A little taste of Mica and Lance from Sweet Little Lies

November is the month of diligent word counting for authors around the world because it's NaNoWriMo month! That stands for National Novel Writing Month and for authors such as myself who participate, it's a way to hunker down and get motivated to write or finish a book or work in progress.

In my case, it's to write AND finish Book 5 in The Sweetest Thing series, Sweet Little Lies. Oh my goodness...this book has been rumbling inside my head for well over a year. And I kept putting it off because I knew it would break me. The level of angst and emotion that you'll find between Lance and Mica is so beautiful. You'll love it!

Have you read the blurb and added it to your Goodreads shelf yet? If not, here it is:

​ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36515487-sweet-little-lies

And here's an exclusive (unedited) scene between Mica Reyes and Lance Britton.

“I’ll have the three-egg combo, with bacon and sausage, a side of fruit, the waffle and a cup of yogurt.”

I hand the menu back to the waitress and turn to see Mica staring at me in disbelief, her dark saucer disks wide open. Her pink lips agape.

“What?” I ask, slinking down into the booth so I can stare directly at her across the table from me.

“Dios mio,” she says incredulously. “Where the heck do you put all that food?”

I chuckle at her ridiculousness. She’s seen me eat a whole pizza and chicken and waffles in one sitting. This is nothing.

“I’m a growing boy.”

I pat my abs and watch as her eyes follow my hand. Just to mess with her, I slip my fingers under my jersey and draw circles around my navel. I love how her eyes turn even a darker shade of brown, glassy with wonder.

Maybe even desire.

Pretending not to notice her rapt attention – or at least I try to – I trail my index finger down my thatch of hair that leads to the elastic of my shorts. She bites her bee stung lips and then seems to catch herself as she quickly looks away.

I can’t say I’m not disappointed. God, I’ve tried so hard to get her to open up with me. I know she wants to – sexually, that is. But there’s this tight thread of reservation she holds onto, never letting it unravel. Every time she inches too close to the line she’s drawn, she yanks herself back. Back into friends territory.

It’s infuriating, but also sexy-as-fuck. It just makes me want to try harder.

We’ve been friends for close to a year now. There have been a few times when we’ve made out at various parties, either at my friend Cade’s or Van’s. I swear the girl has me whipped like nobody’s business and she’s not even my girlfriend. I would do anything for her and it drives me crazy that she keeps herself at such a distance.

Her husky, deeply accented voice invades my thoughts. “So, what is this favor you need to ask of me, mi amigo?”

Oh yeah, that.

I’ve gotten myself into a little jam in school. I struggled to balance it all last year – with everything that happened – and if I want to make the team in the fall, I need to pass my summer classes. And on the top of the list is Spanish.

I suck at foreign language. Unless it’s something to do with food or booze – taco, tequila, fajita, salsa and cerveza – then I’m useless. And my hope is that I can convince my Mexican chica to tutor me this summer. It’s a long-shot, but maybe I can use my puppy dog eyes. And bacon.

“You know how I fell behind last year, right?”

She nods her head, the empathy etched in grooves of tight-lipped smile. Sometimes I find it hard to talk to Mica because she is the most beautiful girl I’ve ever met. It surprises me she even gives me the time of day.

Honestly, I’ve been around the block when it comes to women. As a twenty-two-year old college athlete, I’ve had just about every type of woman there is. Tall blonde Barbie Dolls, fun-loving sorority sisters, perma-tanned hoops hunnies, and every other college chick who wants to have some fun with a college basketball player.

But Mica’s grace and beauty outshines the rest. Her skin is a perfect blend of bronzed caramel and cinnamon – and she tastes just as sweet. Her long dark hair is generally in a long braid or worn straight as an arrow, but is soft as butter and smells like milk and honey.

Aside from Cade and Carver, my former teammates and roommates - Mica is my closest friend. While she doesn’t know every one of my secrets, sometimes I catch her looking at me with knowing eyes - as if she sees right through me. She sees my darkness and it’s her light that beckons me through my anguish.