Forbidden Billionaire Rockstar (Raising Havoc Bandmates #4)

17. Mallory

17

Mallory

Jace’s thoughtfulness transforms the bathroom into a sanctuary of care, with each detail serving as a testament to it. My heart stutters, tears threatening to spill. This isn’t just a bath - it’s a window into a world where I matter to someone in a way I never expected. The realization hits me like a tidal wave.

He did this… but why?

As if reading my mind, a throat clears, and Jace says, “I know you were stressed over work, so I thought I’d do something to help you relax.”

I slowly walk over to the tub, turn the water off, and stand there silently, staring at the bubbles starting to overflow onto the floor. All I can hear is the rainfall, and when I take a deep breath, lavender swirls heavily in the air, but I’m still hyper-aware of Jace being behind me. I’m afraid if I turn around to look at him, he’ll see the emotion all over my face, and I will no longer be able to hide these growing feelings I seem to be getting for him.

It’s not what we agreed to.

Our arrangement was supposed to be simple and uncomplicated. But this? This feels like the beginning of something I’m not sure I’m ready for. Something that could shatter the carefully constructed walls around my heart.

“This is nice,” I whisper, glancing at him over my shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Is it too hot? I can—”

“No,” I say, interrupting him. “It’s perfect.”

Too perfect.

Reluctantly, I turn to face him and try to keep my features as neutral as possible.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like.” He waves a hand toward the bathroom sink, where a plethora of face masks are resting. “Thought you could look everything over and pick what’s best.”

“You didn’t have to do this.”

All the emotions running through me are threatening to escape, and I’m worried if he spends another second in here with me that, they’ll explode.

He shrugs, rocks back and forth in front of me, and clears his throat. “It isn’t a big deal, just something to clear your head.”

“Right.”

A few seconds roll by without either of us saying a word, then he runs a hand through his tousled locks and looks at the opened door. “I’ll, uh, let you relax.”

Before I can say anything, not that I wanted to stop him since I can’t keep control of myself when he’s near me, he disappears through the open door and leaves me standing alone in the bathroom.

I walk over to the sink, glancing at the different options for a face mask, and pluck one from the pile that looks more promising than the others. When I was in my party-girl phase, face masks were a necessity each night to make sure my skin glowed the following morning — no man wants to hook up with a woman who looks like she doesn’t take care of herself. Since changing my ways, I haven’t relied as heavily on them, and it’s nice to do so tonight.

How did he know I needed this?

With that question running through my mind and the mask in my hand, I slowly make my way back over to the tub and come to a stop in front of it. I slowly strip from my clothes, which currently feel like they are suffocating me, then open the face mask and apply it as directed onto my face before easing myself into the hot water.

As I sink into the lavender-scented water, I’m torn between gratitude and panic.

The warm water embraces me, but it does little to soothe the turmoil in my mind. On one hand, Jace's gesture touches a part of me I've kept locked away for so long. It's a glimpse of what it feels like to be truly cared for, to be seen. But on the other hand, it's a dangerous temptation.

Jace’s gesture is everything I didn’t know I needed, but it’s also a stark reminder of how close I am to losing myself in him. My career, my independence - they’re all at risk. Yet a part of me wonders if they’re worth the price of pushing him away.

I lean back, letting the warm water lap at my skin. The lavender scent is rich and soothing, mingling with the subtle notes of vanilla from the candles. The soft patter of artificial rain from the sound machine creates a cocoon of tranquility, broken only by the occasional clink of ice settling in the wine bucket. The plush towel beneath my head is impossibly soft, a stark contrast to the smooth, cool porcelain of the tub. In the flickering candlelight, shadows dance across the walls, creating an almost ethereal atmosphere.

It's a sensory symphony, every detail carefully orchestrated. By Jace. For me.

But, my mind doesn’t stay calm for long. I keep replaying the conversation between me and the band had with Hilary about the work I’ve been doing, or lack thereof. One more mistake, and I’ll be gone.

Part of the reason I missed the interview, even though I had everyone prepared for it, is because I was too busy with Jace the night before. We stayed up too late, causing me to sleep through my alarms, and now my career is in jeopardy.

Julia told me, after I explained what Hilary said, that she believes I can do this — how, though, when I can barely believe in myself? I tried so hard to change my life, become the woman the surrounding people would expect me to be, and I’m screwing it up when I’ve barely gotten started.

This is a chance to prove something to myself.

Tears sting the back of my eyelids, and I shake my head, willing the emotions to go away because this is supposed to be a time for me to relax. Jace did this so I wouldn’t stress, yet all I can do is lean my head back and look up at the ceiling.

I have one hand resting at the edge of the tub, my fingers tapping against the side of it as I continue going over everything I need to have done for the duration of the tour, and I jump when a shadow falls over me.

“ Shit ,” I mutter, my heart falling to the pit of my stomach.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Jace whispers. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

When my heartbeat slowly normalizes, I glance at him and arch a brow. “What are you doing here?”

He smirks. “I can hear you thinking all the way out there.”

My cheeks heat and I look away, thankful that the bubbles are covering my frame, because I’m not sure what I would do if I saw the usual heat in Jace’s eyes right now. “Guess I can’t help it.”

“Which is why you’ve got me.”

I watch curiously as he steps further into the room, closes the bathroom door behind him, and brings a small bench over to the side of the tub. He doesn’t give me a chance to object, just simply sinks onto the bench and leans forward with a small smile.

“Tell me about your future,” Jace says softly. “Where do you see it going?”

The question catches me off guard. My future has always been a hazy concept, overshadowed by the ghosts of my past. But as I look into Jace’s eyes, I find myself wanting to share.

