Page 104 of The Tower

“Always a pleasure,” Leo replied with mock formality. “Do try to remember you’re supposed to be the good brother, Liam. Treat our guest with care.”

Liam almost rolled his eyes. His little brother had always been too observant for his own good—or for anyone else’s.

As they slipped away from the party and into the waiting car, Liam watched as Grimm Tower receded behind them, its spires reaching toward the night sky like accusing fingers. “Where to now?” Sasha asked.

“Somewhere they won’t think to look,” he replied, squeezing her hand. “Somewhere safe.”

She nodded, and he was struck by the trust implicit in that simple gesture—a trust he was increasingly unsure he deserved. The plan remained the same: use Sasha to destroy Victor Reed, protect her until the court hearing, and then release her from their bargain.

Simple. Straightforward. Strategic.

But as they drove through the night, Liam found himself wondering if anything between them would ever be that simple again.

Thirty-Three

Celestial

The limousine glides to a stop in front of The Celestial, an ultra-modern luxury hotel that seems to shimmer like a giant diamond in the ambient city light. It’s the kind of place that doesn’t bother listing prices on its website because if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.

“This is where we’re staying?”

“Just for the night,” Grimm says, as if we’re pulling up to a roadside motel rather than one of the most exclusive addresses in Manhattan.

“Welcome back, Mr. Grimm,” the doorman says. “Have a good evening.”

The lobby is an extravagant fever dream of marble and gold, with soaring ceilings and an enormous crystal chandelier, at least five times the size of the one Father had installed in our dining room. I grew up with wealth and luxury, but other than the times I was dressed up and paraded around like a prized pony, I had very little actual interaction with the trappings of wealth.

This place is so opulent I feel as though I should whisper.

At the reception desk, the manager comes out to greet us. “Mr. Grimm, everything is prepared as requested.”

Liam nods. “Thank you, Richard. Any messages?”

“None, sir. Enjoy your stay, Mr. Grimm. Ms. Reed,” he adds with a nod to me.

“As requested?” I ask as Grimm guides me toward a private elevator, his hand firm and commanding at my lower back. Once inside, he inserts a key card, and we begin ascending, presumably to the penthouse.

“Just a few things I asked Richard to put in place. Like exclusive use of this elevator, and registration under fake names.” He gives a little shrug. “Probably overkill, but with the hearing tomorrow and Desmond’s appearance at the party tonight” … He meets my eyes. “I just want to keep you safe.”

Such simple words, and yet they steal my breath, making me feel warm and special and safe. It’s a stark contrast to his earlier edict – You don’t get it until you beg. Harsh words, designed to entice and tease and arouse.

And it had worked. Even thinking of that edict now makes me wet. The memory of how he’d looked when he’d laid down that rule. The heat that had been in his eyes. The need that had rippled through me, searing me from the inside. Filling my head. Teasing my tongue.

“Everything, Princess, remember? Because you’re mine.” He brushes the pad of his thumb over my lower lip in a way that sends currents of electricity straight between my thighs. Then he meets my eyes. “I always take care of what’s mine.”

“Oh.” It’s the only word I seem to be able to form. The air in this tiny box feels like the moment before a thunderstorm breaks, wild and electric and just a little bit dangerous. Once again, that edict whispers through my mind, as if urging me to drop to my knees right here, right now.

You don’t get it until you beg me.

I’ve spent every minute fighting it—this maddening need that grows stronger with each lingering touch, each heated glance, each moment when he comes close enough that I can feel his breath on my skin but never close enough to satisfy.

It’s pride that’s kept me from surrendering that last bit of control. But something shifted for me tonight. I wasn’t a weak little girl being protected from the crowds and the press. I was Liam’s date, his equal. More than that, he gave me the room to be me, something I’ve never experienced except in stolen moments with Ruby, hidden away in one of our rooms.

But never in public. Never where it mattered.

For years, my father told the world that I was weak. Tonight, Grimm showed me that I can be strong.

“Sasha?”