The Crush Collision by Danielle Ellison

 

This is my stop on The Crush Collision Blog Tour, hosted by Chapter by Chapter Blog Tours. If you would like to see and follow the other stops on this tour, visit THIS LINK. 

The Crush Collision (Southern Charmed #2)
by Danielle Ellison
Publication Date: February 18, 2019
Publisher: Entangled Teen: Crush

Haley Howell has had a hopeless crush on her brother’s best friend, Jake Lexington, for as long as she can remember. Too bad to him, she’ll forever be off-limits. But with senior year and acceptance to a college outside their tiny southern town of Culler, South Carolina, comes new confidence. Haley’s ready to get Jake to notice her—whatever it takes.

No one in Culler notices the real Jake anymore—to them, he’s nothing more than the star football player or the kid with the family tragedy. When one mistake lands him in community service, he’s shocked to find his best friend’s little sister there, too, looking cute as hell and threatening all his no-friends-with-benefits rules. But Jake isn’t ready to take a chance, no matter how crafty Haley’s willing to get to prove him otherwise…

Excerpt

A few minutes later, we’re standing in the park at the middle school. Leaves are piled up in three enormous stacks on one side of the yard. The jungle gym is a lot smaller than I remember it being, and so are the swings, but Jake looks at me. 

“Race you.”

“Go!” I yell, and we run through the playground toward the swings, like we all did when we were kids.

Jake tries to cut me off halfway there, but I dodge him and beat him by a step to the swings  We’re both laughing, and my face is red from running when he kisses me. God, it’s a good kiss. We pull apart; he sits next to me on a swing, and we push off the ground.

“You know what’s funny?” I ask him once we’ve both got a little bit of swing going. He looks at me, waiting. “I always used to dream about kissing you on these swings.”

He grins. “Well, now you have. Cross that one off your bucket list.”

I laugh. “A few years too late.”

“Better late than never,” he says. “Where else did you dream about kissing me? Maybe I can make some more of them happen.” He winks at me.

God.

I have to look away. “I’ll prepare you a list.”

“A list, huh?”


“Don’t mock me.”


“But it’s so fun,” he says. I pout, and he chuckles. “I’m playing. I am into lists.”

“Really?”

“No, but I am into you, so I’m down with lists. Especially if they involve kissing you.”

My heart flips inside my chest, and it takes everything inside of me to not lean into him right now for another. I can’t believe we’re here now, me and him, like this. It’s everything I’ve ever imagined and never dreamed I could have.

“What are you thinking?”

I point to the large piles of leaves. “Race you!”


And while the swing is in midair, I jump off and barrel  roll toward the ground. It’s way less graceful than it was in my mind, but Jake is right behind me as we run toward the piles of leaves. I jump in, followed by him. We’re laughing, throwing leaves at each other, making snow angels in the piles, and when he kisses me again, everything is perfect. Truly perfect.

 

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About the Author

Danielle Ellison is a nomad, always on the lookout for an adventure and the next story. In addition to writing, she’s the founder and coordinator of the NoVa TEEN Book Festival. When she’s not busy with books, she’s probably watching her favorite shows, drinking coffee, or fighting her nomadic urges. She is newly settled in Oklahoma (for now) with her cat, Simon, but you can always find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.

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