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 backinto 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.

13

Mallory

I’m breathless when wecome to a stop in the middle of Jace’s room, the door clicking shut behind me, and I take a moment to take it all in.

The room envelopes us in a cocoon of dim light and shadows. The air is thick with the scent of chlorine from our damp skin, mingled with the muskiness of Jace's cologne. As my eyes adjust to the low light, I drink in the details of his space—the guitar propped in the corner, sheet music scattered on the desk, a half-empty bottle of whiskey on the nightstand. It's intimate, being here, surrounded by the everyday fragments of Jace's life on tour.

My heart races, a mix of adrenaline from our near-discovery and anticipation of what’s coming. The thought of getting burned sends shivers down my spine.

Just imagining Brent’s reaction has me glancing over my shoulder at Jace with a frown. “Are you sure being in your room is a good idea?”

He shrugs. “They’ll only think I found some groupie lurking around the place.”

The idea of him touching another woman makes my blood boil, and I clench a fist at my side. “Right.”

Jace smirks and takes tentative steps toward me. “Sweetheart, are you jealous?”