Page 23 of The Naughty Or Nice Clause

She was soon sweaty in her many layers and tired, but she found everything she needed for daily use: jeans, knitted jumpers, thermal tops and a pair of much-needed boots. She’d also managed to get the right products for her hair, and a diffuser. She also treated herself to some nice underwear, since her outerwear was more functional than fashionable. Inthatshop, she forced Mason to wait outside. The shop assistant put it on Mrs Klaus’ account; Lyla would pay it back once they were home.

“How about some food? We’ve been at this for hours,” she groaned in the dress shop, glancing at the clock. They had already been here for an hour and hadn’t found anything for the gala.

“This is the last stop, and then you can eat as much as you like,” Mason said, which was all the encouragement she needed to try on yet another dress – an orange tulle dress with a full skirt suggested by the assistant.

“Are you almost ready?” Mason called from outside the dressing room.

Lyla wished Mrs Klaus had taken her; Mason had zero patience. She couldn’t believe she was actually dress shopping with him. She gauged her appearance in the mirror, looking and feeling like a cheap tangerine Cinderella.

“I think this is the worst yet,” she chuckled, opening the curtain, and Mason stifled a laugh by rubbing his jaw. The assistant beside him looked deeply offended and left with a quick tut.

“I’ve seen you wear worse,” Mason said once he was gone.

“Whenhave you seen me wear worse? I could stop traffic!” Lyla fluffed up the skirt. He laughed, and for a moment she thought maybe they could be friends.

She stopped messing around when a woman approached, afraid that the shop owner was coming to kick them out for insulting her dresses. She was about to apologise when the woman, who had gorgeous blonde waves, sneered at her and turned to Mason.

“Mace? I would recognise that laugh anywhere!” The woman beamed, sauntering over to him.

Lyla felt like a gooseberry standing in the changing room as the woman kissed his cheek. The sensation the sight caused disturbed her more than the bright yellow dress the woman – roughly the same age as Mason – was wearing.

“Natalie. I didn’t think we’d run into you here,” Mason said, looking a little troubled. Lyla relaxed slightly at being included, but Natalie ignored her.

“You should come to the pub tonight; we’re all back for the season. We’ve missed you over the years! It’s a pity your father couldn’t see us reunited,” Natalie said, and Lyla knew that what the woman truly meant was thatshemissed him.

“I don’t think tonight is a good idea. We have a lot to do – we’ve only just arrived.” Mason was being polite, but Lyla could see the discomfort in his eyes. It was the same look he gave her when he wanted a client meeting to end sooner rather than later.

“Is this your friend? There has been talk of a new outsider in the village,” Natalie said, looking Lyla up and down as if she was an animal in the zoo. The upturned corner of her mouth reeked of disgust. Before Lyla could stop herself, she was wrapping herself under Mason’s arm and placing a possessive hand on his abdomen.

“Hi, I’m Lyla,” she said, offering Natalie her hand. “His fiancée.”

“Lyla, this is Natalie,” Mason said, when the woman only stared at the ring on Lyla’s extended hand.

“What a beautiful ring. His f-fiancée?” Natalie stuttered, her cheeks brightening to a red that threatened to overtake the red wallpaper of the shop. “I hadn’t heard. I should congratulate you both.” But she didn’t – she merely offered Mason a pinched smile and left.

Mason cleared his throat, and Lyla poked him.

“I never thought jealousy would look so good on you,” he mused.

She rolled her eyes at him in the mirror. “Jealous? She was looking at me like I was the ugly duckling while you were the swan.” Mortified by being seen in such a dress, she tried to reach the zip on the back. “Who was she?” she added, dying to know what he was hiding.

“Ex-girlfriend. She fancied herself the next Mrs Klaus. Then I left, but she and my father never let go of the idea.” Mason offered the information like it was nothing, but from the look in Natalie’s eyes, she thought Lyla was treading on her territory.

“I thought Mrs Klauseswere outsiders?” she said, stepping back inside the changing room and trying the zip again. It seemed to be stuck.

“You’ve been talking with my mother. Not always, but most.” Klaus stepped up behind her and brushed her hand away. “Need some help?”

He didn’t wait for a response before his fingertips gripped the zip and traced it down her spine until he reached the edge of her underwear. Lyla’s skin prickled, and her breath caught. Her eyes found his in the mirror, and she saw something in them – something she hadn’t seen before. Before she could ponder what she felt between them, she closed the curtain on him, afraid she might not like the answer. Her hands on her hips, she thought of his hands on her and shook away the thought of them dipping lower.

“Do you need my help again?” Mason said mockingly from the other side of the curtain.

“Give me a minute,” she called, pulling on the last dress of the pile: a rich, red satin gown. The way the satin flowed over her curves was enough to make her want to wear it every day. Luckily, there was some boning and cups in the bust so a bra wouldn’t ruin the low back.

“Dying of old age,” Mason called. When Lyla opened the curtain, he was sitting with his elbows on his knees, staring at the wooden floorboards.

“How about this one?” she asked, drawing his eyes to her.

When she saw him swallow, she knew it was a winner. His mouth fell open while his eyes traced every inch of her body, lingering on her exposed shoulders until they finally settled on her face.

---