by Todd, E. L.
“I won’t,” she said. “I was just so upset.”
“I know.” He kicked off his shoes then lay in the bed beside her.
“You aren’t supposed to do that, Coen.”
“I don’t care,” he whispered. “You’re my wife. I sleep with you.”
“And we definitely can’t do what we normally do when we go to sleep.”
He smiled. “We could try.”
She shook her head. “You’re terrible.”
“It makes it more exciting that way.”
She grabbed his left hand and felt his wedding band. It was smooth and warm, heated by his skin. She loved seeing him wear it. Since they day they were married, he’d never taken it off. And she never wanted him to. She never removed hers, especially since Coen would have a panic attack about it. But that was okay because she didn’t want to take it off anyway.
6
When Sydney went home the next morning, she showered then got dressed.
Coen had a look of murder on his face. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
She stilled. “I’m being treated and it’s not contagious. I can still go to school.”
He glared at her.
The look made her feel uneasy. Coen got angry about a lot of things, but he never silently threatened her before. She could read the intent on his face, the uncontrollable anger he felt toward her.
He grabbed her by the arm then pulled her shirt off.
“Coen—”
He picked her up and carried her to the bed, placing her under the covers. He pulled off her shorts and tucked her in. “You aren’t going to school. Bedrest for a few days.”
“Coen, I have class and work to do.”
“I’ll get your notes,” he snapped. “You’re staying in bed.”
She sighed. “I hate lying in bed.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t push it so hard.”
Sydney sighed. “Can you get my books and laptop?”
“You aren’t studying.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Then what the hell am I supposed to do?”
“Rest,” he snapped. He grabbed the remote and placed it on the nightstand. Then he removed his clothes and came to bed beside her.
“Coen, you need to go to school.”
“I’m taking care of you.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Why do you always argue with me?” he said, staring her down.
“I don’t want you to miss class.”
“Who cares?” he said. “School is important, but other things are a lot more important. I’m not leaving my wife while she’s unwell. That’s much more important to me.”
Her eyes softened. “You’re such a good husband.”
He smiled. “Thank you for finally acknowledging it.”
She turned on her side and hugged his waist.
“I’ll go by the school and get your notes,” he said.
“Thank you.”
“Now get some sleep.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m so tired.”
He ran his fingers through her hair. “I’ll make you some breakfast when you wake up.”
Sydney hugged him tightly then fell asleep. When she woke up, she heard voices in the living room. It sounded like her friends had arrived. “Coen?”
The door opened and he came inside. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” she said. “Who’s here?”
“Everyone,” he said. “They wanted to check on you.”
“Well, that was sweet.”
“And my mom made you soup.”
“Awe.”
“My mom never made me soup when I was sick,” Coen said. “She loves you more than she ever loved me.”
Sydney smiled. “You know that isn’t true.”
“No, it is true,” he said. “But I’m okay with that.”
“Did you get my notes?”
“Yep. Everyone got them together.”
There was a knock on the door.
“Can we come in?” Nancy asked.
“It’s open,” Coen said.
They came into the room and approached the bed.
“You have pneumonia?” Derek asked incredulously. “Is it contagious…?”
Sydney smiled. “Give me a hug and we’ll find out.”
“I’m good,” Derek said, taking a step back.
Nancy came to her side. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” Sydney answered. “And my chest hurts.”
“Can I get you anything?” she asked.
“No, thank you,” Sydney said.
Thatcher came beside Nancy. “It’s a good thing Coen took you to the hospital. He’s a good man.”
Sydney nodded. “He is.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to say it once in a while,” Coen said.
Sydney rolled her eyes.
Henry sat on the bed beside her and held her hand. “Are you going to take it easy from now on?”
“Now you guys are just ganging up on me,” Sydney said.
“Well, Coen was right. You were doing too much,” Henry said.
“There’s no proof to indicate that’s what caused this,” Sydney said.
All of her friends glared at her.
“Okay, it probably did cause it,” Sydney said.
“You should listen to your husband more often,” Nancy said. “He’s just looking out for you.”
“Did he pay you to say all of this?” Sydney asked.
Derek laughed. “No.” He held a folder and dropped it on the bed. “Here are your notes. All of your professors were worried about you, the girl who never misses a class. Their first assumption was you died.”
Sydney chuckled, but her laughter turned into a deep cough.
“Gross,” Derek whispered.
“Thanks,” Sydney said.
“I hope Paola never gets sick like that.”
Paola looked at him. “If I do, you better take care of me.”
“Baby, you know I’d do anything for you.”
Coen walked to the door. “Visiting hours are over. My wife needs to rest.”
“No,” Sydney said. “I’m so bored. Let them stay awhile.”
“They have lives, baby,” Coen said.
Nancy smiled at her. “We’ll see you when you feel better.”
