## Hazel's POV
"Wait," Sebastian's voice stopped me just as I was about to end our call.
"Yes?" My fingers tightened around the phone.
"Hazel." His tone dropped lower, intimate in a way that made my skin tingle. "When you talk about other men with such admiration, it makes me jealous."
My breath caught. "Sebastian, I—"
"I don't like it," he continued, cutting through my protest with gentle firmness. "I've made my intentions clear. I was first to stake my claim."
Heat rushed to my face. "Your claim?"
"Yes." No hesitation, no apology in his voice. "I made my feelings known first. It's only fair you give me priority."
"That's not how—"
"That's exactly how it works." His words were velvet-wrapped steel. "You owe me that much consideration, at least."
Before I could respond, he added, "I'm not a patient man, Hazel. Not when it comes to you. Remember that."