Forbidden Billionaire Rockstar (Raising Havoc Bandmates #4)

12. Jace

12

Jace

The crowd’s cheers die down, but the adrenaline continues to surge in my veins. It’s not the performance high that’s got me wired, though. The empty space in the wings is a reminder of Mallory’s missing blue eyes. Her leaving early with Sweet Surrender left a void that I’m itching to fill. God, when did I become so dependent on her presence?

I've always prided myself on my independence, on keeping things casual. But with Mallory, everything's different. I don't do dependence. I don't do feelings. So why does the thought of Mallory with someone else make my chest tighten?

After the night I’ve had, all I can think about is convincing Mallory to meet me at the hotel and feel her legs wrap around my waist. I’m still struggling to convince myself that suggesting this was the right move, the best way to forget about her, but all I’ve done is become more fixated on her.

When we aren’t around each other, I need to be in her space and watch her facial expressions as she tries to work out Sweet Surrender’s next marketing plan. My favorite one is when she’s thinking long and hard about a possible step — her eyebrows crinkle, and then she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip.

She left the concert early with Sweet Surrender since they had that meet and greet tonight, so I didn’t get to see her when I walked off the stage. Seeing the empty space she normally occupies made my chest ache. It’s not a common feeling for me to have — I’m perfectly content with being on my own in this venture of my life — and yet Mallory brings them all out of me.

Each morning, I wake up next to her. It’s another day closer to me saying screw it and falling back asleep with my arm tucked around her waist. I’m trying to put that much-needed distance between us before things go in a direction they were never meant to — even though it feels like it’s already going there.

It’s only getting harder.

Each stolen moment, each secret touch is another brick in a wall I never meant to build. A wall between the man I was and the man I’m becoming. A man who might just be falling for Mallory Dominic.

Brent disappears into his room, eager to call Julia and make sure everything is alright with her, while Evan and Mia disappear into their own room hand in hand. Julia is only a few weeks ahead of Mia in her pregnancy, but Mia looks like she’s about to pop any day now — their daughter definitely has her dad’s genes.

As I watch them disappear into their rooms, a twinge of something catches me off guard. Brent and Evan have found their happily-ever-afters. They're building families and futures. And me? I'm sneaking around with Mallory, living for stolen moments and secret touches.

It's a stark reminder of how different our paths have become. We started this journey together, four guys with nothing but dreams and guitars. Now, I'm the odd man out, clinging to the rock star lifestyle while they embrace domesticity. It's not that I want what they have – or do I? The thought unsettles me more than I care to admit.

Donny nods to me right before he pushes through his door. I calmly step into mine and then make a beeline for my suitcase, resting in a corner of the room. I snag the towel I brought with me, knowing that I’d probably want to go for a swim at some point while we’re away and toss it over my shoulder.

The hallway is quiet, other than Brent’s voice echoing through his door as I walk past, and I let my shoulders slump forward in relief. I don’t know what I would’ve done if Brent walked out and decided to join me for the night — I’d have to come up with some sort of excuse as to why Mallory would be there as well.

Benji, the hotel manager, is standing tall and proud at the reception desk with a smile on his face as I stalk past the counter. He gives me a nod, letting me know the coast is clear outside, and I toss him a few bills as a tip for allowing me access to the pool when it should be closed to all the guests.

“Mr. Brooks,” Benji says, stopping me in my tracks. When I look over, he sighs and looks at the large opening where the pool is located. “I’m only able to give you an hour, then I have to ask you to evacuate the space so it can get cleaned before morning.”

“Sure thing, Benj.”

His smile brightens at the use of the nickname, and then he goes back to whatever work he was doing behind the counter. Judging by the dead quiet throughout the space, I’m willing to bet there’s not much for him to do at all.

My phone pings just as I step out onto the patio. I glance at it and find a message from Mallory waiting for me. She’s just letting me know that she has a few things to iron out for Sweet Surrender, and then she’ll be down to join me. Even knowing she’ll be here is enough to have my body vibrating with excitement.

Mallory is like a drug I never want to stop ingesting — and it’s dangerous.

I shake my head, then drop my towel onto a chair before heading toward the pool that’s glistening under the bright fluorescent lights lining the large space. There are a few hints that kids were here earlier until the last minute — a few balls are scattered along the pavement as if someone tossed them haphazardly in the direction of the bin where they got pulled from or pool noodles floating lazily through the water.

The water envelopes me in its comforting warmth, easing the ache of my tired muscles from the strain of our two-hour performance. I sigh as I submerge myself into the water, letting it fall just below my chin, and I drift back so I can keep an eye on the opening that leads into the main lobby.

A few moments later, Mallory is making her way along the marble flooring with a towel wrapped around her slight frame. With her eyes locked on mine, she takes her time, pulling the towel away from her and drops it onto the chair with mine. I wait anxiously as she takes a couple of steps closer to the pool’s edge.

She leans back on her hands, breasts on full display as they spill from her bikini top, and it takes everything inside of me not to swim over to her. I want to spend a few more moments taking her in — the way her hair falls in waves down her back or how the bright pink of the bikini brings out the creamy tone of her skin.

It’s not just her body that captivates me anymore. It’s the way her eyes light up when she talks about her work, the determined set of her jaw when she’s tackling a problem. When did I start noticing these things? When did Mallory become more than just a beautiful distraction?

Her legs are long, glistening with oil that I’m sure she must’ve put on right before she came down here, and my length hardens against my swim trunks. Mallory throws her head back, mouth tipping into a giant grin that takes my breath away, and I’m lost in the depth of her eyes as she brings her head back down to stare into my gaze.

