these people for breakfast if he wanted to.
She hoped he wanted to.
He must have noticed everyone’s attention—it was hard not to; this crowd was not subtle—because he laid his palm on her lower back. In any other circumstance, she would have shaken him off. He didn’t press or push, though, just stood serenely while everyone gaped at them. After a few beats of that, he said, “Shall we go to the bar?”
Dani caught the eye of Sinead, who she supposed was her best friend in the department. The only youngish woman professors without tenure, Sinead and Dani had leaned on each other a lot in the early years, forming a kind of battlefield bond that had never gone away even as they’d found their stride and gotten busy with research and relationships.
Sinead raised her eyebrows in a way that was meant to communicate Holy shit, girl.
Dani raised hers back and hitched her head slightly to send a return message: Meet us at the bar.
Max’s hand stayed resting lightly on Dani’s back as they made their way through the crowded room. She said a few hellos to colleagues as they passed, but she didn’t stop. Better to let them wonder.
“Hel-lo,” Sinead said as she sidled up to the bar. “Don’t you look smashing?”
“You, too.” She really did. In fact, she was wearing a blue suit, just like Max, except hers was tailored to hug her curves, and she wore an open-necked white silk shirt under it.
Dani kept introductions brief. “Max, Sinead. Sinead, Max.”
They ordered drinks, and as they waited for them, Sinead flicked Max’s blue, black, and red checked tie. “Burberry?”
Max raised an eyebrow. He probably wasn’t used to people touching his clothes. Or commenting on labels. Both were probably exceedingly low-classy. “Indeed.” He reached over and flicked the cross-body briefcase Sinead wore. “Vuitton?”
Dani rolled her eyes. These two dandies were perfect for each other.
“Knockoff,” Sinead said cheerfully. “I’ll be paying off my student loans until I die.”
“Ah, yes, the puzzling American tradition of bankrupting young people before they even begin their careers.”
“Hang on.” Sinead pointed at Max. “You’re the duke.”
“Baron, actually,” Max said.
Sinead had been leaning against the bar, but suddenly her posture changed. “Incoming.”
Dani looked over her shoulder, took stock, and whispered to Max. “The guy on his way over here is the chair of the department and also of my tenure committee. We care about his inner life. His inner life needs to grant me tenure.” Max made a vague noise of acknowledgment.
“And, bonus!” Sinead whispered. “He seems to have collected Vince and Berkeley, too.”
“Berkeley?” Max barked an incredulous laugh. “Is that Lolita the Helpmeet’s name?”
“It is indeed,” Dani said, choking back her own laugh—his mirth was contagious. “But ugh, all three of them at once? I’m not ready for this.”
“Sure you are,” Max said as the bartender set their drinks on the bar. He put a fifty-dollar bill in the tip jar and handed the women their drinks. Before picking up his own he rolled his shoulders back and straightened his spine like he was preparing for battle. “This”—he winked at Dani—“is going to be fun.”
About the Author
JENNY HOLIDAY is a USA Today bestselling and RITA-nominated author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the Washington Post, and National Public Radio. She grew up in Minnesota and started writing at age nine when her fourth-grade teacher gave her a notebook to fill with stories. When she’s not working on her next book, she likes to hang out with her family, watch other people sing karaoke, and throw theme parties. A member of the House of Slytherin, Jenny lives in London, Ontario, Canada.
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Also by Jenny Holiday
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Once Upon a Bride (novella)
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It Takes Two
Merrily Ever After (novella)
Three Little Words
Undue Influence
Famous
Infamous
Saving the CEO
Sleeping with Her Enemy
The Engagement Game
May the Best Man Win
The Fixer
The Gossip
The Pacifist
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
a princess for christmas. Copyright © 2020 by Jenny Holiday. Excerpt from duke, actually copyright © 2021 by Jenny Holiday. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover illustration by Gizem Kazancıgil
first edition
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Digital Edition OCTOBER 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-295203-5
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-295207-3
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