Page 50 of The Naughty Or Nice Clause

“You’re making me dizzy with the pacing,” she joked, trying to ease the tension.

He sighed, dropping his head. She guessed it was what was within the envelopes that frustrated him so much.

“What do you want there to be in the letters?” she asked quietly. When he didn’t reply, she moved around him so she could see his face.

“An apology… forgiveness,” he said, staring down at her, before pulling her in close. Her cheek rested against his chest, and she let him continue without interruption. “I left because he forced me out,” he admitted.

She pulled back in shock. “He forced you to go?” She couldn’t believe it – his family were so loving, so kind. She couldn’t imagine such a scene. Then again, Ian had mentioned that Mr Klaus had never minced his words.

“You asked me why I left. Growing up, all Dad cared for was the season, for the village, for making sure everything was perfect. Which is noble – he loved everything and everyone like they were his own – but the only way to get his attention was tobeperfect. I did everything he asked of me, but when I finished school, I wanted to travel, to study away from home. In my naivety, I thought my father would be proud of me for wanting to make a name for myself.”

“But he wanted you to stay?” she pressed, afraid he would close down again.

“I never planned on staying away, but the night I graduated, I told him I wouldn’t marry Natalie as he wanted or go to work in the workshop full-time. I wanted to travel for a few years, and then I planned to come back and take up my share of the family responsibilities. He told me I had two choices: leave and never come back, or stay and take over.”

“And you left.”

“He didn’t give me a choice. I knew that if I left, he would despise me. But if I had stayed and got married, I would have resented him. The marriage was just another way of ensuring I stayed here.” He paused, starting to pace. “For years, he ignored me. Mum emailed when she could. Lou wrote from time to time– but from him, not a word in ten years. I couldn’t even go to Lou’s wedding because I knew we would fight. I didn’t get to see Kevin grow up. The night of the party, I thought, finally, he’s reaching out. He’s getting older; he’ll need me to return.”

Lyla saw the tears in his eyes. After hearing all the kind words from the villagers, she could hardly believe his father would give him such an ultimatum. But she also knew that when a person died, their faults were forgotten, their sins forgiven, and all that remained was their good deeds.

She tried to close the distance between them, but he turned his back on her, picked up an armful of letters, and made to toss them into the fire. Luckily, she was faster than him. She lunged, placing her hands over his, ready to face his wrath rather than let him have another regret.

“Let go,” he snapped. “This is none of your business.”

She held firm. “You made it my business the minute you brought me here. I understand that he gave you an impossible choice, and for years you wondered what he was thinking, what he would say if he spoke to you. These will give you answers, even if his words are angry or pleading. You’ll know what he was thinking, what he wanted to say, and you can’t lose that,” she insisted.

Mason’s jaw tightened, but she didn’t give in. She waited. At last his resolve wavered, easing his grasp on the letters, letting her take them. Lyla put them back in the desk drawer, hoping that if they were out of sight, they might be out of mind.

“Please let me be. Go back to bed. I want to be alone,” he said, wiping tears away with his palms, but she refused to leave him. He sat on the floor, defeated by his grief.

“The last thing you need to be is alone,” she told him. “You’ve spent too long alone.” She knelt beside him on the rug before the fire. It had taken him days to break down, and it was only through his anger that the grief had found a way to surface.

She leaned in close, and he studied her, seeming unsure of what she was about to do. Lyla, determined to comfort him, kissed one cheek right where a tear had fallen, and then the other. She heard Mason’s sigh of relief as he pulled her against him so that she had to wrap her legs around his waist.

“Bet you never thought you’d see this day, me breaking down in front of you,” he mumbled, and she lifted his chin, forcing him to look at her. There was barely an inch separating them, and she listened to his breathing for a moment, felt the rising and falling of his chest level out.

“You lost someone you loved. You had no chance to say goodbye, and you only just learned he was trying to reconnect with you. Even if he wasn’t successful, he wanted to. If you weren’t breaking down, then I wouldn’t be with you right now.” She put her hand over his heart. “This is the Mason I want to know – to be close to. There’s no shame in tears,” she said.

His smile surprised her.

“It’s only you I would allow get so close,” he admitted, daring to kiss her ever so gently.

A test, and as soon as his lips brushed hers, she passed with flying colours, returning his kiss. This time there was no urgency, only longing. Emotions were high, and she didn’t want to push him.

His tongue slipped between her lips, and she could taste the brandy on his tongue, spicy and sweet. Lyla’s fingernails dug into his shoulders as she gripped him tightly, wanting,needingmore of him as his lips trailed from her mouth to her neck. He nipped at her sensitive skin until she was grinding against him, desperate to satisfy the ache between her legs.

“You’re so responsive,” he murmured against her neck, trying to hold her hips still, but his hands slipped under her shirt, causing her to shudder. “You have no idea how much I want you, to worship your body until you don’t remember anything but my name.”

The only things separating them were her underwear and his jeans. Frustrated, Lyla reached down to feel him, and he groaned against her neck. She felt almost blinded by lust, and the heat of the fire was stifling. It was all too much, and she suddenly remembered why they were in the room in the first place. When she tensed he stopped his caresses, as if he’d had the same thought.

“Wait,” she breathed, and he loosened his grip on her. When their eyes met, she saw the raw emotion in his eyes. “As much as I want you, we can’t – not tonight,” she told him, even if the persistent ache between her legs begged her to continue. She silenced her desire and eased back, giving them both some breathing room.

“We should stop,” he agreed breathlessly. “I don’t want you to think I’m only doing this because I’m—” He struggled to find the words.

Upset, grieving, angry, if not somewhat lost.With his hands cupping her face, Lyla rested her forehead against his.

“Probably for the best,” she admitted, but she wasn’t going to let him spend the night alone in his grief. Since he wasn’t releasing his hold on her, she figured he didn’t want to be alone either. She got up.

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