Bella pointed at Jay's closed door miserably, her shoulders slumping as if the disappointment had physically weighed her down.
"I don't know! We were talking normally, and Jay told me he knows my secret that I'm a hacker and suddenly he ran away like he saw a ghost. He never did that before." Her voice sounded helpless, the confusion wrapped around every word.
Jace blinked at her, quietly processing her panic. "Your secret…?"
As he stepped closer, his gaze slid gently over her face, taking in her flushed cheeks, the nervous bite of her lower lip… and then it landed on her neck. His breath caught. His eyes widened just a fraction. The corners of his lips twitched as if he were fighting an unstoppable urge.
And then it happened.
Jace burst into laughter, a full and uncontrollable laugh that made him bend slightly at the waist. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, shoulders trembling, the sound echoing through the hall with pure mischief.
