Chapter 12
12
MALACHI
Grabbing a bottle of water, I downed the entire thing in one huge gulp. We’d been rehearsing for over two hours, and while we knew our setlist forward and backward, it was still tiring. Hell, preparing to go on tour was exhausting, but it was what we’d always wanted.
As I wiped the sweat from my brow, I saw someone watching us from the back of the warehouse. My heart skipped a beat, knowing exactly who it was.
Jasper .
He looked almost the same, maybe a bit more refined or taller. His dirty blond hair was short and spiked slightly in the front, and unlike when he was in high school, he sported a hint of stubble on his face that only added to how hot he was. Fuck. Seeing him brought a flood of memories—late nights sneaking around, secret kisses, and how it all ended abruptly so I could live my dream.
“Jasper!” Jesse called as soon as he saw him. “You made it.”
Jasper walked closer, and Jesse hopped off the stage to hug his brother. I felt the urge to do the same, but didn’t. How weird would that be? Would it be weird? It wasn’t as though we’d been in contact the last three and a half years, but I suddenly wanted to feel him in my arms again. Elliott and Silas jumped down too, and greeted Jasper with bro hugs. Maybe it wouldn’t be weird to hug him, but before I could think more about it, Jesse noticed me staring and waved me over.
I forced a smile as I joined them. “Hey, Jasper.”
“Malachi,” he replied with a nod, and then we each took a hesitant step forward and hugged. “Good to see you.”
“Yeah, you too.” I stepped back as though that simple contact would trigger alarm bells, and everyone would know our long-held secret. To avoid any questions, I turned to Savannah, who was standing nearby. “Savannah, this is Jasper, Jesse’s brother.”
She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Jasper. I’ve heard great things about your food.”
“Thanks.” He grinned, shaking her hand. “I’m looking forward to cooking for all of you.”
“We’ve got about another hour of rehearsal, and then maybe all of us can go grab a drink?” Jesse suggested, then playfully punched Jasper on the shoulder. “Celebrate you finally being a part of Surrender.”
“Sounds good to me.” Jasper flicked his gaze to me briefly. “Maybe before we go, I can get everyone’s food preferences so I can start planning some menus.”
“Yeah, we can do that. Just hang out for a bit. There are snacks and drinks over there.” Jesse pointed in the direction of the table with various platters from Costco since the caterer fell through and we were waiting for Jasper to arrive.
“All right.” Jasper nodded.
Everyone left, and I stood awkwardly until Jasper said, “Guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
“Yeah, looks like it.” I was unsure of what else to say.
Just like old times. No, I can’t say that.
Before the silence could last long, Savannah yelled from the stage, “Malachi, we’re ready for our duet!”
I gave Jasper another small, tight smile. “Duty calls. It was good to see you.”
“You too.”
I turned and jogged back to the stage.
“Ready?” Savannah asked as she stood at her mic.
“Always.” I took my place beside her.
The music started, and we began to sing. As our voices intertwined, I couldn’t help but feel the chemistry between us that had ignited when we’d first recorded “Whispers in the Night.” Her hand brushed against mine, and she winked. I leaned in, playing up the song as though we were lovers and our voices rose and fell together in perfect harmony.
Between verses, I caught Jasper watching us, but I didn’t let it distract me. Instead, I focused on Savannah and pretended every word was about her when, really, it was about the man who was now only a few feet away and not several thousands of miles like he used to be.
“My thoughts of you begin to race
Especially when I see your face in every embrace
Every heartbeat, every tear, I keep holding on, wishing you were near
Longing for the moment when you’ll be here”
As the last notes were sung, Savannah laughed softly, leaning closer. “I still can’t get over how amazing you are,” she whispered, her breath tickling my ear. “And I’m not just talking about singing.”
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I replied, our eyes locking for a moment longer than necessary.
“Maybe after drinks with the band, we can pick up from our night together?”
Immediately, I looked around, and my gaze collided with Jasper’s. It wasn’t as though we were anything to each other anymore, but flirting with her and having her ask to hook up while he was nearby felt weird. Felt wrong. However, I still said, “Maybe.”
Rina ordered two vehicles to take us to get drinks after we finished with rehearsal. The SUV rolled to a stop in front of The Velvet Veil, a nightclub in West Hollywood. I could already see the flashing lights from the paparazzi, their cameras ready to capture every move we made. I took a deep breath to brace myself for the chaos. No matter how much I loved the rock star life, being followed by paps and having almost every move I made documented fucking sucked.
After opening the door of the Suburban, I stepped out and extended a hand to Savannah. The crowd of photographers surged forward, shouting our names and snapping photos. Her hand slipped into mine, and her golden hair caught the camera flashes as she emerged from the SUV. For a brief second, our fingers laced together. I glanced over at the other vehicle just as Jasper stepped out with Jesse and Silas. Jasper’s eyes locked onto our joined hands, and I dropped Savannah’s hand as if it were on fire. The cameras continued to click, questions being thrown out about the album and upcoming tour, but we ignored them.
“Ready to have some fun?” Savannah asked, looping her arm through mine as Elliott closed the door behind us.