I clear my throat and kick my legs, keeping myself in place as far away from her as I can get right now. “So, did everything turn out okay tonight?” I ask, trying to focus on something other than the way water droplets cling to her skin.

“It was more than okay,” Mallory says, her eyes lighting up. “The guys are already planning the next one. They’re thinking brunch, something more intimate.”

“Intimate, huh?” I can’t help the hint of jealousy that creeps into my voice. “Sounds nice.”

She catches my tone, her brow furrowing slightly. “Jace, you know it’s not like that. This is about the band, about their career.”

“I know, I know,” I blurt. “I’m glad it’s going well. You deserve the success.”

The words ‘you deserve better than our arrangement’ hang unspoken between us.

We stand there, staring at each other for a few moments, and I cock my head to the side. “You just gonna sit there,” I drawl, my voice low and husky, “or are you gonna dive in? The water’s fine, but I bet you’re finer.”

Her eyes darken, a smirk playing on her lips. “Who says I’m not already wet?”

The words hit me like a physical force. God, this woman will be the death of me.

“I’d have to see for myself. Can’t just go taking your word for it without proof.”

Immediately, Mallory spreads her thighs open more for me, and I hum in approval. Tearing the bikini bottoms from her frame isn’t necessary — even with the scent of chlorine filling the air, I can still breathe in her arousal, and my dick jumps at attention. I bring a hand up, toying with the strings she’s got tied at her waist, and a wicked grin takes over my features.

Mallory's eyes flash with a mixture of excitement and challenge. "You think you've got me all figured out, don't you, Brooks?" She leans in, her voice low and teasing. "But I've got a few surprises up my sleeve.

" Before I can react, she's sliding into the water with graceful ease, treading with a triumphant grin. "Sometimes, Jace, a girl likes to take control." The confidence in her voice, the playful defiance in her eyes – it's a side of Mallory I'm seeing more and more, and it's intoxicating.

“Always thinking the worst of me,” I say with a frown, although there’s still a hint of a smile on my face. “In this case, you would be right.”

Before she can object anymore, I wrap an arm around her and pull her under the water. Benji, who was too busy looking at his phone the whole time, darts his gaze up at me and flashes a brief smile before going back to the device. I kick my feet, attempting to get away from Mallory, but her fingers wrap around my ankle, and she tugs me under the water with her.

We both come up for air, and she swats at my chest with a frown at my chest. “Asshole,” she grumbles. “I just washed my hair.”

“Looks like you have a reason to wash it again with me in attendance this time.”

It takes a few moments, but eventually, she loosens her shoulders, and a chuckle escapes her throat before she splashes water in my face. “You’re lucky you’re cute, you know?”

I pop my mouth open and place a hand over my heart. “ Cute? ”

Mallory smirks. “Like a puppy.”

“Is that what you think of me when I’m buried deep inside of you, sweetheart?”

Her breath hitches, and she watches as I ease my frame through the water until I’m directly in front of her. I reach forward and tug her against me, and it becomes easier to breathe when she wraps her legs around my waist. Being this close to her always lightens a heaviness in my chest, and, as usual, I ignore the feeling for the night.

I’ll worry about it another day when Mallory doesn’t look like she’s just as ready for me as I am for her. My comment has her eyes flaring with want and need, her gaze darting to my lips like she’s desperate to take a bite out of them, and I lean forward enough to let her know it’s what I want.

She meets me halfway, lips grazing mine at first, but I reach back and place my hand at the back of her neck to tug her harder against me so I can take exactly what I want.

I want the air she breathes to be the breath I let go of. Our bodies only getting oxygen through each other.

The kiss consumes us, reality blurring at the edges. There’s only this - the sharp tang of chlorine on her lips, the warm press of her skin against mine, the soft sighs that escape her as I deepen the kiss. I’d willingly drown in this moment, consequences be damned.

A throat clears and we pull away from each other, breathless, to find Benji standing at the edge of the pool with his hands crossed in front of him. “Mr. Brooks, I only authorized you to be in the pool at this time.”

“My bad, Benji,” I say with a soft chuckle.

With Mallory still wrapped around me, I ease us toward the ladder and carefully climb back onto the patio. Mallory’s feet hit the pavement, then she scurries over to her towel and wraps it around herself with flushed cheeks. When Benji disappears back into the lobby, I saunter over to Mallory and come to a stop at her back.

“That could’ve been bad,” she whispers.

I graze my knuckles over her bare stomach, then tease the waistband of her bottoms with my fingers and lean forward so that my lips brush against the curve of her neck. “It wasn’t, though, sweetheart.”

She sighs and sags into my frame, ass pressed against me.

“I’m thinking we should take this inside now, or else Benji in there is going to get a really nice view of how desperate I am for you.”

Her body shivers, and then she lets out a soft chuckle. “Wouldn’t want that.”

As soon as I gather our things and tuck them under my arm, I pull her toward the elevators and press the number for my floor. Her floor would be best, but mine is closer, and I can’t wait another second to tear this bikini from her glistening body. I’m completely obsessed with her, and I don’t care who sees us rush from the elevator to my room.

That’s a lie since Brent would have a heart attack at the sight of us together.

As I lead Mallory to my room, a nagging thought tugs at the back of my mind. This isn’t just about sex anymore. Hasn’t been for a while. I’m crossing lines I never meant to cross, blurring boundaries that should’ve stayed sharp.

But with Mallory’s hand in mine, her eyes bright with anticipation, I can’t bring myself to care. I’m in too deep, drowning in her, and I don’t want to be saved.