Page 18 of Ashley & the A-Listers

Ashley’s glare glared further.

Ew.

That was another downside to this whole situation, she’d have to put up with this jerk for the next… her gaze trailed to the screen. Eight weeks!

Her eye twitched.

“Okay, I get it, still not happy to see me,” Dylan said, lifting his palms in a gesture of innocence.

Her stare returned to the alpha, her scent biting in irritation.

Dylan looked struck, mouth opening before closing. She wished his scent didn’t take her back ten years, to Sunday mornings when they were sitting outside together before the dew on the grass had even evaporated. To when she was just a sad, hurt, confused eighteen-year-old who’d lost her best friend.

“So you’re an alpha now.” His eyes widened as if those hadn’t been the words he’d intended.

Ashley blinked. “Actually, I am.” Shewasan alpha, and he was in her territory, and she wasn’t a teenager with a crush anymore.

Dylan’s lips parted, but before he could spout some bullshit she cut him off.

“Don’t bother,” she snapped. “I’m here to train Cameron, not you. I can be civil. Just don’t get on my nerves.”

“But I?—”

Her scowl interrupted him again, and she was glad, in that moment, that she’d finally gotten that growth spurt, and used it to her advantage. Even though Dylan was still taller, it wasn’t by much, so she met his gaze, a challenge.

Dylan swallowed and dropped his eyes first. “Got it. I’ll stay out of your way.”

“Good,” Ashley said. “Go wait for Cameron over there,” she said, and pointed to the corner.

“Yes ma’am,” Dylan said, and spun on his heel.

Annoyance filled her, because once upon a time that light, teasing tone would’ve made her laugh, but this time she locked it down and tried to collect herself.

So what? Dylan was here. Get over it. She had Cameron to focus on.

Speaking of… The intake forms were filled out impeccably. Cameron was serious about this.

Which shouldn’t surprise her. Axel Stevens, the character on screen, was a serious, no-bullshit kind of guy. But the Cameron she’d gotten a glimpse of yesterday was… playful. Cute.

She pursed her lips as she jotted down a few notes, comparing where they had to start and where they’d end up.

By the time she was psyching herself up for actually putting it into action, the door beeped. She smelled him before she saw him, and even dulled by his suppressants, his honey and vanilla scent made her mouth water.

He pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and grinned that million-dollar smile. “Good morning, Ashley,” he practically purred.

She swallowed and leaned against the desk, crossing her arms, playing the cool and confident alpha, and tried to remind herself of what she was here to do.

What this omega was here to do.

Right. Despite what Nic wished, this wouldn’t be athing.

Though it was rather convenient that the day after meeting him, she was now his trainer for the next eight weeks.

Even so, it was Cameron fucking Thomas. She wasn’t going to fuck it up.

“I hope you’re ready to work your ass off,” she told him.

He blinked, gripping his bag tighter to his shoulder. “Uh…”

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