Page 93 of The Very Naughty List

As Addison leads Iris to where Michael is holding a spot for them along the parade route, Sebastian, Reid, and I follow Hailey toward the staging area for the parade. They have a sort of makeshift tent set up for people who will be riding on the floats.

“Wow,” Sebastian mutters as we near the tent. “That thing sure is a spectacle, isn’t it?”

I follow his gaze to see a float advertising the Montgomery family’s real estate business, which is bigger than all the other floats in the lineup. It’s also the very first one in the parade.

I snort under my breath, then tense up a little as Dylan steps around the side of the float, coming into view. He has Brielle onhis arm, and a few people who are probably employees of his family’s company trail behind them. He glances in our direction, his gaze landing straight on Hailey.

Without thinking, I reach out and put an arm around her, pulling her against my side possessively as I glare him down.

She’s mine, jackass.

For a brief second, Dylan’s face looks like he’s swallowed something sour, and a fierce satisfaction wells within me. Then we reach the tent, and Reid holds it open for us all to enter.

“Come on.” Hailey gives my hand a squeeze and then slips out of my grasp, walking quickly toward one corner of the tent. We’re the only ones in it, but I can tell other people have already been in here. There are little stations set up around the tent for each group that will be riding a float. “Our stuff is over here.”

She gestures to several costumes dangling from plastic hangers, and I freeze mid-step.

What the hell?

“Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves?” Sebastian flips through the hanging costumes, then gives Hailey a look. “Really?”

“We’re supposed to wear those?” I grunt.

She shrugs, putting on an innocent expression. “Yeah. Did I forget to mention we’d be dressing up? You didn’t think we’d just be wearing our street clothes, did you?”

I frown. “Honestly, I’m not surewhatI thought this whole thing entailed.”

“I should be Santa because I’m the sexiest.” Sebastian winks at Hailey, who laughs and rolls her eyes.

“Okay, first off, no you’re not.” Reid snorts, shoving Seb’s shoulder. “Second, this is a family parade, so I don’t think anyone’s really looking for a ‘sexy Santa.’ You wouldn’t be able to handle the role, so I’ll do it.”

“What? No fucking way!”

Sebastian sounds like he’s ready to go to war over the Santa suit, and I don’t really blame him. I’m not thrilled about trying to squeeze my thighs into those tights that the elves are supposed to wear—which is why I’m glad that I have the obvious advantage here.

“I’m the only one with a beard,” I throw in. “Santa has to have a beard.”

Sebastian throws up his arms. “There’s a beard with the costume, and your beard isn’t even white.”

I’m just about to argue that point when Hailey steps in.

“Actually,” she says with a grimace. “The beard part of the costume is missing.” Her smile breaks out like a ray of sunshine as she turns to me. “So Nick gets to be Santa.”

I nod in satisfaction, unable to contain my grin as I watch my brothers struggling into their elf costumes. This is gonna be fucking great. I might need to take a few pictures to hang on to for future blackmailing purposes.

But when Hailey steps out from behind the little partition that blocks off the changing area, I forget about elves and parades and practically everything else in existence.

She’s wearing a pair of black boots, white tights, and a red fur-trimmed dress with a black belt wrapped around the middle. There’s a Santa hat perched on her head, and although nothing about the costume is particularly scandalous—Reid is right, it’s a family event—the overall effect makes her look so damn good that my cock twitches at the sight.

“Damn, songbird,” I choke out, my voice hoarse.

“Is it okay?” She spins around, trying to get a better look at herself since there’s no mirror in here, and I catch her hand to stop her.

“It’s perfect,” I tell her simply.

A flush paints her cheeks, perfectly complementing the deep red of the dress, and I have to subtly adjust my pants as I slip behind the partition to change too.

Fortunately, the Santa costume fits my large size, and although there’s some bitching and moaning, it doesn’t take Reid and Sebastian long to get dressed after I emerge.

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