Page 15 of The Naughty Or Nice Clause

He rounded the bed and stood over her. “You went up to my bedroom?”

“You are in no position to be annoyed at me!” She rose on her tiptoes, not allowing herself to be intimidated.

“You invaded my privacy.”

“You could cost me my memories,” she retorted, and his expression softened.

“Only your recent ones.” Klaus took her hand, forcing her palm open, and placed in it a simple gold band set with three small diamonds. “Wear this, and no one will doubt us.”

She looked down at it. “Where did you get this? When?”

“My drawer. It’s been in the family for years.”

The thought of wearing a family heirloom made her stomach knot.

“Stop panicking. Act how you usually do with me, and they’ll swallow it hook, line and sinker.”

She stared at him in confusion. “With utter disdain?”

“Precisely. I spend half my time arguing with them. If I didn’t with you, they would know something was wrong,” he said, taking the joggers and jumper from the bed. “Now, please change. Your pyjamas are… rather revealing.” He raised an eyebrow, admiring her bare legs. She clutched the clothes to her body. The idea of him admiring any part of her made her want to curl up and die of embarrassment.

“I’m leaving in the morning.” Lyla shoved past him and slammed the bathroom door, hoping everyone in the house would hear.

“Lyla,” he called from the other side. She pressed her back against the door. “I know this is all a shock to you. I didn’t plan to bring you here; I shouldn’t have.” There was a long pause. “Are you listening to me?” he asked softly.

“Yes.” She pressed herself closer to the door, wondering if this was the best way for them to have an open and honest conversation. Usually looking at him infuriated her, and today hadn’t won him any points. “I’m listening.”

“All you have to do is follow my lead, and I’ll tell you as much as you need to know to keep you and our secret safe. I’d never let anyone hurt you, regardless of what you think of me.”

She processed that. “You won’t let them wipe my memory?”

“No, it’s an old rule. I doubt they would even enforce it.”

“Promise me.”

“I promise,” he said, and for some reason, she trusted him. He was a man of his word, and though he had concealed his family and his home, he had never actually lied to her. “Will you stay?”

Her gut told her it was a terrible decision. “…Okay.”

“I didn’t catch that?” he pressed, and she couldn’t help the irritation brewing inside her.

“I said okay! But if there’s even a hint of danger, I’m leaving,” she called out, trying to figure out the many knobs inside the shower.

“Good. Breakfast is at seven am, just in case you forgot.”

Was that a jab at my tardiness?Not wanting to get her curls wet, she tied them on top of her head and turned on the shower head.

“Keep the door locked when I’m not here. No one will disturb you. Don’t be late,” he called through the door, confirming her thought. If the hot water hadn’t been bliss on her chilled skin, she’d have thrown open the door and throttled him with the tie on her dressing gown.

“I won’t!” she snapped.

She waited, but she didn’t hear anything else.

“Fine,” she muttered to herself, washing herself with soap that smelt like peppermint. “If he wants a fiancée, then that’s exactly what I’ll give him. A perfect, doting fiancée.” Looking at the ring on her finger, she grinned. “It’ll drive him crazy.”

Chapter Seven

WHEN LYLA WOKE, she had no idea where she was, and even when she remembered, her body didn’t know if it was night or day. She never did well with time-zone changes, and she wasn’t sure what the time difference between Yule and her home was. Thinking about it made her head hurt, but the clock on the stand beside her read 6:45am, so she’d got a few hours of sleep. The thought of getting more was silenced by her grumbling stomach.

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