Duke, Actually

by Jenny Holiday

“Good morning, my love.”

I greet my dog the same way

Honestly, he’s my excuse. The truth is, I’m committed to staying home in my pajamas and watching cheesy Christmas movies.”

My dog is also my excuse not to go out and socalise

But it was only a formless blob in her mind. It would probably go nowhere.

Story of my life

He did enjoy female company, and he didn’t see the need to apologize for that. Women were fantastic.

You're not wrong there

She was speechless.

The gal was too stunned to speak

As unlikely as it was, Max von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon, had become one of her closest friends.

Cuteeee

God, he just liked her so much.

“Oh my god,” Max said after his first bite of McMuffin. “Where has this been all my life?”

Lol

Dani and I are talking about your seminal article on Ulysses. Did you know she assigned it in class this term?” Dani huffed a defeated-sounding sigh. “Hmm, I wonder if I assigned a reading on James Joyce in my women writers course or my American lit course?”

Hehe

She’d have thought they’d run out of things to say last night, given that they’d now spent almost forty-eight continuous hours together, but they hadn’t. In fact, they’d fallen asleep talking in the dark, like teenagers at a slumber party.

Honestly finding this romance to be super super cuteee

Yeah, asshole, I got the girl and the dog.

Hehe

He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. “A handkerchief! How old-world of you.” She blew her nose. “In the movies, you always see the guy giving the girl the hankie, but you never see what happens to it after it’s all snotty.” “What happens is the girl keeps it.”

Haha

The kitchen and sitting rooms were empty, but she found the Maxes in bed together.

Hehe

it seems odd that I don’t know how you take your coffee.” “I take it black.” “Like your heart.” “Exactly.

If the past week, with all its talking and cavorting, felt like a movie montage, he knew what kind of movie it was. A romance. Or, worse, one of those dreadful Hallmark movies Americans seemed to love where they just made up a fake European country so they could have a fairy tale free from the inconvenient constraints of reality.

This book is self aware lol

If Dani gave him her heart, he wouldn’t break it. He would actively do everything in his power to not break it. No matter what it cost him. If he could have that vision, her in a white dress, her eyes finding him automatically in a room full of people, he would do anything.

“You looked at me first.” “What?” What was he— Oh. Oh. She gasped as goosebumps rose on her skin. He remembered. She was frozen in place, shivering with his hand on her bare shoulder, his skin on her skin. She was his prey, and she could no sooner move than if he’d literally caught her in a trap. “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

Ooooo

“Hi,” she whispered, startling the hell out of him. “Hi,” he rasped back. She smiled, and he thought his heart might break in two. But in a good way. For once. And then, finally, finally, after all these hours, after all these months, they kissed each other.

Cuteeeee

“I’m in love with Daniela Martinez,” he blurted, “and I don’t know what to do about it.”

is that fear worth more to you than what’s potentially on the other side of it?”

Sometimes, when your life was falling apart, you needed a Christmas movie.

Exactly

He slapped a ripped piece of paper against the glass. It looked like part of a printed boarding pass that had been ripped off. He’d written in the margin, in his heavy, angular handwriting. I’m sorry. Before she could react, he replaced it with another scrap of boarding pass. I love you.

Awww so much cuter than Love, Actually

When the customs agent asked her the purpose of her visit she said, “I’m visiting . . . my boyfriend.” Then she laughed.

Cute as heck

She had learned from Max that sometimes you had to let yourself feel what you felt, even if what you felt went against all reason. Sometimes you had to let yourself change course. Sometimes you had to let yourself love people, even if they had the power to hurt you.

“Dani,” Max said, his voice all scratchy, “I love you. I love your dog. Will you finally marry me?” She smiled down at Max, her Max, her blue-eyed, dukeish casual best friend, protector, and lover, and said, “Yes.”

Amazing