Ashton looked appreciatively at Kaylee in her tight, hip-hugging jeans and asymmetrical shirt. No matter what she wore, to him she looked sexy. It was going to be hard for him to keep his hands to himself from now on. One night and morning of mind blowing lovemaking, and he was already in major trouble. He had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her.
As the group made their way to the radio show, neither Kaylee nor Ashton could get the smiles off their faces. Noah looked at her and instantly knew, which wasn't something that he wanted to know about his sister. The rest of the guys teased them relentlessly, having a good time at Kaylee and Ashton's expense.
Once they stepped into the studio, their smiles were instantly erased. Two women sat waiting for them, one a tall blonde and one a redhead. Both Kaylee and Ashton knew that the blonde, a deejay, was one of the women that Ashton had been with during their last tour. She completely ignored Kaylee and the others, but sauntered over to Ashton and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear and asking him if he wanted to get together again later.
Ashton looked uncomfortable in her embrace. He stood rigid, not touching the female deejay in any way, shape, or form. His eyes found Kaylee's, and she looked hurt. Seeing that was enough for him, as he lightly pushed the deejay away from him and went to stand with Kaylee again.
The woman looked confused, but greeted the rest of the guys anyway. Since they were running short on time, she ushered them in and gave them all headphones. Soon enough, the 'On Air' light came on.
Kaylee stood in the next room, listening to the interview and watching them through a huge window. The blonde was trying to flirt with all the guys, but none of them were very receptive, especially Ashton. She looked to be getting flustered, and the redhead was loving every minute of it.
"So, Mr. Hunter, you seem to be a lot different than the last time you were here. What's going on to cause this change?" the blonde asked straight out, after not getting anywhere with him.
"I'm not sure I know what you mean. I'm just me," Ashton tried to answer.
"Well, you seem a lot more serious now. The fun and playful Ashton is gone. What happened? You seem like a drag now," she taunted.
"I'm still the fun and playful Ashton. I just don't want to play with you," he said, getting annoyed. He looked over at David, their publicist and Cody, their manager, and gave them a look telling them that he was disinterested. The tension in the little room had just been amped up so high that it seemed hard to breathe.
"So are the rumors true then? Have you become boring and settled down?"
"Listen, we're on air, right?" Ashton asked, trying to diffuse the situation. The blonde didn't seem to care.
"I think I heard that you were seeing the sister of one of your band mates," she shot back at him.
"Kaylee is my girlfriend, and you need to leave her out of this," he retorted.
"How cute. Does she know it won't last? That you're a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy?" She looked out into the waiting room and saw Kaylee's face.
"Must be she doesn't. The look on her face says it all." The blonde laughed.
Ashton looked over to where Kaylee stood. He never wanted anything bad to happen to her, and now this woman was upsetting her all because she couldn't have Ashton again. It was time to take a stand, and if the woman wanted it to happen on air, so be it.
"I understand that you're upset about the fact that you will never get another tumble from me," he said calmly. "But you need to understand that I've grown up now, and whores are something I don't play with anymore."
The blonde's mouth dropped open. She immediately reached for the switch that would cut Ashton off, but he was sure that what he said had already reached thousands of listeners. Suddenly she was the bad guy, not him.
"This interview is over, and if your bosses heard that, so is your career." Ashton stood up and threw down his headset. Noah did the same, followed by Jayden and Colton. He tore out of the studio and chased after Kaylee, who had already turned and walked out.
Ashton called her name, but she wouldn't stop. She kept walking, and he finally stopped calling her. He turned to Cody and David. "That woman was way out of line. I want nothing to do with her or this radio station until she gets fired. Got it?" he yelled at them, and took off for the hotel.
Kaylee lay on the bed in her hotel room, in the one that she was sharing with Ashton, and gave in to her emotions.
When the door opened a few minutes later, she didn't even look up. He back was to the door, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that it was Ashton. She felt the bed shift behind her, and then his arms were around her. He rolled her onto her back so that he could look at her.
