Page 6 of The Tower

“He keeps glancing this way,” I murmur.

Ruby cocks her head, indicating the other side of the roof. “So does Liam Grimm.”

I risk another look at Grimm, now standing mere inches from the barrier. For one horrible moment, I imagine the barrier breaking and him falling, falling, falling into the void.

I gasp, surprised when I realize Ruby’s holding my arm. I can see from her face that I’d fallen into the fear again and almost let it drown me.

But what baffles me is that it was the vision of Grimm tumbling over that had pushed me deep inside myself. After all, it’s not as if I care if he lives or dies.

Frowning, I turn just enough to see him, still casually flirting with that terrifying void. He’s chatting with the art director, but his head turns toward me as if he’s caught my scent. I meet his eyes, then stumble, shocked by the zing of electricity that seems to sizzle across my skin.

The man’s an arrogant asshole, but there’s something about him. Something both compelling and terrifying about this man who flirts with the edge. Who can look into the abyss and not fall.

Or maybe he’s already fallen. The man truly is a devil, after all.

“You okay?”

I turn to find Ruby studying me. We’ve arrived at the makeup tent, and as I sit in the chair, Ruby puts her hand on my shoulder. “What is it?”

“Just tired,” I lie. “I’ll be fine.”

She doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t press. Soon enough, the makeup artist drapes me, and I’m grateful to have something else to think about. She adds more glitter to my cheeks, and I can’t help but swallow a sardonic smile. I’m twenty-six years old, shooting an ad for cosmetics aimed at adults, and I’m being dressed like a third grader’s fantasy of a fairy princess. It’s one of those moments where you either laugh or cry.

Or throw yourself off a roof.

“Places in five,” Adam’s assistant announces, and the moment I’m released from the makeup chair, I head toward the refreshment table. I want one of the bagels slathered in cream cheese, but until we wrap, I’m allowed nothing but water or apple juice. Can’t risk staining my teeth, spilling on my dress, or—god forbid—bloating.

I’m sipping juice through a straw when I feel a tingle up my spine. The kind of sensation that warns you of danger. That survivors will say protected them from the car that jumped the curb or kept them from getting on the plane at the last minute.

When I look up, I see the danger staring back at me, predatory and calculating. Liam Grimm. Something dark and magnetic pulls me toward him, and I’m by his side before I can stop myself.

“Mr. Grimm,” I say, my voice as sharp as steel. “It’s been three years. Have you finally come up with some new insults to toss at me?”

His mouth curves into something predatory. “Ms. Reed. Still playing dress-up for the man who owns you?”

I stiffen, hating that his words mirror how I’ve been feeling all day. Victor Reed’s pretty little dress-up doll.

“I see your daddy’s still sending you off to sniff out the competition. I guess that makes you little more than an errand boy.” I flash my most charming smile. “Not surprising. Lucent’s a diamond. And Daddy wouldn’t want to give too much responsibility to someone who’s nothing more than ordinary quartz.”

It’s a low blow, but he deserves it. After he cut me off at the ankles three years ago, I made a point of learning more about Liam Grimm. Including that he’s the product of an affair, that his birth mother is dead, and that except for Leo, his brothers and stepmom haven’t exactly welcomed him into their loving embrace.

I watch his face as I speak, but I see nothing. No twitch in his cheek. No darkening of his eyes. No narrowing of his gaze. As far as I can tell, my words haven’t fazed him at all.

Well, damn.

“You’re hardly one to speak of quartz, Ms. Reed. Especially since we both know your campaign is a far cry from a jewel.” His eyes move slowly over me, and for a moment, I’m lost, trapped in the power of that dark, commanding gaze.

Trapped, yes. But at the same time, I have no desire to break free. Not yet.

And that is what makes Liam Grimm truly terrifying.

I draw a breath and lift my chin. “Like what you see?”

The corner of his mouth quirks up, revealing a dimple that softens the hard planes of his face. My body relaxes, unwittingly sliding into complacency by the hint of compassion I think I see in his eyes.

He glances down, then lifts his gaze slowly, his eyes moving over me like a caress, the sensation so oddly intimate that I can barely breathe. When he meets my eyes, I see a hint of warmth there. But that heat turns frigid as he holds my gaze, the frost cold enough to make me shiver.

Then he takes a single step backward and, with a slow movement of his hand, indicates the hideous ball gown. “You’re wearing the proof of your father’s debasement. That man will steal and destroy anything.” His eyes once again sweep over the gown. “Even my family’s legacy.”