Forbidden Billionaire Rockstar (Raising Havoc Bandmates #4)

24. Jace

24

Jace

In the growing quiet, I can hear my own heartbeat. Mallory’s unblinking gaze feels like a physical weight, and doubt begins to creep in. Did I misread everything? Was Julia wrong about Mallory’s feelings?

I run a hand through my hair, my heart racing. “I know it’s a lot,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper.

“But I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.”

Mallory’s still silent, so I continue on with my next words. “I’m sorry for ruining the career you worked so hard for. I never meant for anything like that to happen?”

The words taste bitter on my tongue. I’ve spent my whole life trying not to disappoint people, and here I am, potentially crushing Mallory’s dreams. The thought makes my stomach churn.

This time, she blinks and frowns at me. “Wait, what? You’re sorry?”

I nod. “I should’ve kept my distance, allowed you to further your career, and I know by not doing that I ended up ending it instead.”

“Uh… no.” She shakes her head. “This situation isn’t on you. I’m the one who couldn’t focus on the job, and that’s not on you. It doesn’t matter who was in my head, I should’ve had more restraint and learned to keep my private and work life separate from each other.”

“I wanted to talk to you,” I breathe. “You don’t understand how many times I’ve had to stop myself from doing so.”

“What if that’s not what I wanted?”

“Brent suggested that I give you space and said that it’s something you would want after what happened. I was just trying to respect your boundaries.”

Mallory scoffs. “Big bro, always thinking he knows what’s best for me.”

“How did he take everything?” Mallory asks, her eyes searching my face. “I didn’t get the chance to talk to him much before I got on the plane.”

I gesture to the fading bruise on my face, a wry smile tugging at my lips. “Let’s just say he has a mean right hook. But we talked it out. He understands now.”

“And what exactly does he understand?”

I take a deep breath, stepping closer. “That as long as you’ll have me, I’m not letting you go. You own every piece of my heart, Mallory.”

She blinks, emotion shining through, and sucks in a sharp breath. “What if you could find someone better? Someone who isn’t as messed up as I am?”

I cock my head to the side, frowning. “What makes you think you’re messed up at all?” When she doesn’t answer, I cup her cheek and give her a small smile. “Mallory Dominic, you are the most beautiful, talented, and amazing woman who I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. I love the way you look at the life surrounding you — with wonder and excitement.”

As I speak, I realize I’m not just describing Mallory - I’m describing the person I’ve become because of her. She’s awakened parts of me I didn’t know existed and brought color to a world I’d only ever seen in shades of gray.

Mallory stays silent, her baby blues boring into my gaze, and I take a deep breath. “I’ve always had a fear of disappointing someone else, but you’ve never made me feel that way.” When I’m with you, I feel alive and content. More content than I’ve ever felt before. Do you really think I could feel this deeply for you if I thought you were too messed up?”

She shakes her head, and I smirk. “There’s no one else for me, sweetheart, and that’s exactly how Brent and I came to an understanding. He knows I’m in love with you, and he’s fully on board with it.”

For the first time since she walked into the room to find me standing here, she throws me a bright smile and says, “I’m in love with you, too, and it scares the shit out of me. My brother is the one who falls in love and has his life on track, not me.”

“Is it so hard to believe that you could have yours on track as well?”

Mallory shrugs. “When I’ve spent most of my life not knowing what I wanted… yeah, it is.”

“Well, that’s what you have me for. I don’t care if you go through twenty jobs. I’ll always be your biggest fan and cheer you on from the side. You’ll figure it out eventually. Not everyone has to have their life figured out at the same time.”

“I can’t believe you did this,” she says softly, glancing around the space that’s lined with roses and scented candles.

“There’s one more thing.” I hold a hand out, more than ready to pull her into the extra room I had specially done for a night together. “Do you trust me?”

“More than I ever thought I would.”

I place my hand in her palm, my fingers clinging to hers like they were meant to be there, and I gently tug her down a small hallway with me. We come to a stop in front of the door and I take a deep breath to push the nerves back a little more.

The idea came from our first date together when we went for a stroll in the park, and I’m hoping she’ll appreciate the sentiment.

With a deep breath, I turn the knob and push the door open. I keep my eyes locked on Mallory’s face, watching as confusion gives way to wonder. Her eyes widen, lips parting in a silent gasp as she takes in the room.

The ceiling is a canvas of stars, twinkling softly in the dim light. The air is cool and crisp, reminiscent of a clear night sky. A faint scent of pine and night-blooming jasmine wafts through the room, transporting us to an outdoor haven. In the background, a gentle, ambient sound plays - the soft chirping of crickets and the distant hoot of an owl.

The illusion is so complete that, for a moment, I forget we're indoors.

“Jace,” she breathes, stepping further into the room. “This... it’s beautiful.”

There’s not much in terms of light, because I wanted the focus to be on the ceiling, but there’s enough that she can see her way through while keeping her attention trained on the stars I configured.

It’s not perfect, I know that, but just the smile that overtakes Mallory’s face as she looks around is enough to fill me with warmth.

“How did you do this?” She asks. “Why?”

“You mentioned the city lights ruining the stars, so I figured I would bring them to you. I had a little bit of help, so I can’t take all the credit for tonight.”

She snaps her attention to me and swipes at the tears falling down her cheek. “No one’s ever done anything like this for me before.”

I take tentative steps closer to her, only a few inches of space separating us, and I smile at her. “I’m glad I can give you something no one else has.”