"Baby, please don't cry. I am so sorry for the things she said," he told her.
"It's my fault. I'm going to be your downfall. People are going to be pissed at you because we're together. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to be the reason you get shit from all the reporters and media. I don't want to be the reason that they all hurt you," she cried.
Ashton sighed and pulled her into his embrace. "Kaylee, they are just jealous. No matter what, people are always going to be jealous, whether I'm with you or not. It's human nature. Besides, I couldn't care less what they say about me. If they hurt you, they'll have to deal with me. You're all that matters, not them or what they think of me."
"You say that now, but what will happen after months of bad press because you have a girlfriend?" Kaylee asked.
"I'll still feel the same. I really don't care what the press thinks. All I want to do is make music, and if I can do that with you by my side, then my life will be great." He wiped her tears from her face. "Now, tell me. Do you think you can handle being the girlfriend of the infamous Ashton Hunter? Because the world knows now, baby."
Kaylee laughed as he puffed his chest up. "I think I can try," she sighed. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "Nothing to be sorry about." And with that, he took her lips in a scorching kiss.
Chapter 22
"Come on, let's get some lunch before we have to head to the studios," Ashton told Kaylee, dragging her out of bed by her hand.
"I don't think I want to go to your MTV appearance. In fact, maybe I should skip the rest of your appearances after what happened this morning," she told him, still skeptical about the effects she might have on his career.
Ashton scowled at her. "Don't let what that bitch said get to you. Not every interview is going to be like that. She was just out to get something for herself, personal satisfaction. Like I said, she was jealous, plain and simple." He kissed her lips softly in reassurance. "Besides, this VJ is cool at MTV. She's new, and won some sort of contest. I like her because she's more of a rocker than a boy band fanatic, so she'll be on our side."
"I just don't want to ruin..." Kaylee started to say, but was stopped short when Ashton put his hand over her mouth.
"Not another word. You won't ruin anything, unless you don't come. Then I'll feel bad. I want you there with me because it's always so much better when you're by my side," he pleaded.
Kaylee sighed. "Fine, I'll go. But I'm taking off at the first sign of trouble."
Ashton smiled. "And I'll be right behind you." He led her out of the room, toward the elevators. "Now, let's get some lunch."
Down in the restaurant, the rest of the band was already sitting around a table, waiting to order. There were still two seats empty when Kaylee and Ashton showed up.
The waitress came over and took their order, not even paying attention to who she was waiting on. The guys were thankful that they weren't noticed. It was becoming more and more of a problem to them lately. It was at the point where they were going to have to beef up their security.
Kaylee left the table to fill her plate at the salad bar, leaving the guys alone at the table.
"Man, we were almost screwed for MTV. Because of this morning, Kaylee wasn't ever going to an appearance again." Ashton breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thankfully
you worked your charm on her," Jayden laughed. "She has to be there, even if we have to drag her there."
"No kidding!" Ashton exclaimed, then the whole table shut up as Kaylee walked back to them with her plate full.
She looked around the table suspiciously, and she carefully sat down since she was a little sore still from the previous night. She glared at Ashton. "You told them, didn't you? Can't anything stay private with us? Did you tell them how many times we did it too, or where we did it?"
Everyone's eyes widened. Ashton's face turned red, but not from embarrassment, from anger. "I didn't tell them anything, but you just did. Thanks for having a little faith in me!"
Kaylee blanched as she looked around the table. Ashton was angry, Jayden and Colton couldn't wait to tease her, and her brother looked upset. She felt the same way as Noah. She buried her head in her hands, not wanting to look at anyone anymore.
"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice muffled through her hands.
Ashton shook his head and sighed. She was having a really rough day, definitely not something he wanted for her after the great night they had the night before. He rubbed her back comfortingly and told her that it was alright.
She sighed and removed her hands from her face. "I'm sorry, but you guys got really quiet when I came back to the table. I just assumed that was what you were talking about."
