Page 204 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Cameron swallowed. “Sorry, I’ve got it. I’ll get it this time.”

“You are usually so solid. What’s the deal today? Is it the lines? Do we need to take a break?”

His tone suggested they did not have room for a break.

“No, no. I’m just a little off today. I’m warming up, no big deal.”

He narrowed his eyes, and his alpha scent tickled Cameron’s nose, bitter and sharp and making him want to sneeze.

He’d never realized the alpha had such an offensive scent, and Cameron wrinkled his nose, thankful Rebecca was there to smooth it out with her brush and a knowing glance. Damn, he’d never realized how much the suppressants protected his omega senses.

“Alright. Let’s try this again,” the director said, and stepped away, back behind the line.

Cameron drank a bit of water, Rebecca made one last finishing touch, and then everyone fucked off.

This was a fight scene.

Cameron knew the choreography. Knew who to attack, when, and where. Knew the footwork, knew the lines.

But he wasdistracted.

A luxury he couldn’t afford only two months into shooting.

They still had so long to go.

Suddenly, the days spanned out before him. The rest of shooting, the waiting, the reshoots, the press tour he’d have to do, the premiere, and thenmorepress.

A fourth movie. Possibly a fifth.

It felt so heavy in that moment, stretching out before him in a never-ending list of responsibilities and traveling. And usually he knew it would be okay, bearable, because River would be there.

In… secret.

You should really think aboutwhyhe’s gone. Why it’s come to this.

Dylan’s words replayed in Cam’s mind, and he heard them in a new light.

Cameron’s boundaries, his demands, had built a relationship that only benefited him. What did River get out of their relationship?

Being kept secret? Being told again and again that he wasn’t… worth it?

I’m a selfish fucking jerk.

Cam’s stomach turned, and he…

Glanced at River, across the room. He was sitting at the big white table full of equipment and laptops, staring at his screen but clearly not paying it a bit of attention.

The glare of it against his face looked harsh amongst the low lighting of everything outside the immediate set.

“Ready?” the director called out, his voice booming.

It shook Cameron out of his thoughts and made him realize… fuck. He needed to talk to River. He didn’t have time. He needed to focus.

“Action,” he yelled, and there was the clap of the scene marker, and then the people around him exploded into action.

Cameron felt shoved into the scene instead of waking up in it like usual, and it showed in his footwork, the way he was slow to block one of the other actors, throwing off the entire routine.

“Cut!” the director yelled, and Cameron dropped his arms as everyone paused. “Take ten!”

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