Page 132 of Hot Cops

“I’ll be right back down, okay?” Sunnie didn’t wait for a response. Instead, she headed for the stairs to the apartment, allowing herself one last peek at Landon’s table.

He was still holding Audrey’s hand.

“I don’t knowwhy I stayed with him,” Audrey continued. “Why I kept forgiving him. He swore on Christmas it was just a mistake, too much stress over not landing a big part he’d been hoping for. I believed him. Then he gave me a black eye in January…kept me in bruises through February and March.”

Landon’s temper rose at the idea of any man hurting her, hurtinganywoman. He recalled the bruise on Sunnie’s cheek after the mugging, then pictured Audrey with the same. “What’s the man’s name?” he asked darkly.

Audrey released a loud breath, part laugh, part cry. “I knew you’d ask me that. It doesn’t matter. I broke things off a month or so ago, got out.”

“I’m glad.” He gave her hand a friendly squeeze, then released it, resisting the urge to turn around and look for Sunnie.

“I saw the video,” Audrey admitted.

Landon rolled his eyes, groaning in a way he hoped would make her laugh. She was clearly still fighting some strong emotions.

It worked. This time her laugh was genuine. “It reminded me of what I’d had. What I lost.”

Landon didn’t like where this was headed. “Audrey—” he started, trying to head her next words off at the pass.

“I made a mistake. I never should have left you.”

Landon sucked in a deep breath, preparing to tell her about Sunnie, but she kept talking.

“I love you, Landon. I want you back.”

Sunnie steppedinto her bedroom and closed the door, leaning against it and shutting her eyes.

“Dammit,” she whispered, recalling the image of Landon holding hands with Audrey.

She’d been present for every single second of his relationship with the other woman. Heard every fucking detail, from the first date to that magical fourth kiss, from the hot sex to moving in together, his dreams of the future, the plan to buy an engagement ring, the move to New York, the year of heartbreak.

She’d walked every step of that with him.

Sunnie pushed away from the door, tugging off her scrubs, her temper flaring.

No.No way.

Audrey was not about to saunter back into Landon’s life and take another punch at his heart. Sunnie wouldn’t let her.

She pulled on some jeans, searched in the closet for a hootchie-mama shirt. She wasn’t above using cleavage to help her win this war.

Sunnie peered at herself in the mirror, then decided to go for broke. She pulled down her hair, brushing it out, grateful that it held some wave. She put on the shiny pink lip gloss Landon liked, swiped on some mascara, then grabbed her phone and walked to the bed.

Moment of truth.

She clicked on YouTube and searched for the video. She considered turning off the music, as Yvonne suggested, but decided to keep it on. She loved that Faith Hill song, and music always fired her up—either to get her in the party mood or ready for battle.

This time, she kept her eyes on Landon throughout the entire thing, at his face as he knelt down to her, the way he pulled her into his arms to hug her. The fierceness when she stood up and he’d realized she’d hurt her ankle. The way he kissed her.

Even now, she could feel the passion in it.

Then they parted…

And she saw it. Saw what everyone kept talking about.

He looked at her as if she were the most beautiful woman on earth. As if she were the only person on the planet who existed. She was the center of his universe—and then she sneaked a peek at her own face, and realized the one thing no one else seemed to have noticed.

He was the center of hers too.

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