“You’ve given me so much,” she whispers, then cuts the distance between us in one long step and reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck. “Now, I would like for you to kiss me.”

As we kiss, I'm hit with a mix of emotions. Relief washes over me - she feels the same way. I'm overjoyed, but there's a flicker of fear, too. Loving Mallory means I could get hurt, and that scares me. But as the kiss deepens, that fear fades. This feels right. Us, together - it's like I've finally found where I belong. I know this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

We’re here now. That’s all that matters.

Mallory deepens the kiss while I inch us closer to the bed I made for us on the floor. There's a tray with dinner sitting on it, along with an expensive bottle of wine, but I simply kick it to the side without a care in the world.

All I can think about right now is slowly stripping Mallory of these clothes and showing her exactly how much I love her. That's really all I've been able to think about, and the entire reason Brent finally conceded and let me plan this night — apparently, my thoughts of Mallory are a distraction for the band.

It seems like we have all found love in our lives, each differently from the other, and I can't even deny how happy I get thinking about spending the rest of my life with the woman in front of me.

She might not know it yet, but there's no doubt in my mind that I'm going to make her my wife.

We break away from the kiss for a moment when I slowly ease us onto the makeshift bed and crawl between her legs. She stares at me, heat shining in her gaze, and I hook my fingers beneath the waistband of her pants so I can tug them down her thick thighs. The lace thongs she’s got on mocks me, and I ease it to the side before swiping my tongue over her clit.

Mallory shivers and sucks in a breath, her hands coming down to my head where she can sink her fingers into the thick strands of my hair. She rocks her hips into my mouth, chasing the release she’s desperate to let out, and I happily allow her to do it. There’s nothing quite as sexy as watching the woman I love take her pleasure for herself.

Her breaths become more ragged, her fingers digging further into my scalp, and I take in the pain as she does. It only takes a few seconds of my tongue flicking vigorously over her clit before she’s crying into the night and shaking against my face.

As quickly as possible, I lift from the floor, shove my pants down, and slide a condom on before coming back between her legs. My length is hard as a rock, begging for the relief of her pussy wrapped around it, and I hover over her while teasing her entrance with the tip.

“I love you,” I whisper before pressing my lips against hers softly.

She blinks, then smiles and rolls her hips forward so that my dick gets pushed deeper into her. “I love you, too.”

In this moment of connection, I wonder what's going through Mallory's mind. Her eyes are a window to her soul, and as I gaze into them, I can almost hear her thoughts.

For so long, I've kept my heart guarded, afraid of the vulnerability that comes with truly loving someone. But with Jace, those walls crumble.

As I gaze into his eyes, I see a future I never dared to imagine for myself - one filled with love and support.

I want to stay right here in this moment, under this canopy of stars, with the man who's shown me what it means to be truly seen and loved.

My spine tingles, every single one of my senses heightened, and I know Mallory’s the only woman who could ever make me feel so much at once. I can see the flecks in her eyes, smell her arousal hanging heavily in the air, and the crackling of the fireplace that sits beautifully across from us.

It’s all firmly imprinted in my head.

I sink myself into her completely, taking my time as I stare into her eyes, and nothing but love reflects back at me. There’s no hint of hesitation, or signs of regret, and my heart fills with so much happiness I’m sure it’s going to explode.

“Jace,” Mallory says breathlessly. “As much as I love this, I’m going to need you to move.”

She moans loudly when I pull out, only to slam right back into her with my hands placed eagerly over her hips. Her shirt is covering her chest, but that doesn’t stop her breasts from bouncing at the impact, and that only has me thrusting harder into her.

It’s amazing how keenly aware I am of her emotions.

I can tell that she’s close because her breaths are becoming more ragged, her cheeks flushed from exertion, and her legs shaking profusely around my waist as she crosses them behind my back. Her pussy clenches around my length as her release pushes further and further over the edge.

“ Yes , Jace!” she cries out, her orgasm rocking through so hard that she trembles and jerks her hips against me.

It doesn’t take me long to follow right behind her, my movements stalling as I spill my own release into her. In that moment, our gaze connects us forever with overwhelming emotions.

“I couldn’t stand being away from you, sweetheart.”

She chuckles breathlessly, then cocks a brow. “You’re asking?”

We pull away from each other, me pulling myself out of her even though it’s the last thing I want to do, and I roll onto my side so that I’m still looking into her eyes. “What do you say, sweetheart? Think you can handle dating a rockstar?”

With a gentle motion, Mallory brushes away the damp waves from my face, exhaling deeply. “I can try.”

As our breathing steadies and the intensity of the moment fades, I'm struck by an idea. A way to prolong this perfect night, to keep Mallory close for just a little longer.

I place a kiss against her mouth, then stand abruptly and bend down to lift her up.

“What are you doing?” She squeals.

“Saving water? What does it look like?” I ask with a chuckle as I step into the brightly lit bathroom.

“I love you,” she says softly as I place flat on the floor.

As we stand under the hot spray, Mallory’s body pressed against mine, I can’t help but envision our future. I see lazy Sunday mornings and passionate nights, shared dreams, and conquered challenges. I see a life filled with love, laughter, and music. And at the center of it all, I see Mallory—my partner, my love, my home.

I pull her closer, our foreheads touching. This thing between us, Mal? It's special. And I'm ready to see it through, whatever comes our way.