down next to him and put her head on Noah's shoulder, and gave a long, deep sigh.
"I thought Brandon was here with you," he said as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"He was until that idiot drove him away," she replied, then explained what happened.
Noah fought to hide a smirk. Now he knew what had ruffled Ashton's feathers! Even he wasn't that over-protective of his sister. "I'm sure he meant well, even though he went about it the wrong way," Noah pointed out.
"Ugh, stop defending him. Did he mean well with his little orgy in the back room when he knew I was in my bunk?" she questioned.
"Well, obviously you liked it, or else you would have left," a deep voice said. Kaylee turned just as Ashton walked out of the back room, wearing nothing but his boxers. He stared down at her with a cruel grin on his face.
"Did you get excited?" he asked, his voice dropping even lower. "Did it get you hot listening to us, knowing exactly what was happening in the next room?"
Kaylee felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Tears welled in her eyes, but her pride wouldn't let them flow. She stood up from the couch and crossed the room to where Ashton was now standing, leaning against the wall, with his arms folded over his chest.
The crack was heard throughout the whole bus as Kaylee's hand belted his cheek. The impact sang all the way up to her shoulder, a good and satisfying ache. Ashton gasped at the sudden assault.
Feeling a mixture of relief and anger, Kaylee turned and left the bus.
Ashton shook his head in disbelief. He touched his face - it felt red and hot and maybe even a bit swollen, even though he knew that was probably just in his head. He turned to go back to his room. Jayden and Colton exchanged looks, and Noah ran out after his sister.
As if she sensed him, Kaylee yelled without turning around. "Go back to the bus, Noah."
"You're in your pajamas! Outside! What are you doing?"
She kept walking.
"Kaylee, damn it - come back here!"
She stopped and turned to her brother. "I just need some time to myself, okay? I can't be on that bus with him right now. I'm going to sleep on the other bus tonight."
Noah knew there was no arguing with her, and quite frankly, he thought it was best for everyone if those two spent some time apart. "Do you want me to go with you?" he asked. He sounded like a little child, and she suddenly remembered crawling into bed with him when she was a kid and a nightmare had terrified her.
"I will be okay," she said, and this time her voice was kind. "I promise."
Noah paused, considering, and then nodded. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Ok, but be careful. I'll see you in the morning."
Kaylee walked to the other bus and knocked on the door. David, the band's publicist opened the door and welcomed Kaylee in. "What's up Kaylee?"
"Do you guys mind if I stay on your bus tonight? The band wouldn't be worth quite as much if I was to kill the singer." Her voice was ragged as she tried to keep her tears at bay.
"That's fine, but you'll have to sleep on one of the couches. We gave the spare bunk to the magazine writer traveling with us," he told her, and gave her a hug, knowing that the spats between her and Ashton bothered her more than she let on. He had an uncanny way of reading her that not many others did.
"She can share my bed with me if she wants," Brandon offered, making his presence known. Kaylee had been so distraught that she hadn't even seen him sitting at the dining table. "I promise I won't try anything. I'll be the perfect gentleman."
Kaylee looked at his eyes and had a strong feeling that she'd be able to trust him. After all, he had been witness to some terrible things said on the other bus; anyone would know tonight wasn't a good time to trifle with her. "Thanks."
He led her back to his bunk and they climbed in together. It was a tight fit, but she liked being held in his arms. As soon as they lay down, the sleepiness and sadness Kaylee had been feeling disappeared into thin air. She was suddenly wide awake and restless.
"Are you tired?" she asked.
"Why, you want to mess around?" he asked