Caught in the Undertow (Hawaiian Crush #6) (6 page)

He leaned toward her, close to her ear. “Eat it.
Now.”

“Fuck you, Coen.”

His eyes narrowed. “You aren’t eating enough calories, plain and simple. You don’t eat meat so this is what you get. I’m not getting you another fucking salad.”

Ren glanced at Henry, silently asking if they should leave.

The tension filled the air.

Derek cleared his throat. “So, does Nancy know?”

Henry looked at him. “Yeah. We’re interviewing her. I think the art students will like it in particular.”

“I don’t tell you what to eat,” Sydney snapped. “How would you feel if I made you be a vegetarian?”

“It would be valid if I had high cholesterol and a recent heart attack.” His eyes still burned with anger. “You aren’t eating enough, Syd. You are going to get sick. This isn’t healthy.”

“Let’s have this conversation later,” Sydney said.

“No, we are having it now,” he snapped. “You would just tell them about this fight anyway.”

“Coen, you are making everyone uncomfortable.”

“Then eat your food.”

“You are really pissing me off,” she said.

“The feeling is mutual.”

She pushed the plate away and stood up. “Forget it.”

Coen glared at her as she walked off.

Sydney went to the science building and waited for her next class to start. When she saw Aaron walk down the hallway, she grabbed her stuff and bolted into the bathroom. The last thing she needed was for Coen to hear about another interaction with him.

Sydney stared at her face in the mirror and tried to control her anger. She understood Coen’s opinion. She hadn’t been eating like she normally did. She was just too tired and stressed to feel any appetite. But telling her what to do, forcing her to eat when she wasn’t hungry, and ridiculing her in front of her friends was unacceptable. She wouldn’t put up with that. They were equally passionate and headstrong, which made them both enormously stubborn. But Sydney wouldn’t give in.

When she went to the aquarium after school, she immediately got to work. Their experiment had been successful the night before. She streaked the bacteria onto isolated plates then returned them to the incubator. When she diluted the salt concentrations, she checked the levels then recorded her data. The dilution met
hod by the sharks was fascinating. The only problem was, Sydney didn’t understand how this phenomenon could be applied to humans. If there was some way the salt concentration in humans could be limited by some sort of drug, diluting it, it would help the diet of millions of Americans. But Sydney also thought good dietary practices would solve all of that. Unfortunately, most people didn’t feel the same.

As the evening continued on, Sydney inserted the data into the computer. When everything was recorded, she looked at the time. Her shift was almost over. She dreaded going home to her husband, but she was eager to finish a paper that was due soon.

Gilbert opened the binder and looked at the readings. “Something isn’t right.”

“What do you mean, sir?”

He glared at her.

“I mean, Gilbert,” she corrected.

“Were the glasses cleaned properly?”

“Yes,” she said.

He thought for a moment. “Was the salt concentration a hundred to one?”

“Each specimen was ten to one.” She opened the procedure and showed it to him.

He sighed. “I apologize. I forgot to mention it needed to be changed.” He took out his pen and marked her lab notebook. “We need to do it again.”

Sydney sighed.
She had already been there all night.

“You run along,
Syd. I’ll take care of it.”

“What? No. We’re a team.”

“And I know you are still a student that has class early in the morning.”

Sydney shook her head. “I’m not leaving. We can get this done much faster if we work together.”

He eyed her. “If you get tired, you are free to go.”

She turned to the glassware and repeated the experiment. With Gilbert’s help, they were able to complete it in less than three hours. Normally, it took her five. By the time they were done, it was midnight. Now she knew she was in worse trouble with Coen. Her phone was in her purse and she forgot to call him to let him know she would be late. Now she didn’t want to go home even more.

After they locked up the lab, they left the building and walked to their cars.

Coen was standing in front of her car, his arms crossed over his chest.

Sydney sighed when she saw him. This was going to be bad.

“You got nothing else to do than wait for your wife all night?” Gilbert asked.

Coen didn’t look at him. His eyes were on Sydney. “Goodnight, Uncle.”

Gilbert got into his car then drove away.

Sydney stood in front of Coen, her gaze averted. He didn’t speak or move, but he was frightening to look at. His shoulders were tense and his eyes were bright with menace. She knew how mad he was by the look alone.

He grabbed her purse and pulled it from her shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?”

He took out her phone and went through it. “Well, it’s working.”

She sighed. “We had to work late. I couldn’t just leave.”

“And that’s fine,” he snapped. “But a fucking courtesy call would have been nice.”

She looked at the ground.

“Look at me,” he snapped.

Sydney met his gaze.

“It’s past midnight,” he said. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

“I said I was sorry.”

“All you had to do was send a text message. I would have been fine with that.”

She glared at him. “Coen, we got caught up in something. I can’t just leave and make a phone call.”

“It’s my uncle. Yes, you can leave and call your husband, telling him you’ll be late. That’s completely appropriate.”

She shrugged. “I said I was sorry. What more do you want?”

“I want it to never happen again,” he snapped. “That’s it. You’re constantly running around. I can’t keep track of where you are. But late at night, I would like to be updated. What if someone grabbed you when you walked to your car? What if you were in an accident? My paranoid mind works in overdrive.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I’m getting really fucking sick of hearing that,” he snapped. “We’re married now, so no, I take care of you. You take care of me. We’re a team. If I was out late, I know for a fact you would be just as livid as I am right now. Don’t act like you wouldn’t.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off.

