Today we have the cover reveal for Napa Crush by Kate Kisset! I am so excited to share this new release with you—check it out and preorder your copy now!
Title: Napa Crush
Author: Kate Kisset
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Day: July 20th
About Napa Crush:
That moment your first crush walks back into your life… and you’re kissing his brother.
Napa Valley feature writer Danica Vargas’ serene, wine country life turns upside down when she lands in the hospital and meets the sexy baseball star who accidentally put her there. Unfortunately, she has no idea who he is. Unexpectedly, she’s caught between two of Napa’s Valley’s notorious Santino brothers, mistaking one man’s flirtation, for love, and another’s undying affection, for friendship. In school, Luca Santino’s best friend’s older sister Danica was a knockout. She batted his heart around like a ball… except when they were making out in her bedroom. Back in Napa Valley a decade later with his semi-pro baseball team, Luca rediscovers the girl he loved. As a woman, she’s even more enticing than he remembered. Older and wiser, maybe this time they’ll realize what started long ago wasn’t a game.
Exclusive Excerpt:
(Danica Vargas is in the hospital after being hit in the head by a baseball at local game. Danny, the sexy indie baseball player, whose ball hit her, is in her hospital room.)
Didn’t he know she didn’t take the accident personally? Danica shifted under the covers. “I’m going to be okay. Really, I am.”
“I called from the dugout,” he explained, shaking a strand of dark hair from his eyes. “I couldn’t leave the game, but I called the hospital to make sure you weren’t—hurt worse.”
“I guess that’s why they call it a foul ball. Super foul.” Danica stuck out her chin, happy to lighten the subject, and amazed at how much having him in the room lifted her mood. She almost laughed at the word “moo-d,” and decided whatever meds they gave her made her punchy. Hell, this guy could possibly be a hallucination.
“It wasn’t a foul ball.” He shocked her with a flash of perfectly straight teeth.
Shit. She hadn’t even seen him smile until now. She felt guilty checking him out, and knew she should probably be resting but… alone in the sad room, with him taking up most of the space, she couldn’t help herself. Head injury or not, he was ridiculously handsome.
“The ball was good, in perfectly fair territory.” He mimicked swinging the bat all the way through. “It was my best hit. My first home run of the season, and I hit it out of the park.”
“And I caught it.”
“And I’m going to make it up to you. I promise you I will, Danica.”
Who is this guy?
“Knock, knock,” the tall nurse taking care of her, bellowed from the doorway, bearing a large, metal tray full of plates. “Party’s over, Slugger. Time to get your buns in gear and out. I promised you five minutes, and you got fifteen.”
Danica’s stomach rumbled in response to the mouthwatering garlic and butter aroma filling the room, and the sight of steamed mussels. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. Did Lulu arrange a delivery from her favorite restaurant, The Girl and the Fig? What did she ever do to deserve a landlord, a friend, like Lulu? She’d call her tonight and thank her.
Danny glanced between the nurse and Danica. “I could stay? Maybe help feed her?
“Nice try, but that’s not happening.” Raising her eyes to the ceiling, Tall Nurse heaved a loud sigh.
“I better go, then.” He eyed Danica. “Will you miss me?”
“Move on out, Mr. Danny Deep, visiting time is over.” The nurse shifted the tray of dishes in her hands.
“Danny Deep?” Danica studied him again, this time with her reporter hat on. “Really?”
He shrugged. “That’s what they call me.”
“Do you have a card? I work for the Napa Register. My next project is an article on the Crushers, and—”
“And now, you’re working? Your brain needs rest.” Tall Nurse marched into the room. “Just settle it right down, here. I’m serious. He’s got to go.”
His delicious gaze didn’t move from Danica’s face, but traveled from her eyes to her mouth and back. He reached into the back pocket of his uniform without looking away, pulled out his wallet, and took a card from it.
“You know where to find me if you lose this card, Danica.” He waved it from across the room and placed it on the table next to a straw bag. Instead of heading to the door, he strutted to the bed just as Tall Nurse pulled the rolling bed table over and set down the tray.
“Time’s up.” Tall Nurse swatted at him. “Get away from my patient,” she scolded in a teasing voice and leaned over the bed, blocking him from Danica.
“Just one more thing, it’ll only take a sec, I promise.” He flashed a smile at the nurse that he must store in his other back pocket to use in case of emergencies, because it worked like a charm.
The nurse placed the tray on the bed and reluctantly stepped back. “Go ahead.” She folded her arms, watching him lean over the bed and maneuver around the steaming dishes.
Danica didn’t have the strength for this, and pulled a deep breath. He shot her a fiery gleam under thick black lashes and moved closer.
His breath caressed her cheek and she closed her eyes. There was only so much a girl with a head injury could handle.
“Now, don’t forget me, Danica.” His voice rumbled through her, and he brushed his nose against the side of hers. If she moved a fraction of an inch, her mouth would touch his. She held her breath, and her heart suspended in midair while his lips trekked slowly up from her mouth and over her nose, to finally land a kiss on her forehead.
Yeah, right, as if she could ever forget something like that.
About Kate Kisset:
Former San Francisco disc jockey Kate Kisset is the author of Wine Country Romance. A series of original contemporary romance novels set in Sonoma, Napa Valley, St. Helena and San Francisco, California. Kate is also a featured author in Marina Adair’s St. Helena Vineyard Kindle World. Although Kate wrote her first story in the third grade, she became serious about writing romance after she lost her mother to pancreatic cancer. The tragedy left her searching for, and eventually writing happily-ever-afters to lift her spirits. Kate divides her time between Northern and Southern California. Her stories feature strong heroes and heroines set in the real-world vineyard settings found outside her front door. When she’s not writing, Kate’s favorite job is being “The Mommy.” She enjoys hiking, cooking, listening to music and walking her loyal companion, Luciana Parmigiana her rescue-dog-editor.
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