Page 34 of Ashley & the A-Listers

“Why’s that?”

Dylan grumbled something. “I’m not talking about this with you.”

“Why not me?”

“Boundaries. I have a therapist for that.”

“Oh, so it’s serious,” River said, sitting up a bit more. “Now I’vegotto know.”

Dylan sighed. “If I told you, you’d just tell Cameron, and then he’d be mad that I didn’t tell him first, and also—” he said, as if realizing something— “this is absolutely none of your business.”

“I’m making it my business, because Cameron has a wittle cwush,” he said, and walked his fingers along Dylan’s arm.

The alpha scowled at him.

It shouldn’t have been so attractive, and yet it was.

Dylan sighed, the sound spilling from deep within, and River had a moment of sympathy.

Then it faded.

“What happened?” River asked.

“I hurt her once. I was young, and stupid, and I ran from it. She’s right to be angry, and I refuse to manipulate her into anything else.”

River turned the words over in his head, noticing how Ashley pointedly didn’t glance their way, not even once more, now that she might risk meeting Dylan’s gaze.

“Have you talked to her at all?”

“I tried to apologize. But it’s too late, and that’s alright. Things don’t always work out.”

“They could, though,” River pointed out.

“Not without forcing it. And I’m not going to hurt her even more by doing so.”

“Well, I think we should let her kick your ass,” River mused. “That would probably bring her great joy.”

Dylan paused, dropping his crossed arms to his lap. “Do you think so? I know she could put me in the ground, just from watching her train Cam these past few days.”

“I mean, I don’t know. You ever had an ex you just wanted to punt the shit out of? Just for fun?”

Dylan frowned. “No.”

River rolled his eyes. “Therapy is doing you too much good.”

“Thank you,” Dylan said, lips twitching.

“It wasn’t a compliment,” River returned.

Cam had been keeping River apprised of his least favorite bodyguard since they’d started working together, so River hadsomeinsider information.

“Clearing the air would be a good start, but conversations are hard,” River said. “Believe me,” he murmured, gaze falling to Cameron.

River didn’t want to hide with Cameron anymore—he wanted to walk beside him on the sidewalk and hug in the gym without fearing who’d see.

But River found it harder to bring up each time Cameron had to deny him.

His agent and publicist were really pushing the wholemost eligible bachelorimage, and no matter how many times Cam and he broached the subject with them, they shut them down.

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