Page 166 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Someone like Ashley.

Abort.

“Never mind,” River said, shaking his head. “We don’t need to talk about this now. We have the rest of today together. I don’t want to spoil it.”

His inbox was overflowing with emails and alerts, but he would enjoy this one last day in paradise with Cam before the real world encroached. How stupid of him to try to invite it in early.

But Cam’s frown was still in place.

“I’m not saying we ignore it,” River said.That’s exactly what he was hoping.“Let’s shelve it for today.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m dismissing your feel?—“

River kissed him mid-sentence. “I know you’re not. I picked a bad time. The real world has no place here,” he declared, and pulled Cameron through the nest. “Today is for recovery with the—with everyone.”

He’d almost called them a pack, but… they weren’t. Not in any official capacity.

It took Cameron a moment, but he acquiesced, giving into the tug of River’s hand.

“Okay, okay, real world tomorrow,” Cameron said. “But we will be circling back around to this.”

River nodded, pressed a kiss to the top of his head, and hoped he forgot. “Ready to face your trainer now that she’s locked you six ways to Sunday?” River asked. Facing her was almost scarier than this conversation.

“Dylan told me something,” Cam said, and River pulled back.

“What was it?”

“Ashley wants a pack.”

River blinked, alarms going off inside his head. He tried to shut them off but couldn’t find the button. “And you want a pack?” he asked, feeling lightheaded.

Cam’s hand tightened on his shirt. “Wewant a pack, don’t we?” Cam asked, a small frown on his lips.

River wanted to say yes. And maybe four weeks ago, he would have. But now he was filled with fear that every bit Ashley grew closer to Cam, the further he would get pushed away.

“What about Dylan?” he asked, swallowing.

“Dylan wants what Ashley wants, or at least that’s what he told me.”

River wanted to be like that. Wanted to want what Cameron wanted, no matter what. To be a good partner.

“When did this happen?”

“At breakfast, before you joined us.”

River’s brain was dialing up like a computer from the 90s. He guessed the real world was catching up to them, whether they wanted it to or not. “Is that—do we—are you—?” River didn’t know what he was asking, what the correct answer was. The two of them did want a pack, in theory. They’d discussed it. Buthow did a pack work with their crazy lives? Packs were settled, stationary. Or at least normal ones were.

Are we normal?

“How does this work?” River asked. “What about your image? Management?”

What about keeping us a secret?

“I don’t know,” Cameron answered, brow furrowed. “But you know I… like Ashley. A lot,” he admitted, cheeks coloring. River remembered the way he’d arched into her, begged for her bite. “I think Dylan is a good guy, I’m just not interested in being knotted by him. But he takes care of us in his own way, bodyguarding aside,” Cameron added. “And you’remyguy. I love you. I think we all mesh well. I just want…” Cam wrapped his arms around him again, and River squeezed him tightly, feeling Cam’s inhale as their chests crushed together.

“You want me?” River said, meaning to summarize the situation, but it came out like a question. He held his breath waiting for the answer, until Cameron nodded his head against his shoulder. “You want Ashley.”

Cameron nodded again.

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