Page 70 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Was somehow different and yet the same. He felt like a schoolboy around her, harboring this crush and half afraid he was going to say something wrong.

River was all natural and breezy, going in for that hug like it was nothing, while Cameron’s pulse would’ve been sky-high if not for the weed.

Instead he was in the middle of a panicked calm, and he sipped his water to alleviate his dry mouth. That was from the proximity of the alpha, not the cannabis.

“Have you been here before?” Cameron asked.

Ashley scoffed and shook her head, a piece of long dark hair falling over her shoulder. “I don’t think I would’ve ever come someplace like this on my own.”

“No?” River asked, leaning around Cameron. With his head on his hand, he looked like the epitome of casual. Cam envied him. “What kinda places are Ashley’s style?”

“I’m more of a… fries in a basket kind of girl,” she said, and waved a hand. “But this is lovely, I mean…” She motioned to the honest-to-god chandelier overhead.

I knew it was overkill!

He’d wanted to impress her, but he should’ve known a fancy place like this wasn’t the way to do it.

“This place is… popular,” he said. “I figured, special occasion and all, might as well celebrate.”

“A whole month of training,” she said, and elbowed him. “How’s it feel?”

Cameron pursed his lips. “Sore,” he finally answered.

It pulled a laugh from her, and Cam wanted to give himself a high-five, because he loved that sound.

“There’s only more where that came from,” she responded in a sing-song voice. “But you have the weekend off, so enjoy it while you can.”

She tapped her fingers together like an evil mastermind and Cam worried for his future.

“It sounds like she’s going to bury you beneath the mat,” Dylan said.

Ashley gasped playfully, and smacked his arm. “I am not. I’m a good trainer,” she said defensively.

Dylan lifted his hands innocently. “I just call it like I see it.”

Dylan had been tight-lipped for several days, except around Ashley. Cameron knew something had changed. They were no longer downright glaring at each other with unsurety across the mat. Now they shared shy glances and chuckles, and it was killing Cam inside not toknow.

He and River were the reason they’d worked anything out in the first place! The least the alpha could do was share the details.

But he didn’t want to bring any tension to the table, so he kept himself from asking about it.

Thankfully they were interrupted by the waiter, who brought a carafe of water over to refill their glasses and offer them menus.

They huddled over them once he was gone and pointed at different appetizers and entrées, and snickered when Dylan didn’t know the names of some of the dishes.

The grateful glance Ashley kept shooting the alpha’s way whenever he did so made Cameron want to pull them all from the restaurant and find the first diner just so she felt at ease.

Maybe one day she would feel at ease. With exposure.

Cameron could take her out every weekend. He could shower her in fancy restaurants and dresses that showed off her arms like the one she wore now.

She reached forward to feel the display on the table, rubbing a flower petal gently between her thumb and forefinger. If she liked the flowers so much, he’d buy her some.

Next time.

Because there would be a next time, he was certain of it. In fact, Cam refused to entertain a future that didn’t have more of Ashley in it.

Once they finally decided on food, the wine was brought out and they all sipped a glass and told the waiter it was lovely, so they could be left alone again.

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