“So, is it going to happen again?”

“I can’t promise that it won’t.”

His eyes narrowed.

“But I can promise that I’ll always try to remember.”

“That’s good enough for me.” He walked into his truck and slammed the door.

Sydney walked to her Jeep and got inside. Coen waited for her to leave first like he always did.

When they got home, Sydney opened her laptop and started to work at the kitchen table.

Coen stared at her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“I have a few things to do before bed.”

His hands curled into fists. “Have you eaten dinner?”

“No,” she said. “But I’m not hungry.”

He glared at her.

“Coen, not now.
I’m too tired to argue.”

He left the room and returned a moment later. He tossed a pregnancy test on the table.

She eyed it. “Coen, I’m not pregnant.”

“Take the test.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It would explain why you aren’t eating and why you’re so tired all the time.”

“Coen, I’m—”

“Just take it.”

She controlled the angry words before they left her mouth. She grabbed the test and walked into the bathroom. After taking it, she confirmed what she already knew. She handed it to him when she walked out. “I’m not pregnant.”

He stared at it. “Then you’re just unhealthy.”

She ran her fingers through her hair. “Coen, I’m already stressed out as it is. All you’re doing is making it worse.”

He stared her down. “I care about you, baby. That’s all.”

“I know, but you’re crossing a line. Back off.”

Coen gripped the edge of the table before he walked to their bedroom. “I guess I’ll see you next week.” He slammed the door.

5

When Sydney woke up the next morning, her head was resting on the kitchen table. She must have fallen asleep last night after she finished her work, too tired to walk to the bedroom. Coen came inside and made himself a cup of coffee.

“You’re going to have a kink in your neck,” he said simply.

Sydney rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

He set his coffee down then started to rub her shoulders and neck.

Sydney felt the soreness of her muscles. She moaned as she felt him touch her.

Coen dropped his hands then grabbed his backpack. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

She sighed sadly, knowing Coen was still pissed at her. She got ready for the day then went to school. She had a quiz in her zoology class, which she felt confident about. When she went to her molecular biology class, she dreaded seeing her husband. They wouldn’t speak, but his anger would be palpable.

She walked inside then took her seat next to him, not looking at him.

He placed his hand on the back of her neck and rubbed it. “Does it still hurt?”

She was surprised by his gentleness. “It feels a little better.”

His hands rubbed her neck and shoulders, making her relax. “Did you finish all your work last night?”

“I think so.”

Coen dropped his hand then rested it in his lap.

Sydney didn’t know what to say. For the first time, she felt awkward around Coen. She hated fighting with him and just wanted to forget it. She knew he meant well, but that didn’t mean he didn’t piss her off. And she understood why Coen was angry with her. He had a valid reason.

The professor started lecturing, and Sydney forgot about Coen for a moment. She scribbled her notes and stared at the board. Coen made notes but his were much different than hers. He drew pictures more than words, and the notes he did take were short and to the point. Sydney wrote down everything the professor said. They had very different ways of thinking.

When class was over, they walked to lunch.

Coen placed his hand around her waist and held her close.

Feeling him touch her made the anger dissipate slightly. It was hard to stay upset when she loved him so much. They went into the cafeteria and sat down.

“What do you want for lunch?” he asked her.

“Just a salad.”

His eyes narrowed but he held his tongue. “I’ll be back.”

Her friends watched him leave.

“I can’t believe you actually tamed him,” Henry said.

“He’s still mad,” she said. “I didn’t get off work until really late and I forgot to tell him.”

“So the honeymoon phase is officially over?” Ren asked.

“We’re just arguing right now,” Sydney said. “He made me take a pregnancy test because I’m tired and have no appetite.”

“Are you pregnant?” Paola blurted.

“No,” Sydney said quickly. “Coen is just being annoying.” She covered her mouth and started coughing, feeling the sting in the back of her throat. She sniffed when her nose started to drip.

“Do you need some water?” Henry asked, handing her his bottle.

She coughed again. “No, thanks. I have my own.” She pulled out her water bottle and took a drink.” When she put it down, she started to cough again.

“You’re coming down with something,” Derek said.

“No, I’m not,” Sydney said quickly. “I never get sick.” She coughed again.

Henry grimaced. “No, you’re getting sick.”

“Don’t tell Coen,” she said as she cleared her throat.

“Why?” Derek asked. “Because you’ll have to admit he’s right?”

Sydney glared at him.

Coen returned to the table and placed the food in front of her. He brought a salad like she requested. He took a bite of his sandwich then leaned back in his chair.

Sydney felt the tingle in the back of her throat, the undeniable necessity to cough. She drank from her water and tried to ignore it. Unable to hold it back, it escaped from her lips. She covered her mouth then acted like nothing happened.

Coen eyed her but didn’t comment.

Her friends started talking, and Sydney ate her food quietly. The need returned and she coughed, covering her mouth. It was deep and guttural. She recovered quickly then ignored Coen. Her friends all looked at Coen, wondering what he would do.

Sydney caught again.

“Do you need more water?” Coen asked simply.