"It wasn't, but they would have found out sooner or later anyway," he smirked. "You were kind of loud."
Kaylee smacked him on the arm, her face turning beet red. "Keep it up and you won't get any for so long that you'll forget just how loud I was!" she teased.
"Don't forget this is my little sister we're talking about! Please! I really don't want to know," Noah whined. Then he looked at Ashton and his eyes furrowed. "You better not hurt her, and I don't want to be an uncle any time soon!"
Ashton was about to make a crack about how he couldn't help how big he was, he'd hurt anyone, but when he saw the seriousness in her brother's eyes, he skipped the comment and nodded his head.
Everyone was pretty well silent after that, as the food came and they were all starving. Once they started talking again, no one brought up the interview from earlier that morning, or the one they had to leave for right after lunch.
Soon enough, Cody and David found the group in the restaurant and hurried them along so they wouldn't be late for their MTV appearance. Kaylee was upset that she didn't have time to redo her makeup, but the guys all made sure she knew there was a makeup room there where she would be able to use whatever she wanted. Knowing that those stylists used expensive products, she was satisfied.
The guys sat around the green room, waiting to get their hair and makeup perfected. About fifteen minutes before they were scheduled to go on, the MTV VJ knocked on their door and stuck her head in.
"Hi guys, I hope you don't mind me intruding, I just wanted to introduce myself before we met out there. My name is Janis, and as you can probably tell, I'm new here, and I'm a big supporter of your band," she said, a little nervously.
Noah was the first to stand up and shake her hand. "Hey, I'm Noah." He held her hand for a few seconds longer than needed as their eyes met. Once her eyes shyly lowered to the ground, he dropped her hand.
Colton and Jayden were next, both very carefree and casual. Finally she made her way to where Kaylee and Ashton were. "I'm Ashton and this is my girlfriend Kaylee," he said, shaking the woman's hand. The woman was the exact opposite of the blonde from this morning; she smiled at Ashton and gave Kaylee a wink.
"Well, I better go and finish getting ready for the show. I can't wait to hear you guys perform your new single!" With a quick wave goodbye, and another wink at Noah, Janis left the room.
"What did you guys end up deciding your first single would be?" Kaylee asked.
"Hey man, Janis wants you!" Ashton teased Noah, hoping to swing the conversation away from their single they would be performing.
"What? No way. She was just being polite," Noah blushed.
"Oh my God! You want her!" Kaylee teased when she saw the look on her brother's face. "Dude, you have to go for it. She's awesome!" Her face wasn't able to hide the excitement that she felt at seeing her brother crushing on someone other than Brittany.
"Yeah man, ask her out!" Colton chimed in.
"Hold on guys, we know nothing about her," Noah tried to reason with them.
"Well, you never know until you try. Invite her to go out with us tonight, and we'll all go so that it won't look like a date thing. That way you can get to know her better," Kaylee told him.
Noah nodded his head as he thought about it. It did sound like a good idea. "Maybe."
Nothing more was said about it as the producer came and knocked on the door, telling Miles of Pleasure that they were on.
Ashton held onto Kaylee's hand, and talked to her about plans they could make for that night to get Noah and Janis together. Kaylee was so lost in the conversation that she hadn't realized that she was standing in front of the audience with the rest of the group and Janis.
Kaylee didn't know what to do. She couldn't just walk away since they were on camera, but she couldn't really stay there either, since they were on camera. This was the band's appearance, and she didn't want to seem like the fifth wheel by being there.
Knowing that Kaylee was struggling with whether she should stay or leave, Ashton tightened his grip on her hand and gave her a reassuring look.
Janis asked the guys all the questions on her card, trying to stay away from anything too personal. Most of the questions were about the band, how they met, how long they had been together, when they were going to tour again, softball questions that were more informative than salacious.
