Connected by the Sea (Hawaiian Crush #1) Read online

  His hard cock pressed against her as he leaned over her. The front of his boxers was just as wet as her underwear. When he rocked into her, she felt him rub against her clit, making her gasp into his mouth. Just the gentle touch was enough to start the formation of an orgasm, which hovered in the back of her mind.

  She slipped her hands down his back, scratching the surface of his skin as she went. When he moved against her, he moaned, breathing into her mouth.

  “I’m officially gone,” he said against her mouth.

  “Good.”

  He kissed her harder while rubbing against her.

  She knew she was the only somewhat logical person at that moment. If she asked him to fuck her, he would. She promised to remain in control so she did, letting him enjoy the moment between them without any guilt or stress, just as he had done to her.

  He gripped her hips and pushed against her harder.

  “Coen,” she said with a gasp. He was going to make her come like that. Just feeling his dick against her was enough to make her explode. They were dry humping like teenagers, but she felt more aroused than she did when she and Aaron had sex. Coen was different than anyone she had ever met. There was a connection between them that she could never explain.

  “Let me inside you,” he whispered. “I want to feel you.”

  She kissed him and cut off his words, running her fingers through his hair. When he rubbed against her again, she felt the walls break down. It started off slow and intense, crashing through her until it burst into a fiery ball of flame. She gripped him tightly as her entire body tensed, and she felt the pleasure roll through her like the tide during the rise of the moon. It felt so good that she was dizzy. Her lips became immobile as she enjoyed it, breathing into his mouth with loud gasps and moans. She got louder but was unable to stop herself. He stopped kissing her and just listened to her sounds, becoming harder because she was coming for him. When she was finished, she gripped him tightly, not wanting it to end.

  Coen pulled down his boxers, but she steadied his hands, knowing what he was going to do. “No.”

  “I don’t want to come in my underwear,” he said. “That’s all.”

  She released the rim of his shorts and let him pull them down. He pressed his cock directly against her wet clitoris and rubbed against her. He didn’t kiss her, but looked into her eyes as he gently slid across her skin. She gripped the back of his neck and moved with him, increasing the friction and stimulation. When he started to breathe heavily, his muscles tightening under her, she knew he was about to come. With a loud gasp, he came on top of her, moaning the entire time. His eyes never left hers as the pleasure shot through him.

  When he was finished, he kissed her gently. “I haven’t done that since high school but I really enjoyed it.”

  “I did too.”

  “I’m glad I can make you come so easily.”

  “Well, look at you. It isn’t difficult to do.”

  He smiled. “I like what I’m hearing.”

  She ran her hands up his back then cupped his face, kissing him gently. His lips responded to her touch and he caressed her, feeling her lips intently. Her heart ached when she felt him, not from pain, but from joy. It was so strong, it was frightening. When she looked into his eyes, she saw the same expression. The trust between them was unshakeable, and the adoration they felt for one another was unbreakable. She had never felt that way in her entire life, not with her family, friends, or significant others. This was different in every way.

  He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to get a towel.” He rose from the bed then walked away, leaving her paralyzed with emotion. When he returned, he wiped the mess away. “Sorry about that.”

  “I like it.”

  “You do?”

  “It’s hot.”

  “At least I don’t feel so disgusting now.”

  She grabbed his arm and pulled him to bed. “Definitely not disgusting.”

  He turned on his side and draped his hand over her. “I can’t keep my eyes open,” he said as he sighed.

  She kissed him on the forehead. “Goodnight. You deserve a long rest.”

  He growled. “I don’t even want to know what time it is.”

  She glanced at the clock but didn’t reveal the time. “Goodnight.”

  “Hmm.”

  She pressed her forehead against his and listened to his breathing before she fell asleep. The slow cadence of his heartbeat and his breaths made her forget about every bad thing that ever happened to her. She forgot about Henry, her family, her job—everything. It was just them against the world.

