Page 7 of Forbidden Billionaire Rockstar

The sun beats downon the sleek black hood of my car as I pull up to Brent's house. The air is thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and blooming jasmine. I can hear the faint thrum of traffic from the highway in the distance, a constant reminder of the bustling city beyond this quiet neighborhood.

Mallory's face flashes through my mind. It's been months since that night, but I still can't shake the memory of her touch, her smile, the way she—

No. Stop it, Jace.

I kill the engine, forcing thoughts of Mallory away. She’s off-limits. Brent’s sister.

My best friend’s sister.

Carmen is walking out of the front door as I step out of the car. She gives me a small smile, a clipboard tucked under one arm. Typical Carmen.

The woman has been a machine since she started working for the band, doing her best to make things right after the incident with Mack and Evan. I still can’t believe Evan has agreed to start up a new tour, but I can respect his boundaries now that he and Mia are growing their family. He wants to make sure he can be there for them.

“Jace, glad I ran into you,” Carmen says breathlessly, then pulls out a sheet of paper and hands it out to me. “There’s been a new person added to the roster for the upcoming tour. Sweet Surrender hired a different marketing manager.”

“You look stressed. Have you bothered taking a day to clear your head? You’ve been handling things every day. Surely you can spare a few hours,” I say, cocking my head to the side.

“No time,” she mutters, then points at the paper in my hand. “You and the guys have a last-minute interview tomorrow afternoon with Sweet Surrender. You’ll be talking about the upcoming tour and what it means for everyone. I’ve got to prepare for that.”

I chuckle. “Carmen, we’ve been doing this for a little while now. I think we can manage to do something on our own if it means you get the rest you need. You can’t be at your best if you never sleep.”

Carmen blows out a rough breath and glances back at Brent’s house, frowning. “I really shouldn’t take a break. It’s the last thing you guys need me to do right now with the tour coming up quickly.”

“No, it’s the perfect thing for you to do, and I’m sure everyone else would agree with me.”

As if reading my thoughts, Brent comes sauntering out of his house with his hands stuffed in the pocket of his sweatpants. He looks at Carmen with a frown. “Everything okay?”

“Just trying to convince Carmen here that she should take a break, catch a breath after dealing with so much.”

Brent nods. “He’s not wrong, but I’m assuming that’s why it looks like you’re in a heated discussion.”

Carmen sighs heavily and shakes her head. “I don’t need a break. Everything is going great, perfect even, and I’m not about to screw that up now.”

“More of a reason to need a break,” I mumble.

“As much as I love this,” Carmen says, gesturing between Brent and me while smiling brightly. “I’ve got an interview to prepare for now.”

Before we can object, she scurries along the paved driveway and slides into her car before pulling away. She throws a quick waveour way, then disappears at the bottom of the hill with me and Brent staring at the car.

“So, new hire and an interview,” I say, trying to keep my voice casual. “Any idea who the new marketing manager is?”

Brent shrugs. “Some professional type, I guess. Why are you interested?” He grins, clearly joking.

“Just curious. Seems like this is going to be fun.”

Brent scoffs. “Yeah, I thought we’d be done with the interviews until the tour started up.” He shrugs, not bothered by the sudden change. “Sweet Surrender is going through a lot right now. This is their damage control.”

Brent claps me on the shoulder. His touch is friendly but firm. "You ready to hit the weights, brother?"

I nod, forcing a smile. "Always."

As we walk to his home gym, I can't help but notice the family photos lining the hallway. There's one of Brent and Mallory as kids, her gap-toothed grin making my heart skip a beat. Brent catches me looking and chuckles.

"Man, Mal was such a pain back then. Always tagging along, trying to hang with the big kids."

I laugh. The sound is a bit hollow to my own ears. "Yeah, I remember. She's grown up a lot since then."

Brent gives me a curious look, his brow furrowing slightly. "She has. Sometimes I forget she's not that little girl anymore." He pauses, then adds, "You two seem to get along well these days."

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