Strong and invincible Stephania "Stevie" Baci separates herself from the family's Tante Baci Winery in Napa Valley for her limousine service, Napa Princess Limousine. The tomboy of the three sisters, Stevie bucks the traditional female scene to be just one of the guys. Thrown over by her boyfriend, Emerson Platt, Stevie refuses to allow her heart to be broken again.
Opening the winery as a venue for weddings to earn money in keeping the winery afloat, Stevie is coerced into acting as the event coordinator for Emerson's wedding when he plans to marry Princess Roxanne Parini from Ardenia. In tow is her brother, Prince Jacques, a gorgeous playboy ready to sample a variety of California woman. A bristly but mutual attraction is immediately evident between Stevie and Jack, with neither of them intending for more than a hot sexual relationship. Each with their own personal secret, shock sets in as does the realization this runs deeper than they thought and their lives are turned upside down. But the gutsy, stubborn and independent Stevie has a multitude of ways to block the relationship.
I love a good strong heroine in a story and Stevie is definitely it. Her vulnerability is deeply hidden, but Jack may be the only one to breach that wall. The casual banter between the two is apparent throughout the story as an amusing anecdote in hiding their true feelings. This was a fun read and one of the Three Kisses trilogy by Christie Ridgway. I can't wait until the next one hits the bookshelf!
The three Baci sisters are on a mission to save the family
winery by transforming it into a wedding destination. When
Stevie Baci playfully names her own side business Napa
Princess Limousine, she never dreams she'll be driving a
real prince around Napa Valley.
Jacques Parini, aka "Jack", is looking to expand his
family's wine interests. But after kissing Stevie, he finds
this California girl in a black chauffeur's hat does more
than drive him crazy.
EXCERPT
โSo whoโs the other guy?โ Stevieโs friend Mari asked, as she
slid into the passenger seat of the waiting limousine.
โUh . . . other guy?โ
โTall, dark, and dashing?โ her friend qualified. โDonโt tell
me you didnโt notice.โ
Sheโd noticed. From the moment heโd stepped out of the
resort. But tall, dark, and dashing didnโt make up for rich,
self-important, and rude. โHeโs haughty.โ
โIโll say,โ Mari agreed. โMy sister gave me a
Hottie-of-the-Month calendar for Christmas and I bet heโs in
there.โ
Stevie frowned. โHaughty, not hottie.โ
โThatโs what I said.โ
โI . . .โ She shook her head. โNever mind.โ
โJust tell me his name,โ Mari urged. โIโll find out his
phone number myself.โ
Another frown dug between Stevieโs brows. Her friend had a
headful of blond spiral curls and a black book that rivaled
any Hollywood bachelorโs. But it was Stevie who had spied
tall, dark, and dashing first, and didnโt that give her . . .
No. Hottie, true. But the haughty got him permanently
expunged from her own Bachelor Book, if sheโd actually had
one. And not to forget, there was that very recent New
Yearโs resolution sheโd just made. Men are off-limits.
โI think heโs with the princess,โ Stevie said to her friend.
When sheโd told her clients they had to get moving or miss
their tasting appointments, heโd climbed into the back with
Emerson and his fiancรฉe. โHis nameโs Jack.โ
Mari gasped. โJack! Of course! โJackโ is Prince Jacques
Christian Wilhelm Parini. I read about him in one of those
magazines at the hairdresserโsโyou know, the pulpy ones with
paparazzi pics of movie premieres and Euro trash boogeying
down in flashy discotheques. Heโs some kind of notorious
playboy and the princess brideโs big brother.โ
That made sense. He struck Stevie as a royal pain-in-the-ass
because he was a royal pain-in-the-ass. She loved being right.
Though she should have made the Jacques-Jack connection on
her own. Blame it on her ex anxiety. She knew of the man,
not from a magazine, but because he was college friends with
the Bennett brothers, neighbors since birth and
not-so-silent partners in the Tanti Baci winery. Liam and
Seth, she recalled, knew Jack through the UC Davis
Viticulture & Enology program and had mentioned during
one of their regular poker nights that their old buddy was
coming for a visit.
โItโs a small world of wines,โ Stevie murmured.
โYeah, andโโ Mariโs curls swung in an arc as her attention
shifted to the side window. โOoops, gotta go. My peeps are
ready to move. Happy New Year!โ
She was gone in a blast of chilled air, leaving Stevie alone
once again in the driverโs seat. Mari wasnโt soothing
company, but she missed her anyway, because now there was
nothing else to think about besides that little threat she
been putting off contemplating.
Your sister promised that itโs you whoโll handle each
and every fine point of the upcoming Parini-Platt nuptials.
Closing her eyes, she groaned. Had Giuliana really made that
guarantee? Could she actually expect Stevie to honor it?
The passenger door clicked open a second time. Stevie, eyes
still shut, blessed her buddy and the distraction sheโd
prove to be. โMari. Thank God, youโre back. Iโโ
Her throat closed as heat prickles took another dash across
her flesh and that weird hyperawareness sheโd experienced at
the resort tightened her belly. Opening her eyes, she saw a
long male body fold onto the seat beside her. โJack,โ she said.
He smiled at her, the wattage bright enough to bring up the
temperature in the front seat.
โYou remember my name.โ
And his scent. It reached her again, subtle and smooth, a
top-shelf cologne, one ounce likely costing more than her
new bootsโand probably her monthly rental check as well.
โWhat are you doing here? You belong there,โ she said,
jerking her thumb toward the winery.
โI belong wherever I want to belong,โ he answered, smiling
that easy smile he had as his body slid nearer to hers on
the bench seat. โJust like I do whatever I want to do.โ
Stevie crowded close to the driverโs door. It didnโt stop
his left thigh from grazing her right, his knee from bumping
hers. One long finger reached out to adjust the heater that
sheโd left running.
Forcing her gaze off his lean hand, she narrowed her eyes at
him. โAnd what you want to do is . . . ?โ
Her suspicious tone didnโt appear to offend. He relaxed
against the leather seat, sliding an arm across its back,
obviously comfortable in his own privileged skin. His
charming smile deepened. โNothing for you to worry about. I
only thought we might take these few minutes to get better
acquainted, ma belle fille.โ
Not for a winterโs worth of bookings would she let him know
that just for a secondโa nanosecondโshe found the soft
foreign phrase as disarming as he most certainly intended.
Even as her insides recovered from their quick melt, she
made her expression blank and raised both brows in inquiry,
all tomboy bumpkin.
His smile was rueful, his shrug European. โWhat can I say? I
know five languages and how to compliment a beautiful woman
in each and every one.โ
Wide-eyed, she pretended to appear impressed. โWow.โ Then
she dropped the innocent act. โAnd to think I only know how
to say screw you in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese.โ
He blinked, then laughed.
โOh, and in English itโs fuโโ
Leaning forward, he clamped his palm over her mouth. At the
contact, they both froze and the smile on his face died. Her
lips tingled, her skin burned, another shot of adrenaline
punched into her bloodstream. Fight or flight.
Uncertain which order to follow, her body twitched.
His hand dropped.
They stared at each other.
Refine that New Yearโs resolution, Stevie
thought, despising her breathlessness. Stay
away from this man.
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