In 1993, in the
pristine coastal community of Malibu, CA., fourteen year-old Neely Evans, was coming
of age, like it or not. A Tennessee transplant, she ended up in California when
her father took a job at a top law firm.What a culture shock it had been for the
southern teen, but as an only child, she had always made her own
entertainment.  She filled her time
painting seascapes, still life art, and combing the beach for her next perfect
picture. And then one day, the boy down the beach entered her life, and she
would never be the same.

Seth Drake, a year older than Neely took her
under his wing. They hung out and it wasn’t long before they became inseparable.
As they grew closer, their friendship gave way to something more. But before
the teens could fully revel in their budding romance, Neely’s life was ripped
apart. Her father’s infidelity was made public, and her mother was determined
to seek vengeance by using Neely as her weapon. She uprooted Neely and moved
back to Tennessee.

Seven months later, Neely returned to Malibu for
a summer visit with her father. Seth had matured in ways she’d never imagined.
Neely found herself at odds with her emotions and better judgment when Seth
made it clear he was ready to take their relationship to the next level.  In the end, Neely made a decision she may
live to regret. 

 

NOOK: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crushed-andrea-smith/1124014230

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1132364587

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The sun was starting to lower on the horizon. I raised my
sunglasses up to look to my side. Seth was stretched out on his stomach, his
head resting on his muscular arms, eyes closed. He was totally sleeping, which
gave me ample opportunity to check him out without him knowing it.

       I rolled to my
side, propping my head on my hand so that I could assess my boyfriend
thoroughly. I released a soft sigh.

       Seven months had
served him well, there was no doubt about that. He was several inches taller,
and from what he said, he wasn’t done yet. His arms and shoulders had somehow
developed definition and muscles. In his phone calls to me, he’d said he had
joined a gym to start working out.

       His dark brown
hair had lost that boyish, wispy look. It seemed thicker and coarser, and I
could tell he’d started shaving, too. His sideburns were neatly trimmed short,
and his eyebrows were a bit bushier than I’d recalled.

       But the first
thing I’d noticed when he’d scooped me up was his Adam’s apple. Apparently it
had made its appearance after he turned sixteen. And I’d missed it all I
reflected sadly.

       My eyes
perused  his tanned arms and flickered to
where his left hand was exposed. He was wearing his class ring. He was going
into his junior year of high school, but he wouldn’t be returning to Malibu
High this fall.

       He’d written to
me a few weeks back, letting me know that his mother had pulled some strings
and he’d been accepted at  The Southern
California High School of the Performing Arts for his junior and senior years
of high school. He was super excited about it, and as much as I wanted to share
the excitement for him, I just couldn’t. I wasn’t sure why.

       Studying him now
while he slept he looked so darn perfect to me. He’d grown into this boy/man
creature who was beautiful and talented, and I realized that just might be the
reason I wasn’t jumping for joy about his going on to pursue his dream of
becoming an actor.

       He was perfectly
suited for it, there was no doubt about that, but he was still so young in my
opinion. How was he so sure that getting his foot into that door of television
or movies was what he wanted for the rest of his life? 

       And how could I
possibly fit into that life. I knew the answer to that. I couldn’t.

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