"Okay, when we come back, Miles of Pleasure will be performing their new single, soon to be released, here in the studio live. Be sure to stick around. But before that, check out this video from Coldplay." As soon as the camera went out, Janis wished them luck, and the guys went to the area of the studio where their instruments were set up. Ashton led Kaylee over there as she began to protest.
"Ashton, I know you want me here for moral support, but this is crazy. I'm not going to stand here the whole time you guys are playing. I'll just be over in that hallway, where David and Cody are," she told him.
"No, you'll be here with us, and you will stand here the whole time," he said, picking up a guitar and putting the strap over her shoulder. "Noah already tuned this for you. Here's your mic, you'll be leading on guitar and Noah will back you up."
Kaylee's mouth dropped open. For once she was at a complete loss for words. He kissed her softly. "Don't be nervous, you'll be great. Do it just how we recorded it," he told her, smiling at the look of utter confusion written on her face.
Noah laughed at her as he went over to check her guitar. "Get used to performing it, Sis. It's our new single, and you'll be on stage performing it with us at every show." He winked at her, but didn't get a response from Kaylee as the cameras cut back in, with Janis announcing them.
Jayden led a count with his drum sticks, letting them all know when to start. As if on automatic pilot, Kaylee came in right when she was supposed to. Ashton sang the first verse of the song, his gravelly voice setting Kaylee at ease. If she closed her eyes, it was just the two of them there. When he finished his last note, he gave Kaylee a small, almost imperceptible nod.
Kaylee started the second verse, her voice soft, feeling the nerves. But as the song called for, her voice got stronger and stronger as she went, giving off a husky, sexy sound.
Ashton and Kaylee sang the chorus together, the other guys blending in with background vocals when needed. The last verse was a mixture of Kaylee and Ashton, battling line for line in the song. As the last note ended, the studio erupted into a thunderous applause.
Noah looked over at his sister with pure admiration. She had been thrown into such a nerve-wracking situation without any warning or preparation, and she killed. He had never heard her perform this song live
, only the recorded version, but it was so much better in person. He immediately wanted to go over their song list to see which other songs they could add her to. She had blown him away.
Ashton walked over to Kaylee, seeing her freeze when the song ended and she realized they were still in a room full of people. He helped her remove her guitar, then picked her up in a big hug as the camera cut to commercial. Once he put her down, she saw the pride shining in his eyes, and it really hit her deep. From that moment on, she would never doubt Ashton or his feelings for her.
The rest of the guys took their turns hugging Kaylee and swinging her around the stage, before Janis called them over. As soon as they all got seated in the interview area again, the 'On Air' light went back on.
"So, Ashton, you wrote that song, correct?" she asked him.
"Yeah, I wrote it during our last tour. Someone I really cared about was hurting, and I felt helpless. I know I didn't always show it, but I've always held a special place for her in my heart, and I hope this song makes it clear," he said and looked over at Kaylee.
She was fighting to maintain control as tears welled up in her eyes. In her head, she went over every lyric, each heartfelt line, bringing the tears closer to spilling over. Everyone watched as she processed the words in her head.
"Well, I think it's pretty clear whom you wrote it for," Janis said, watching Kaylee suddenly embrace Ashton. He whispered something in her ear that no one could hear. The audience all let out a collective 'Ah' upon seeing this. Kaylee backed up and looked into his eyes as he wiped the few tears that had escaped from her face. He kissed her softly and quickly before whispering that he loved her.
Kaylee stayed in his embrace, not caring that they were still on national television. "Now, I'm guessing that this is the first time you've heard this?" Janis asked her.
Kaylee took a deep breath and swallowed what was left of the lump in her throat. "I had no idea. Hell, I didn't even know that it was going to be on their album, let alone be released as their first single. So many songs got cut and I figured this would be one of them. I was just filling in one day when my brother couldn't make it. I thought it would be the first one to end up in the trash can," she laughed. "And, I thought it was written by someone else and submitted to the record company like some of their other songs. I always knew that it was a powerful song, but never really put the words together. It's kind of unbelievable."
Miles of Pleasure Page 17
