by Todd, E. L.
“God yes!”
He rocked into her gently, pressing his face close to hers. When he stared into her eyes, he saw everything that he loved about the world. She made him feel whole and complete, repaired after all the damage that happened to him. He never thought falling in love would fix all his problems. And being married was the best thing that ever happened to him. Somehow he wanted her more, found her even more attractive, and felt his heart hurt every time he looked at her. He was happier than he ever thought he could.
Sydney gripped his shoulders as she felt him move inside her. Every thrust felt right, hitting her in just the right way. Her husband knew her body better than she did. He always knew what she liked, when to push her, and what sent her over the edge. She spread her legs wider apart, wanting it harder and faster. Coen delivered, rocking into her from above. She dug her nails into his skin, enjoying everything he was doing to her body. The orgasm started as soon as he entered her, just as it always did. When she felt it burn between her legs, Coen pressed his hand against her clitoris and rubbing her aggressively, making her skin burn in euphoria.
“Coen…Coen.”
He kept up the pace. His hands pinned back her legs and he thrust into her with even strokes, pushing himself all the way inside until he pulled out. She was wet like she always was, giving just the right amount of friction for him to enjoy their lovemaking. When he stared down at her, he saw her face flush red. Her nipples hardened. The feel of her insides was so good, so smooth. He was always caught off guard by how good it felt. He knew it was because he was madly in love with Sydney, the heart and soul of his world.
Sydney gripped his forearms. “Don’t stop.”
“You know I always make you come hard.”
“I’m almost there…”
He pressed his lips against her, kissing her gently. “I love you, seahorse.”
“Oh…yeah.”
Coen stared at her, fascinated by the sight. He loved watching her cum. It was the best porn he’d ever seen. When he watched her mouth gape open and her eyes shine bright, he felt his body tense then relax as he came inside her. Knowing he was releasing a part of him within her always made the orgasm a million times better. He moved into her harder and faster, wanting to release as much as he could. “Baby…”
She rolled her head back and caught her breath. “That was good.”
“Thank you. I aim to please.”
Sydney ran her hands down his chest, lightly touching him.
“I love watching you come.”
“Me too.”
He leaned down and kissed her neck, licking the sweat from her skin. “I love you, wifey.”
She smiled. “I love you too, hubby.”
“I’m so glad my wife has such a nice body.”
She rolled her eyes. “And has a great personality.”
“Yeah whatever,” he said with a smile. “Now let’s get to bed.”
“I need to study and take care of a few things.”
“No.”
“No?”
“You heard me. And I don’t have an accent so you understood me.”
“Coen—”
“You go to school and work all day. When you come home to me, you’re mine. Everything else can wait.”
She stared at him. “I have responsibilities.”
“And spending time with your husband is important, if not the most important one.”
Sydney sighed. “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to be a workaholic.”
“I know you’re passionate about what you do. That’s fine with me. But I want to have dinner with you at night, watch TV, and hold you. The time we have together is precious to me. I don’t expect you to spend all your time with me, but I better get at least two hours.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Now let’s go to bed. Unless you have an exam in the morning, it can wait.”
She pulled back the covers and snuggled under the sheets. Coen came beside her and wrapped her in his arms. His large body acted as a natural heater, warming up the sheets and the enclosed space. Coen rested his face close to hers, his lips near her ear. He stared at her for a while before he closed his eyes.
“Goodnight, baby.”
“You’re amazing in bed,” she mumbled.
He chuckled lightly. “Because you make it easy.”
She mumbled again but he couldn’t decipher her incoherent rambling. He fell asleep a few moments later, his wife held in his arms.
2
When Sydney walked into the cafeteria, she saw Ren and Henry sitting at their table.
“Hey,” she said as she sat down.
“Where’s your other half?” Henry asked.
Sydney shrugged. “He’s probably talking to a professor.”
“Do you guys have a class together?” Ren asked.
“We have molecular biology.”
Henry cringed. “I bet Coen is cheating off you.”
Sydney laughed. “He wishes.”
Henry laughed. “Just because he’s married to you doesn’t mean he gets the hookup.”
“Coen is actually very smart, smarter than me,” Sydney said.
Henry rolled his eyes. “Sure…”
“I’m being serious,” Sydney said. “I spend hours studying the material. He sits in class once and just gets it. I’m so jealous.”
“Why?” Henry said. “You study the material so you’ll know it forever. He probably forgets everything in a few semesters.”
Sydney shook her head. “I know Coen acts like a stupid caveman that doesn’t know his nose from his ass, but he’s really smart. That asshole personality blocks it out.”
“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not,” Coen said from behind her. “It was masked with a lot of insults.”
Sydney turned around, giving him her brightest smile. “It was meant to be a compliment.”
His eyes narrowed at her. “I’m sure…” He sat down and put her lunch in front of her, a Caesar salad with no chicken.