“Absolutely,” I replied. I was ready to have a few drinks in hopes that would somehow make me more comfortable with Jasper around. It was weird, not only because we had our secret from the past, but I also felt as though I was cheating on him in a way. Maybe that was because seeing him again made me feel as though I still had feelings for him. Did I?
Our group walked inside, while the paparazzi faded behind us. The club was dimly lit, with music blaring and people dancing. Some turned and looked at us as Jesse led our group to the VIP section, where a reserved table awaited with a bottle of vodka in an ice bucket.
Jesse poured us all shots and then raised his glass and said, “To having Jasper with us on tour.”
“To Jasper,” we echoed, our glasses clinking together. I downed the shot and my eyes involuntarily drifted to Jasper. He was looking at me too, and we exchanged small smiles. What was he thinking? Did he find it weird that we were acting like there had been nothing between us before? It wasn’t as though we were about to tell everyone, but the entire thing was awkward. Would this be how the entire tour would go?
“Thanks for having me,” Jasper said sincerely, his gaze fixed on me. “I’m excited to be with you guys again.”
Savannah leaned into me, her hand brushing against my arm. “So, what’s the plan for tonight?” she asked, her voice low and flirtatious.
“Celebrating Jasper, right?” I replied, forcing a smile.
“Yeah, but after we leave?” She winked.
“We’ll just have to see.”
A cocktail waitress came over and we each ordered drinks or what we wanted to mix the vodka with. The alcohol flowed as the night wore on, except I stuck to only two, because even though it was assumed I lived the rock star lifestyle, I was still well aware about my family’s history with addiction, mainly my grandfather.
At one point, Jesse left to call Olivia. Elliott was on the dance floor with Savannah, and Silas was in the bathroom, where he frequently ran off to any time we went out. It was just me and Jasper alone.
“It’s been a while,” Jasper said quietly, his eyes searching mine.
“Yeah, it has,” I agreed. “How’ve you been?”
“Busy. I’ve been working as a private chef and my clients keep me on my toes. But it’s good. I’ve missed this, though. Being around you guys.”
“We’ve missed you too,” I said softly, wanting to elaborate and tell him I missed him the most. I caught a glimpse of the crescent moon tattoo on his wrist and smiled as I realized he hadn’t covered it up.
“Look—” Jasper started, but Savannah returned.
She slid into her seat beside me and rested her hand on my leg. “I’m ready to get out of here if you are.”
“I’m going to go get another drink,” Jasper muttered as he slipped out of the booth.
“Wait.” I reached for him.
“It’s cool. We’ll catch up another time.”
“Sorry, did I interrupt something?” Savannah asked as Jasper walked away.
I swallowed. “Just trying to catch up.”
“Well, I meant what I said. I’m ready to get out of here.”
No matter how much I wanted to get off, Savannah wasn’t the one I wanted to be with.
“Not tonight. I’m tired.”
She blinked. “Tired?”
“You’ve only been here today to rehearse our duet. We’ve been putting in long hours to get ready for the tour.”
She leaned in closer and said into my ear, “I’m really fucking horny, Malachi. Let’s get off together and then you can crash.”
I was about to tell her no again, but Elliott joined us. “There you are, Savvy. You ditched me.”
I blinked as he called her by a nickname, not realizing they were so close but that gave me an idea. “She’s ready to go. Can you ride with her to make sure she gets home safely?”
Elliott blinked. “You’re sure?”
I gave him a look that I hoped he took to mean I didn’t care if they hooked up. “If she wants. I’m going to head home myself.”
“Alone?” he asked.
“Yeah, alone?” Savannah questioned.
“Sorry, Savvy. I’m beat.”
She slid out of the seat and grabbed Elliott’s hand. “Your loss, Malachi.”
My eyes moved to where Jasper was leaning on the bar, his back to us. “El will take good care of you.”
The following day, I woke to my cell ringing far too early. I grabbed it and squinted as the bright glow hurt my eyes and saw that it was Rina calling me.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Tell me you’ve seen it.”
“Seen what?”
“The picture of you and Savannah Sky holding hands last night.”
“No.” I rolled onto my back. “I was sleeping.”
Once Savannah and Elliott had left, Silas returned from the bathroom, and then Jesse came back to say Olivia was waiting for him. It was the same song and dance. Jasper left too since was staying with Jesse until we went on tour, so we all parted ways.
When I’d gotten back to my condo, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jasper. I lay in my bed, and the memories returned. They quickly drifted to our times together in his bed when I would sneak in through his window, and before I knew it, I was jerking off as I remembered how good his hand felt around my dick, how he knew how hard to fist me and how fast to pump my stiff cock.
Once I was spent, I cleaned up and crashed. I had no clue about pictures of me and Savannah, though I didn’t care. I was used to the media speculating if I had something more than casual going on with anyone I was seen with.
“Well, it’s all over Star Nation , and there’s speculation that maybe you’re dating.”
I rolled my eyes. “Okay?”
“And Stellar Records wants you to go with it.”
I sat up. “Go with what?”
“Pretend you’re dating while on tour.”