  12

  Coen woke up when the alarm went off then took off to his place to shower. Seeing him go made her heart throb. Being apart from him was pure torture. She knew she had to keep their relationship a secret for Henry’s sake, but she really hated it. She hated seeing Coen sit across the classroom, not even acknowledging her. She wanted the whole world to know that they were together.

  When she saw Henry in the parking lot that morning, she felt her stomach convulse in nausea. She knew what he wanted to discuss.

  When he reached her, he looked at her. “How about tonight?”

  “Henry, I thought about it and I really think it’s a bad idea.”

  He sighed. “Why?”

  “I just feel like I would be leading you on.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not going to change my mind.”

  He looked wounded by her interruption.

  “Henry, do you really want to be with me if it’s forced? Don’t you want it to be natural?”

  “I don’t care how it is. I just want to be with you. It really doesn’t matter if you don’t love me nearly as much as I love you. You’ll get there eventually.”

  She looked over his shoulder and saw Coen walk down the sidewalk toward them. He stared at her but his expression was stoic. “Henry, that is my final answer. No.”

  He bowed his head, running his hands over his face. “Okay.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  He said nothing.

  Coen stopped when he reached them. “I heard we have a quiz today.”

  Henry looked away and stared at the building, hiding his face. He was on the verge of tears and Sydney knew it. She saw his chest expand with heightened breaths and his eyes flutter with accumulated tears.

  “We’ll see you in class, Coen,” she said without looking at him.

  He looked at her for a moment. “Okay.” He walked away without looking back. She knew he was just trying to give her the courage to be strong.

  Henry shifted his weight then ran his fingers through his hair. The pain was etched into every line of his face. “I’ll...I’ll catch you later,” he said as he turned around.

  She grabbed him and held him in her arms. “It’s okay, Henry.”

  “I need space.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “You’re going to find someone that you love way more than you love me.”

  “But I only love you.” His voice shook with emotion.

  “For now.”

  He rested his head on top of hers. Their first class had already started but she couldn’t leave Henry. She never missed a class but he was more important than perfect attendance.

  “I’m sorry that I’m acting like this,” he whispered.

  “Please don’t apologize.”

  “I’m not usually an emotional guy.”

  “I know you aren’t. Please don’t explain yourself.”

  After a moment, he composed himself. “You should get to class.”

  “We should get to class.”

  He shook his head. “I’m going to head home.”

  “Where you go, I go,” she said as she grabbed his hand. “Now, let’s go to class.”

  He said nothing.

  “Let’s get back to normal. We don’t need to talk about this anymore. Fake it until you make it, Henry.”

  “Okay.”

  She smiled. �
�Let’s go.” She held his hand as they walked to the science building, caressing his knuckles. When they got inside, she dropped his hand. Professor Jones looked at Sydney as she moved to her seat but he continued to lecture. Coen had his eyes glued to her face, making sure she was okay.

  They sat down next to Nancy, who looked at them with a heightened eyebrow.

  “Is everything okay?” she whispered to Sydney.

  “We’re fine,” she whispered back. She took out her notebook and started to scribble away. When she glanced at Henry, he was leaning back in his chair, staring at the surface of the table. He wasn’t looking at the board or listening to the lecture. He looked completely miserable.

  Sydney sighed then returned to her notes. She would have done anything to make this easier on Henry but she didn’t know what. Like the common cold, she had to wait for Henry to defeat it on his own.

  When the class was over, they walked to their next period, which Henry was equally depressed in. Sydney wouldn’t let herself look at him because she wanted to cry every time she did. She wished she could give him what he wanted just so he would be happy, but she couldn’t do that. Coen was her boyfriend, the person she really wanted. He made her feel things that were completely alien to her. The night before, she felt something burst in her chest when they kissed and touched. It was one of the greatest nights of her life, but also the worst.

  They went to their usual table in the cafeteria when lunchtime arrived. Nancy was already there, reading through her notes. She looked at them both when they sat down.

