takeout container of coffees. The opposite was covered in a sleeve of tattoos that curled around Cam’s hip, flexing as they embraced. River rocked back only a half step.

Ashley watched River’s expression turn utterly soft as he leaned in, clutching Cam close and dipping his head to his neck. Scent marking. Affectionate.

Hmm. Cameron Thomas was known as a single, very eligible omega.

Cameron was not hugging this guy as if they were pals, slotting together so naturally. She glanced around the gym, noting the few other clients were busy with their trainers, paying no mind to their corner, before allowing herself to study them more.

They were quite the sight. Where Cameron’s hair was just long enough to run fingers through, River’s was shoulder-length and unruly, a dirty blond to match the slightly darker mustache on his upper lip.

They hugged for a solid fifteen seconds before Dylan spoke. “Good luck getting him to do any work now,” he called out.

“You don’t seem surprised he’s here,” she remarked.

Dylan shrugged. “He texted me last night about flying in.”

A surprise for Cameron, then? And Dylan had helped?

A knot formed in her brows to pair with the one forming in her chest. For some reason, the idea of it was… touching?

Cameron muttered something to River, and even though he was facing away from her, she could tell he rolled his eyes.

Mirth danced across River’s expression as Cameron led him over, their hands breaking apart only as they approached.

“Ashley, meet the, uh, screenwriter, River,” he announced, and put a half-step more space between them, as if remembering. “River, this is Ashley.”

“We met this morning,” she said.

“Now I know why you never skip leg day,” River said, lifting the coffees.

Her lips twitched. Cute. “Nice to meet you officially, I suppose.”

“Charmed,” he said, and held out a hand, the same one that had been around Cam’s waist. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Is that so?” she asked, and shook his hand, since he’d offered first. The contact lasted only long enough for her to notice his handshake was firm, because Cam leaned into River, and she dropped it.

If she wasn’t an alpha tuned into the nearest omega’s needs, even subconsciously, she might not have noticed Cam was marking his territory.

Here in close quarters their scents melded, both muted but complimentary to Cam’s sweetness.

“All good things, I assure you,” River drawled. “I won’t get in the way, so I’ll go wait over by Dylan.”

Calling him by name, proving they all knew each other.

Cameron pouted at his announcement before catching himself and clearing his throat, leaning away from the beta and motioning to the chairs.

“Actually… we’re gonna move to a private room,” Ashley said.

If Cam and River wanted to make eyes at each other that were not reading casual, it would be best to do it behind a closed door. She hadn’t heard anything in the media about Cameron getting shacked up with a partner, and maybe that was the point.

Ashley led the four of them to a private training room down a short hallway. The room was smaller, but contained mirrors and mats and everything else they’d need.

If Cameron had a beta, did that mean he had a pack?

No, he didn’t have an alpha. They wouldn’t have let him come here to be trained by one.

Unless…

Her gaze landed on Dylan, and she dismissed the suspicion before it could truly form. No. Dylan wasn’t Cam’s alpha . They hardly liked each other.

And if she wanted to get real about it, Cam had no bite marks, and he didn’t smell like anyone else. No alphas had marked him.

That knot loosened a bit more in her chest, and she scowled until Cam turned to face her on the mat.

His eyes were gleaming with a determination she hadn’t seen in days. He lowered his voice. “Show me something impressive,” he hissed.

Amusement filled her. “You wanna show off?”

He nodded, short and quick.

Oh, to show off for a crush.

Like you showed off for Dylan last week?

No. No . She’d wanted to show off for Dylan to prove something, not entice him.

What would entice this beta?

If he was dating an action star, an omega, this beta must be something special. She wanted to know more about them. Their dynamic. Omegas weren’t known to shack up with betas, especially solo, simply because they didn’t possess the biology to please an omega. No lock or knot.

She supposed these days there were ways around it, like toys and— wow, Ashley should really stop there.

Get a hold of yourself.

“Are you asking me to go easy on you?” she clarified.

Cam shook his head and Ashley’s grin was sharp.

“Good.”