Ren smiled. “That’s sweet. You still bring her lunch even though you’re married.”
“Why would it change?” Coen asked.
“Well, you got the girl. You don’t need to keep up the act,” Ren said.
“I still want sex,” Coen said. “You have to put a quarter in the vending machine to get a candy bar.”
Sydney eyed him. “Are you comparing me to a vending machine?”
Coen laughed. “It’s a metaphor.”
“It wasn’t very romantic,” Sydney said.
“Well, we don’t always make love. Sometimes we just fuck like animals.”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “Okay. That’s enough. I don’t want Henry and Ren to throw up.”
“If they haven’t already, we’re good.”
Sydney turned back to Henry. “How’s school?”
“It’s good,” he said. “I got a compliment on my paper from the president of the university.”
“Cool,” Sydney said. “What was it about?”
“How students can lower the cost of college with a few tips,” Henry explained. “And I love writing. I’ll never pick up penguin poop again.”
“What’s wrong with penguin poop?” Andre asked as he approached the table.
Henry smiled. “You and both know we hate those assholes.”
Andre sat down and opened his sandwich. “Those birds are my arch nemeses. I’ll be the victor in this battle.”
“What battle?” Sydney asked. “I never had any problems with them.”
“You didn’t?” Henry asked.
“No,” Sydney said. “They were really sweet. They would eat the fish out of my hands.”
Henry and Andre both glared at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Forget it,” Henry said.
Derek and Paola approached the table.
Derek pulled out the chair for her then kissed her on the forehead. “What would you like, baby?”
“Y
ou really don’t have—”
Derek was gone.
Sydney looked at Paola. “In my experience, just tell him what you want.”
“But you’re married,” Paola said. “You have the same bank account.”
Sydney shook her head. “Coen was the same way before we got married.”
Coen put his arm around her chair. “I have to make sure my lady is well fed. I like her muscles.”
Paola smiled. “You guys are so cute.”
“You should have heard them argue a second ago,” Henry said.
“We fight sometimes, but we always make up,” Sydney said.
“I kinda want to fight right now,” Coen said with a twinkle in his eyes.
“Later,” Sydney said.
Coen sighed.
Sydney scooted closer to him and rested her hand on his thigh. Her friends started talking about Thatcher’s recent art show but Sydney wasn’t listening. She stared at Coen’s face, unable to believe that she ended up with a guy she always wanted. He was everything to her. She felt comfortable challenging him, arguing with him, because she knew they’d always work out there differences. Coen was head strong and aggressive, but he was also passionate and devoted to her. Now she wished they were home and in the bedroom.
Sydney finished her salad then grabbed her bag. “I’ll see you later,” she said to Coen. She kissed him on the cheek when she stood up.
“What the fuck was that?”
“What?” she asked.
He stood up and grabbed her face, kissing her hard. “I’m your husband so kiss me like I am.”
She smiled. “You were talking.”
“You can interrupt me for a kiss.” He leaned closer to her. “You can interrupt me for anything.”
“Okay.”
“Will you be home on time tonight?”
“I’ll try.”
He glared at her. “You have to feed me.”
“You can feed yourself.”
“No, that’s why I got married.”
“You survived before. You’ll survive after.”
He sighed.
“There’s leftover lasagna in the refrigerator.”
“I guess I’ll take it.”
She kissed him once more before she left the cafeteria, feeling his eyes drill into her back and ass. Coen blatantly stared at her in class and was affectionate whenever he felt like it. Their rings of eternal love and their tattoos weren’t enough.
Sydney went to her next classes and wrote down every word of the lectures in her notes. She sat in the front row like she always did, being the obvious overachiever. She knew it annoyed people. If it annoyed her husband, it obviously irritated everyone around her.
When she was done, she had a break before she left for work. Coen was in class so she took a seat at the table. She took out her notes and started to go through them, her eyes glued to the page.
“Hey.”
She looked up and saw Aaron. “Hi…”
“Can I sit down?”
“Uh…”
Aaron took a seat. “I wanted to say congratulations on your wedding day.”
“Oh,” Sydney said. She wasn’t expecting that. “Thank you.”
“Coen’s a lucky guy.”
She nodded. “I love him very much.”
“So, how have you been, other than getting married?”
Sydney felt awkward. Just talking to Aaron made her feel like she was cheating on Coen. She’d be annoyed if she saw him spending time with an ex. “Good. Just work and school.”
He nodded. “Cool. Are you still living at the shack?”
“Coen and I both live there.” She didn’t need to add that but she felt like she should.
“I think I gave you the wrong impression,” Aaron said. “I just wanted to talk to you as a friend. I really am happy for you.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry I’m being so hostile.”
“I understand. I was pretty forward the last time we spoke.”
“So, are you seeing anyone?”
He shook his head. “Not seriously. I’ve been talking to a few girls, playing the field, I guess.”
