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 playfully. Kaylee smacked his shoulder. "I was kidding! I know, you're a girl, so you want to talk. Ok, let's get to know each other."
Kaylee smiled. They talked with ease, and learned a lot about each other as the night progressed. When the early morning light began to break through the sky, the two fell asleep in each other's arms.
Over the next few weeks, Kaylee avoided Ashton as much as possible and filled her days by Brandon's side. They soon grew quite close and were spending all their free time together. They each learned to deal with the comments that Ashton threw at them regarding their budding relationship, and in the end, the comments brought them closer together rather than breaking them apart. Brandon had been very understanding about Kaylee not being ready for sex yet, and never tried to take her virginity from her.
One night, after an intense concert, everyone was hanging out in the dressing room. There were more people than usual, and it was quite packed. Brandon had gone to get Kaylee a drink, and when he came back, he saw her being escorted out by a tall guy in a black leather jacket. Kaylee's face was pale, and her eyes were wide and bright.
Something seemed...strange. His gut twisted with something like fear. Brandon quickly followed them into the deserted back hallway to see where they were going
Kaylee was shaking her arm, trying to get out of the man's grasp. The sight of that injected Brandon with utter fury. "Hey, what are you doing?" he yelled out.
The man stopped and turned to look back at the person yelling at him. The man's eyes were dark. He looked high, or drunk, or both - but certainly he looked evil.
"Boy, you best stay where you are unless you want to get hurt," the man growled. He flashed the blade of a knife at Brandon, just to back up his threat.
Brandon's eyes got big. He stopped where he was, and watched what was happening as if he were watching a movie.
The man slammed Kaylee against the wall and smashed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. Her arms were flailing, trying to hit the man to get him off her. The man simply lifted the knife to her and she stopped fighting, her eyes wide as she looked down at the blade.
He began rubbing his crotch against her, and she could feel his arousal. She could feel the bile rise in her throat as he groped her breast. Part of her needed to fight, but another part of her was too afraid of that knife to make a move. She was in suspended animation as the guy had his way with her, right there in the hallway.
"You're going to like this. I'm more man than any of these guys," he said in between kisses, rubbing harder and harder against her. His free hand found its way under Kaylee's shirt, and she felt his erection increase.
Kaylee was crying and continuously begging him to stop. Brandon just
JJ Carlson, George Bunescu, Sylvia Carlson