“We can play football on the beach and have dinner,” Henry said.
“Who knows how long I’ll be sick,” Sydney said sadly.
“The longer you rest, the quicker your recovery will be,” Coen said.
Sydney rolled her eyes then said goodbye to her friends. When they left, Coen came back into the room carrying a tray. A hot cup of soup was on top.
“I’m not hungry,” she said automatically.
“Too bad,” he said. He placed it over her lap then sat at the edge of the bed. “Come on.”
She sighed then sat up.
Coen watched her eat. When she ate half of it, she put down her spoon. He gave her a murderous look. She picked up the spoon and finished all of it. “Good job,” he said.
She lied back down and coughed.
Coen didn’t move, his hand resting on hers.
“You don’t have to stay with me. I know you have work.”
“I called in.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I have a million sick days,” he said. “I may as well use one.”
“Well, you don’t need to stay with me every day.”
“We’ll see how it goes.”
She sighed then cleared her throat.
“Is there a movie you want me to rent or a book you’d like to read?”
“No,” she said. “Can you open the window so I can listen to the waves?”
“I can do that,” he said with a smile. He opened it then returned to her side.
“I hate being sick,” she said sadly.
“You’ll be better in no time, swimming with the whales and the dolphins
.”
She extended her arms to him. “Lay with me.”
He stripped down to his boxers then lay beside her.
She moved on top of him then kissed his chest.
Coen pulled her back to the bed. “No.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re sick.”
“So?”
“I can’t have sex with you when you feel this unwell.”
“I’ll feel better if we do,” she said with a smile.
“No.”
“Come on,” she said. “I want you. We haven’t had sex in a few days.”
“Who’s fault is that?” he snapped.
She rolled her eyes.
He held her to his chest and ran his fingers through her hair. “Just relax.”
“I would if I just had an orgasm.”
“You’re being ornery today.”
She smiled.
He rolled on top of her. “No kissing.”
“That’s fine.”
Coen pulled off her bottoms and underwear then removed his boxers. Sydney stared at his hard cock, licking her lips. She loved staring at his naked body. Coen leaned back and watched her face.
“You have such a nice body,” she whispered.
“I’m glad you notice,” he said. “I work really hard.”
“You’re perfect,” she said, running her hands up his chest.
“I’m nothing compared to you.” He leaned over her and inserted himself inside her.
“Yeah…”
Coen moved deep inside her, rocking her gently.
Sydney gripped the headboard as he held her legs back and thrust.
Coen didn’t press his face close to hers like he normally did. He kept his distance, not letting her breathe on him.
Sydney grabbed his hips and pulled him into her harder, biting her lip. “Right there.”
He moved harder. “Come on, baby.”
It hit her like a wrecking ball. She moaned loudly, digging her fingers into his sides. “Yeah…”
Coen met his bliss at the same moment, watching his wife love his body. His moans were loud and guttural. He pulled out a second later and got dressed again. “How was that?” he asked.
Sydney said nothing.
He turned to look at her and realized she had already fallen asleep.
7
Sydney was too ill to go to class the entire week. Every time she tried to leave for school, Coen forced her back to the bed. He always made sure she had all of her notes and necessities so she wouldn’t fall behind. But Coen couldn’t abandon school forever so he went to class without her.
“How’s your wife?” Henry asked at lunch.
“She’s still sicker than a dog,” Coen said. “I hope our kids don’t get her immune system.”
“I think her busy life has finally caught up with her,” Henry said. “She must be going crazy lying in that bed all day.”
“You have no idea,” Coen said. “And she still wants to have sex all the time.”
“What’s bad about that?” Derek asked.
“Have you ever had sex with a sick person?” Coen asked. “It’s pretty gross.”
“Then why don’t you just say no?” Henry asked.
“When your wife wants you to make love to her, you just do it,” Coen said. “Trust me.”
Renee looked at Henry. “He has a point.”
Derek looked at his phone. “Thatcher says we should do out tonight.”
“Just the guys?” Coen asked.
“Yep,” Derek said.
“I’ll ask Syd if she’s okay with it,” Coen said.
Derek raised an eyebrow. “Since when did you start asking for her permission?”
Coen glared at him. “It’s because she’s sick. I want to make sure she’s comfortable without me being there.”
“Oh,” Derek said.
“My wife always comes first.”
“That’s how it should be,” Henry said.
Coen pulled out his phone and texted Sydney.
The guys want to go out tonight.
Are you going?
I want to. But if you want me home tonight, I understand.
As long as you sleep with me, I’m okay.
Thanks. I love you, seahorse.
I love you too.
Coen put his phone away. “Sydney is okay with it.”
“Should we go to Tully’s?” Henry asked.
“Yeah, we’ll watch the game,” Derek said.
