Page 128 of Hot Cops

Sunnie rubbed her eyes wearily. “Listen. I don’t want you all to think I don’t appreciate this, but?—”

“Save it. This is happening.” Yvonne turned on her blinker and pulled into the parking lot of their favorite Mexican restaurant. While the food was just okay, they made killer margaritas. “Come on.”

Kelli and Yvonne both got out, leaving Sunnie no choice but to follow.

Once they’d claimed a booth, ordered chips and salsas, and three frozen margaritas, Yvonne lifted her hand and said, “Let’s have it. What happened?”

Sunnie knew her cousin and Kelli. Knew she’d never leave this restaurant until she spilled her guts. But now that she was here, she realized talking about it with them was probably exactly what she needed. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess. “How far back do I need to go?”

Yvonne shot her a dirty look. “Given the dark circles under my eyes, I think you can go ahead and assume I’m up to speed through three a.m. That’s when I put the earplugs in.”

Sunnie winced. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I couldn’t hear what you were saying, but there was a fair amount of mattress squeaking and headboard banging. Gotta hand it to Landon—sounds like he’s got stamina.”

Sunnie laughed and the tightness in her chest eased a little. “It was amazing sex. You couldn’t believe?—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Kelli said. “I’m going to needa lotmore details. I missed the sound effects last night.”

The waitress brought their drinks and Sunnie lifted hers, clinking it against Kelli and Yvonne’s glasses. “Can I just say it was the best sex of my life?”

Kelli sighed. “Damn. Where can I sign up for some of that?”

“Of course it was,” Yvonne said. “It’s that old friends-to-lovers thing. It always survives the test of time.”

Sunnie winced when Yvonne said the word lovers, prompting her cousin to roll her eyes.

“So if the sex was so great, what happened this morning to send you running?” Kelli asked.

Sunnie sighed. “I freaked out.”

Kelli shook her head, as if disappointed in her, while Yvonne said, “Of course you did.”

Sunnie had too much pride for her own good, so Yvonne’s response put her on the defensive. “He lied to me, Vonnie. Said we were just going to,” she finger-quoted, “‘pretend date.’ He wasn’t pretending.”

“Don’t be that girl, Sun,” Yvonne said.

“What girl?”

Yvonne looked at Kelli, who lifted a hand, gesturing for her to continue.

“The stupid one. You knew it wasn’t pretend.”

Sunnie swallowed heavily, not ready to admit that. “Finn will never accept this. Landon is his best friend. I’m his sister.”

“Oh my God,” Kelli said. “Thatgirl is worse.”

Sunnie leaned back, exasperated. “Which girl is that?”

“The one who uses other people as excuses for her own stupidity. Go back to just being thick.” Kelli picked up her margarita and took a drink.

The weight that had been pressing down on her chest since she woke up this morning lifted a bit more, and Sunnie grinned, even as she said, “I hate both of you.”

Kelli laughed and kept drinking.

Yvonne smiled, unoffended. “No, you don’t. I’m your best friend/cousin. You’re crazy about me.”

Sunnie shrugged. “I think I’ve changed my mind about that. Might pick Caitlyn or Ailis for that role.”

---