Page 57 of The Naughty Or Nice Clause

With their coats on, they stepped out of the noise and into the quiet, starry night. They walked through the quiet town, shrouded in fairy lights.

“Now that you’ve decided to take your father’s seat, have you figured out what you want for the rest of your life?” Lyla asked, influenced heavily by the wine, holding onto his arm.

He stopped to look in a shop window, where a photo of his father was displayed to honour his memory. Lyla couldn’t help but notice that the strength exuding from the picture was the same she felt when Mason entered a room. Add some grey to Mason’s hair, and a short beard, and she could have been staring at a picture of him.

“Yes,” he said, looking at her reflection in the window.

She didn’t know what to say.I have to go home, and he’s taken his place amongst his family.She tried to walk on, to silence her thoughts, but her heel caught on a cobblestone, twisting her ankle.

“Damn it,” she cried out as the pain shot up her leg. Thankfully it dissipated quickly, but Mason scooped her up into his arms. Face to face, her arms around his neck, she couldn’t help but wonder how she had never noticed how utterly exquisite he was. Dark eyes, a small scar on the bridge of his nose, full lips–How could I have not seen you for months?She inched closer to those lips, eager to taste them, when he cleared his throat.Does he not want to kiss me? Was last night a mistake?

Before she could send herself further into a spiral, she realised a family was passing them.

“Merry Christmas, Mr Klaus,” the family chorused, and Lyla wanted to bury herself in his jacket.

“Have a good evening,” Mason called after them, before whispering into her ear, “I didn’t realise you were so desperate to kiss me that you would do it in front of children.”

She slapped his chest, almost knocking herself from his arms, and then suddenly felt like they had come full circle.This is how we arrived in the village – and now we’re so close to leaving.

Leaving…She stared up at him as he pulled her closer. Will I be leaving alone?

Mason’s kiss made her wish she never had to.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“LET’S GET THESE off you before you break your neck,” Mason said with a devilish smile and the door to the spare room locked.

Lyla sat on the bed, watching him undo the clasps on her heels. One of his hands took off a shoe while the other travelled higher up her leg, pushing up her dress to expose her legs.

“I need a better view to see what I’m doing,” he said seriously, stopping to kiss a freckle on her knee.

“I think you know exactly what you’re doing,” she said, looking down at him as he kissed the other knee, then went to work on the other heel, removing it with ease. She tried to focus on the flames dancing in the fireplace – on anything but the sensation of his hands on her bare skin, so good she was sure it would overwhelm her. “And you never need to stop,” she added, leaning forward, revealing her cleavage.

His head snapped up from the shoe. Lyla was very aware that he could see her nipples through the thin satin material.

“You might regret saying that.” Mason pushed her legs apart so that he could kneel between them.

“Why?” she asked.

His hands slid higher up her thighs until he gripped her underwear, and her breath grew tight as he stopped there, twisting the lace tight in his fists. She gripped the back of his neck and brought his lips to hers. A crushing kiss that threatened to bruise her, but she loved every second. She gasped and shuddered when his hand brushed over her satin-covered breast.

“Because I won’t ever tire of your body, and I’m afraid we might die in this bed with your legs wrapped around me,” he told her.

He pulled her hips sharply against his, and she could feel how much he wanted her. Her desire flared, threatening to burn her alive. She had no awareness of anything except his lips on hers, his hands beneath her dress, gripping her hips almost painfully.

“With my name on your lips,” he added in her ear, and her core clenched.

“Then I’ll die satisfied,” she replied, moving her hips against his, and a groan escaped him.

His lips hungrily devouring hers, he teasingly undid the thin straps on the back of her dress. “I only bought you this dress so I could take it off.”

Her nipples hardened as he caressed one breast and then the other, pinching and pulling until she bit his lip in protest. He hissed and pulled back, licking the blood on his lip, though the desire only burned hotter in his eyes.

“Sorry,” she sighed, only to realise she was mostly exposed while he was still fully dressed. She undid the buttons on his shirt, exposing his strong chest and broad shoulders she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into. He laughed at her searching eyes.

“Something you’re looking for?” he asked, as breathless as she was.

“You’re still wearing far too many clothes.”

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