Paola hooked her arm through his, leaning close to him. Renee was just as affectionate with Henry, her hand resting on his thigh. Coen missed Sydney. They bickered often, but he loved feeling her touch him, claim him. It wasn’t the same without her. The scent of her hair was absent and the warmth of her smile was gone. Now he sat alone in his molecular biology course. He usually scribbled love notes to her during the lecture, but now she was gone. He hated the loss. He already knew how much he loved his wife, but it was even more paramount when she wasn’t around.
After he was done with school, he drove to work. When he arrived in the parking lot, he called Sydney.
“Hello,” she said with a cough.
“Hey, baby. How are you?”
“The same,” she said sadly.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ve been sick for a week. It should be done by now,” she said with frustration.
“You have pneumonia, not the common cold,” he said with a laugh.
“It’s still annoying,” she said. “I’m glad my teachers are understanding.”
“They know how much you hate missing class.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m at work.”
“Oh, well have a good time.”
“Thanks.”
“Where are you guys going tonight?” she asked.
“Tully’s.”
“Can you bring me something afterwards?”
“Anything you want.”
“Some ice cream.”
He smiled. “You never eat ice cream.”
“I think it will feel good on my throat.”
“Sure. What kind?”
“Surprise me.”
They sat on the phone in silence for a while.
“I miss you,” he said.
“I miss you too.”
“It’s not the same when you aren’t at school.”
“It’s probably nice,” she said with a laugh. “I’m not there to argue with you.”
“I love arguing with you,” he whispered.
“I do too.”
“Well, I’ll see you when I get home. Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
He hung up then walked inside. After he changed, he checked in at the desk and went over his paperwork. Ever since he got married, he stopped taking female clients. There was no doubt that he would never cheat on Sydney, ever look at another woman, but he didn’t want to be put in the situation to begin with. It made him uncomfortable touching another women besides his wife.
When he looked at the paperwork, he realized his next client was a girl.
Coen turned to his coworker. “I think you gave me the wrong paperwork, man.”
Tyrese took it then looked it over. “No, this is right.”
“I don’t take chick clients,” he snapped.
Tyrese looked at him. “Dude, we’re so booked right now. And the rest of the guys can’t accommodate the schedules. I’ll try to comply with your request as much as possible, but it’s not always going to happen. Either be a team player or find another job.” He walked into the back office and disappeared.
Coen sighed in annoyance. Now that he was married, he couldn’t afford not to work. He’d been saving his money to take Sydney on a real honeymoon and he needed the cash. He sighed then went back into the changing room. He changed into long sweat pants instead of the shorts he usually wore, and his cut off shirt was exchanged for a normal
t-shirt. Sydney always wore a shirt and shorts when she went swimming with friends without him, when guys were around, so he had to do the same for her.
He walked into the training room and set up for the session. When his client walked inside, he sighed in annoyance. She was wearing a sports bra and black leggings. Her hair was down, curly at the ends, and her face was pounded with makeup. Coen was immediately irritated. She should be here to workout, not show off.
“I’m Coen,” he said simply.
“Casey,” she said. She extended her hand to take his.
Hesitantly, Coen shook it.
She had dark brown hair and blue eyes. She had a slim build, with long legs and a lean torso. He couldn’t deny that she was attractive, even though she wasn’t his type at all.
“Let’s get started,” he said. “Are you a beginner?”
She shrugged. “I guess.”
“And what do you need this training for?” He looked at the clipboard.
“Personal,” she said vaguely.
Coen wasn’t convinced. “Is someone bothering you, Casey?”
“No,” she said quickly, averting her gaze.
Coen caught the lie. “As your trainer, you can confide personal information to me. It will remain confidential. And the more I know about your needs, the better I can help you.”
She placed her hands on her hips but remained mute.
Coen thought of Sydney. She was the exact same way when they first met, untrusting, quiet. “Let’s begin,” he said.
He showed her the basic moves of self-defense, how to block attacks and unleash her own. She seemed to have a good understanding of the practice, but she needed to work on her timing and her confidence.
When he demonstrated moves to her, he never touched her. He wanted to avoid it as much as possible. His relationship with Sydney was solid, and there was no room for any doubt of his commitment to her, but he still wanted to cover his ass.
Casey sweated through the whole training session, and her layers of makeup started to peel away. Coen noticed the slight discoloration around her lips and near her eyes, like they were old bruises. The makeup hid them well, but the abrasions were evident when it disappeared.
When the session was over, Coen looked at her. “If someone is hurting you, you should report it to the police.”
“No one is bothering me,” she said quickly.
Coen sighed in annoyance. He should just let it go. It wasn’t his problem. But his conscious kept pulling him back. It was his duty and obligation to help those who couldn’t help themselves. After his sister passed away, he vowed to stop it from ever happening again. “Please talk to me,” he said with a sigh.