“I guess I’d like to be a full-time marketing manager and grow my own company,” I start, surprised by the conviction in my voice. “Make a larger name for myself.”

“Is that what you’ve always wanted?”

I laugh. The sound is surprisingly light. “Lord, no. I was lost for a long time, constantly jumping from job to job. Marketing... it gave me a purpose, you know?"

Jace nods, his eyes soft. "I get that. Music did the same for me. It was like finding a piece of myself I didn't know was missing."

"Exactly," I say, feeling a spark of connection. "But sometimes I wonder if I'm good enough, if I can really make it in this industry."

"Hey," Jace says, his hand hovering near the water as if he wants to reach out. "You're amazing at what you do. I've seen it. Don't let one setback make you doubt yourself."

His words warm me more than the bath water. "Thanks, Jace. That... means a lot."

"So, tell me more about this company you want to start," he prompts, leaning in with genuine interest.

As we talk, I realize I'm not just telling Jace about my dreams—I'm rediscovering parts of myself I'd forgotten. With each word, each shared smile, I feel the walls I've built around my heart start to crumble.

“And how did you come across marketing?”

“Brent.” I shake my head and chuckle. “I helped amp up his socials and individual accounts, and I liked the results I got from it.”

“Did you go to school for it?”

I shrug. “Took a certificate class, but nothing major.”

“That’s awesome,” he says, a smile on his face. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be in a band.”

His eyes sparkle as he goes on and on about growing up, how his parents tried getting him into sports, but he wasn’t athletic in the slightest and uncoordinated.

As soon as he got his first guitar during Christmas when he was about eight years old, he knew that’s what he wanted to do when he grew up. Even though his parents tried, his love for the instrument never wavered, and that’s how he ended up performing gigs with different bands throughout his adult life.

Right before Raising Havoc took him under their wing.

While he continues talking about his past, I realize that since he sat down in front of me, I haven’t stressed once about the outcome of my current job. It feels good not to worry, to feel free and alive.

Listening to Jace share his journey, I’m struck by how different our paths have been. Yet here we are, intersecting in this moment. For the first time, I see Jace not just as a rockstar or a temporary fling but as a person with dreams and struggles of his own. It’s a realization that both warms and unnerves me.

I shift in the tub, and water spills over the edge slightly, catching Jace’s attention. He rises from his place on the bench, then walks over to a cabinet across the room and pulls out a towel before coming back over to me with it held out.

When I don’t move, he rolls his eyes. “Come on, sweetheart, I’ve already seen every inch of you.”

He’s not wrong, but it’s always been with the intention of bringing me pleasure. I haven’t stood in front of him, naked, without an end goal in sight. After the night I’ve had, climbing into bed with him doesn’t seem like the right choice tonight.

Jace taps his foot impatiently, an amused expression on his face, and I sigh heavily. “Fine, but no funny business.”

Immediately, as the suds trail down my frame, Jace’s eyes take in every inch of me from head to toe, and I shiver under the heated gaze. He’s not even touching me, yet every spot his attention falls, it feels as though his fingers are grazing my skin. It’s unnerving yet exciting at the same time.

My pussy reacts, clenching with need, but I shake the feeling away.

No funny business.

As soon as both my feet are planted flat on the floor, he steps forward and encircles me with the fluffy towel, then he leads me into the bedroom with an arm snaked around my waist. I hate the way my heart flutters when it shouldn’t, but that seems to be happening a lot lately. Which is why I should keep my distance, especially with my job hanging in the balance.

Jace clears his throat, then takes a step away from me before disappearing back into the bathroom and coming out with something slung over his arm. He places it onto the bed in front of me, then stands off to the side with his eyes still trailing over my frame.

I shouldn’t be so aware of him.

“This was nice,” I say, repeating my earlier statement. “But I should head back to my room.”

A hint of sadness swirls through his gaze, but it’s gone almost as quickly as it appeared, and he nods. “Right.”

We stand there in silence, only the sounds of our breathing and the echo of rainfall drifting in the air between us, and I slowly drop the towel before walking back into the bathroom for my clothes. As much as I hate putting the same clothes back on, it’s the only option I have if I want to head back to my own room.

Jace’s stare is still burning a hole into my back, but I do my best not to steal a peek at him as I continue tugging the clothes over my frame. When I’m fully dressed, I finally spin around and come face to face with him.

“Thank you again,” I whisper, then look toward the bathroom. “It was sweet of you to do this for me.”

“No problem, sweetheart.”

Before I make the mistake of staying in this room with him, I clear my throat, nod, and hurry toward the exit as quickly as my feet will allow me. Thankfully, I don’t hear his heavy footsteps following me, so it’s a little easier to breathe when I step out into the hallway — although my mind is running rampant now that I’m alone.

First, I’ve got to get a handle on these emotions I shouldn’t be feeling toward Jace.

Distance.

Keeping my distance from him is for the best, I tell myself. But as I walk back to my room, every step feels like I’m moving against a current, pulling me back to Jace.

I pause at my door, my hand on the knob. Tonight was supposed to help me relax, to clear my head. Instead, it’s left me more conflicted than ever. Because now I know what it feels like to be truly cared for by Jace Brooks.

It feels like heaven.

This realization doesn't terrify me - it leaves me breathless, teetering on the edge of a decision that could reshape my entire world. The exhilaration of possibility wars with the gut-wrenching fear of loss, leaving me dizzy with uncertainty.

As I push away from the door on shaky legs, one thing becomes crystal clear. Whatever I decide, there's no going back. The safe, uncomplicated arrangement Jace and I started with has evolved into something far more potent, far more dangerous.

And I'm not sure I have the strength - or the desire - to stop it.