The Duke's Teddy Bear Novels & Stories

ANYTA’S POV Teddy held the crayon like it was a sacred instrument, his little tongue poking out in concentration as he added one last crooked line to the paper. “There,” he announced proudly, lifting it toward the camera. “Look, Grandma.” Grandma Jo let out an exaggerated gasp on the screen. “Oh my goodness. Now who are those beautiful people, Teddy bear?” “That’s you,” Teddy replied solemnly, pointing at a shorter stick figure, holding what I assumed was a cane. “You’re the queen.”

Flinching and reaching out for my gun, I glanced at the person who had just entered. “Ducky!” He called out. It was Tedros. Thankfully, I haven’t pointed the gun at him. He looked excited as he made his way toward me. “I thought you might have fallen asleep.” He said this, his gaze falling on me. He pulled off his shoes and took off his jacket. I said no word to him and waited for him to set up his shoes and hang his coat. He hurried over to me like he was eager to tell me something. I could tell that something must have happened at work.

The second was a giant white rabbit with a blue ribbon that sat under Theo's other arm. Arte pointed out a hook-a-duck stall and bounced over without thinking, tapping Alec's card. There was no explanation needed for this one; Arte was good at things like this. She watched, waiting. Swiftly, she hooked a large blue duck and pulled it over to the bench. Four more goes left, and each time, she hooked a large duck. She bounced back over to Theo and Emma, holding two more giant teddies - A fluffy black bear and an orange fox.

At the sofa directly facing my desk, sat the Duke of Leviathan, holding a cup of tea as he laughed another round. He was so big and bulky that he was occupying the whole sofa itself. Adjacent to him was a solo sofa chair, there sat Drew who seemed to be sharing some things with the Duke and laughed equally. Once my step echoed through the room, only then did they stop laughing and looked at my direction. “Good morning, Duke Ruther of Leviathan. And to my cousin.” I greeted with formality and confidence as I bowed my head to the Duke of Leviathan. Aside from the fact that he was a lot older than me, his dukedom was also a lot older than mine so, respect is a must.

Silence hung heavy for a minute, giving me a chance to slip out of the closet. Maybe I could crawl under the bed. Or maybe not, ugh! Footsteps again. Stifling a groan, I scurried back into the cramped closet, leaving the door a sliver open for eavesdropping. This Trevor fellow, unlike the Duke with his dark, brooding presence, was all sunshine and golden curls. Built smaller than the Duke, he couldn't have been much older than me. Yet, here he was, wanting to share hushed tones with the enigmatic Duke. A spark of hope ignited within me. This conversation, shrouded in secrecy, could be the key to making Lawrence happy.

Nathan murmured into his glass. "The point is," Dante continued, glaring at Nathan, "this is your chance, gentlemen. The Duchess will be here, in my home, surrounded by all the wealth and power she is used to. One of you might get lucky." He paused, his gaze settling on Rick. "Even you, Cameron. Though you might want to scrub the motor oil from under your fingernails first." Rick's jaw tightened, but he said nothing, just raised his glass in mock salute. "I still can't believe you've never even met her," Gabriel said to Rick. "You lived in New York your whole life right before joining the Army."

“You aren’t breaking anyone’s heart. No one has to know that this whole thing is fake. Also, no matter what you say, they’ll assume that I get bored of you. If you want to go through with this revenge, you have to marry me. You have to be the one who tames the wild duke.” Katherine rolled her eyes. “You are not a duke yet. You’re an earl.” “True but I don’t think saying you’re the one who tames the wild ‘soon to be’ a duke sounds great.” She laughed. Damn it, even when he drove her crazy, he still managed to get her smile. “Well that isn’t just a step, that’s a leap right there,” he commented, one corner of his mouth rose and formed a charming, lopsided smile.

One month later. The Palace Garden. It was the "Moon Celebration" for Princess Aurora. Jackson Sterling was currently interrogating a Duke who had brought a gift. "Is this teddy bear made of organic cotton?" Jackson squinted at the toy. "Has it been tested for choking hazards? Did you wash your hands before wrapping it?" The Duke stuttered. "I... I bought it at Harrods, Your Highness." "Luke," Jackson signaled his assistant. "Send it to the lab for decontamination. Then give it to the dog to test for poison."

"No Sergeant I'm not, it belongs to a very good friend mine, and I borrowed it because I thought it would get me to my father's funeral on time." "Your father's funeral?" "Yes, he was the 10th Duke of Shettleham." "So you are…?" Eddie looked at the license again. "I am…" Jasper stopped and hitched a breath. He'd never actually voiced his new title to anyone yet, it just seemed to be an odd thing to say out loud, and it brought home the godawful fact that his father had indeed died and that his life was now full of enormous responsibilities.

"You may leave the fortune-hunters to me." Amelia nodded. It was one of the things she particularly appreciated about Felix—one never needed to spell things out. The fact that the Fleming girls were his wards would certainly see them safe from the attentions if the less desirable elements. The new Duke of Twyford was a joyed Corinthian and a crack shot. "Provided they're immediately presentable, I thought I might give a small party next week, to start the ball rolling. But if their wardrobes need attention, or they can't dance, we'll have to postpone it."