She nodded. “Well, there are a lot of pretty girls here.”
He stared into her face. “You’re right about that.”
Sydney averted her gaze. “I should probably get to work.”
“Are you still pursuing a PhD?” It was like he hadn’t heard a word she said.
“Yes, if everyone will have me,” she said with a laugh. She packed her belongings and intended to sit in the car until her shift started. She didn’t want to risk being seen with Aaron by anyone she knew. It would get back to her husband, who would be livid.
“I’m sure you’re the most qualified candidate,” he said with a smile. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Sydney was about to stand up when she saw Coen’s friend, Dan, across the room. They worked at the gym together and were good friends. He was even in the wedding. Sydney cursed under her breath.
“What?” Aaron asked.
“I—I have to go.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said quickly.
“I’m just in a hurry.” She turned down the opposite hallway so she could avoid Dan. But it didn’t matter anyway. The damage had been done. When she came home that night, her husband would have a few words to say.
She went to work and started working in the lab, not clocking in until her shift actually began.
Gilbert walked in and stared at her, seeing the experiment in action. “You’re crazy, Syd.”
“I got out of class early,” she lied.
“Maybe I should be the assistant and you should be the lead scientist.”
Sydney smiled. “I wouldn’t mind the pay.”
He opened his briefcase and pulled out a few catalogs. “I wanted you to have these. It’s information about the universities I mentioned yesterday.”
She took them awkwardly. “Thank you.”
“Have you seriously considered it? I’m not implying Hawaii U is a bad place, but there’s no guarantee you’ll be accepted. There is politics to everything.”
“If I don’t get into Hawaii U, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t just expect Coen to stop living his life and follow me everywhere.”
“And he can’t expect you to give up your dream for him. Marriage is about compromise. Talk to him, Syd.”
She nodded. “I will.”
“And if he gives you a hard time, I’ll straighten him out. I used to whip him with my belt.”
Sydney laughed. “I can’t imagine Coen being spanked.”
“He used to be a little shit. When he was twelve, he took my car out for a drive then parked it in the wrong spot. The dumbass wouldn’t have been caught if he just used his brain.”
“That’s my husband,” she said proudly.
He shook his head. “I’m glad he’s grown into a fine man.”
“The finest I know.” She turned away and finished working, dreading going home that night. She could only imagine how pissed Coen would be about Aaron. She didn’t do anything wrong and they hardly spoke about Aaron, but she knew her husband. He was very possessive of her. Anything could set him off.
After her shift was over, she drove home. She hadn’t turned on her phone because she knew it would be full of messages and missed calls from Coen, demanding to know what happened that afternoon. When she parked outside her house, she sat in the driver’s seat for a while before she walked inside.
When she opened the front door, Coen was standing there, his arms by his sides. His shoulders were tense and he had a maniacal gleam in his eyes, like he wanted to tear down the house just to repair it again.
She sighed. “Calm down.”
He marched to her then stared her down. “Why is one of my boys telling me you’re spending time with your ex?”
“I wasn’t,” she said calmly.
He stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest. “T
hen what happened, exactly?”
“I was doing homework and he sat by me and started talking. The conversation lasted two minutes at the most.”
“And what was said?” His voice was low but the annoyance was unmistakable.
“He asked about our wedding and how school was going. It was totally innocent.”
He stared at the sincerity in her eyes. “Was he bothering you?”
“No.”
“Do you want me to threaten him?”
Sydney rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Coen, I can take care of myself.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry. Dan made it sound like you two were hanging out. I thought it was odd.”
“We just ran into each other.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’m sorry I got all—protective.”
“You mean fucking psycho?”
He smiled. “You like it when I’m psycho.”
“In bed.”
Coen extended his arms and pulled her into a hug. “I love it when my wife comes home.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and held him close. “I do too,” she said. “But it hurts my feelings when you don’t trust me.”
“I do trust you. That wasn’t the issue. I just don’t want you to have an annoying ex on your ass. I’d take care of it.”
She rested her face against his chest and smelled him. “I’m so tired.”
“I made dinner.”
“Is it burned?” she asked with a smile.
“It’s hard to burn macaroni and cheese.”
She laughed. “That’s not dinner, Coen.”
“It’s the best I can do.”
Sydney pulled away and kissed him gently on the lips. “I’ll whip up some real food.”
“Yum.”
She put down her bag and prepared dinner in the kitchen. She made grilled vegetables with baked fish and set the table.
Coen ate his dinner across from her. He devoured his fish then ate the vegetables.
Sydney eyed him. “It’s better than macaroni, huh?”
He smiled. “My wife’s cooking is always better.”
She smiled and ate her vegetables.
“Baby, is that all you’re going to eat?”
She shrugged. “I’m not that hungry.”
“You barely ate lunch.”
“I wasn’t hungry then either.”
He put down his fork and looked at her. “You need to take a step back.”
