Naomi's brain short-circuited.
"You're my girl now."
He said it so casually. Like he was commenting on the weather or confirming a lunch order. Like those four words hadn't just detonated something inside her chest.
"Y-you can't just say that!"
The words came out before she could stop them. Too loud, too high-pitched. A bird startled from a nearby bush and flew off in protest.
Jace looked at her. Calm. Those amber eyes steady in that round face, not a trace of embarrassment anywhere on him.
"I said it," he replied simply.
"You—" She pressed both hands against her cheeks. They were burning. "You can't just say something like that and then stand there looking normal!"
"Would you prefer I say it while looking abnormal?"
"I would prefer you explain what it means!"
He tilted his head, watching her the way someone watches a cat discover its reflection. Curious. A little entertained. "It means what it means, Naomi."
That was not helpful. That was the opposite of helpful.