  Sydney glared at Nancy, silently asking her not to ask what was wrong. She could read her mind.

  “Hi,” Nancy said awkwardly.

  Henry said nothing.

  “They have lasagna for lunch today,” Sydney said to Henry. It was his favorite.

  He shrugged. “I’m not hungry right now.”

  She sighed, defeated, then turned to her textbook. Henry sat across from her with his arms over his chest, staring outside the window. His mind was elsewhere, probably thinking about Sydney.

  Nancy looked across the room. “Is he gonna have lunch with us again?”

  Sydney assumed she meant Coen. When she followed her gaze, she saw him approach the table. He took the seat right next to Sydney.

  “What’s up,” he said as he sat down. He placed a chicken salad on the table and started to eat, acting like everything was totally platonic. The electricity that buzzed between them was heavy in the air. If she felt it, he must have felt it too. When she thought about what they did the night before, she squeezed her thighs together. Arousal coursed through her and she felt awkward. She was worried that everyone knew what she was thinking about.

  When Coen smiled at her, she knew he recognized her thoughts. “Hi.”

  “Oh. Hi,” she stuttered.

  “Class was interesting,” he said.

  “I liked it,” she answered.

  He ate his salad, practically inhaling it, then wiped his face with a napkin.

  She was surprised he chose a salad. It wasn’t very masculine. “You like salads?”

  “They’re good.”

  “You aren’t still hungry?”

  “I had a big breakfast.”

  Nancy eyed him suspiciously. “Are you having lunch with us every day now?”

  “As long as I’m welcome.”

  Nancy started to twirl her hair around her finger, becoming playful. “Yeah?”

  Sydney recognized that look. Nancy thought Coen was visiting her, not Sydney.

  Coen leaned back. “I like seeing Sydney outside the study room.”

  She knew that was his way of declaring his interest for her without being too blunt about it. They had to be careful if they wanted to preserve their secret.

  “Why? Sydney is boring.”

  “Hey,” Sydney said, offended.

  “Well, I think she’s interesting,” Coen said in her defense.

  Henry still looked out the window, ignoring their conversation entirely. Sydney wasn’t sure if he even noticed Coen’s presence.

  Coen positioned himself in his seat so he was facing Sydney more than he was facing Nancy, a delicate way of rejecting her. Sydney really wished they could just be honest, but when she looked at Henry, she knew she couldn’t do that. He was totally miserable.

  “So, same time and place?” he asked.

  “Yeah.”

  He nodded. “Thanks for helping me. I feel like I really understand the material now.”

  She blushed, unable to control it. “You’re welcome.”

  He stared at her like she was the only person in the room.

  “Coen?”

  He turned around and looked at the blonde that approached the table. “Oh. Hi,” he said sadly.

  She placed her hand on her hip then eyed the group with disdain, her glare lingering on Sydney a little longer than on everyone else. “Come over to us,” she said as she nodded to her table, which was a group of pretty women that looked like cheerleaders.

  “No, thanks, Audrey.”

  She grabbed his arm but he pulled it away. “Stop being silly.”

  “I’m not,” he snapped. “I’m hanging out with my friends. Please leave me alone.”

  “These aren’t your friends,” she spat. “What about John, Ted, and Michael?”

  Sydney noticed how they were all guys.

  “I can have more than three friends,” he snapped.

  Sydney was surprised by the venom in his voice. She had never heard him sound so angry. He was practically livid.

  She smiled then leaned toward him, her lips moving toward his. He leaned back and grabbed her arm. “You’re just embarrassing yourself right now.”

  “Stop treating your girlfriend like that.”

  “You aren’t my girlfriend.”

  “Yes, I am,” she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I know it can’t be one of these two girls.”

  “I think they are both gorgeous,” he snapped.

  “Well, she isn’t,” she said as she looked at Sydney.

  Sydney tried not to let the insult bother her but it did.

  Coen stood up at the same time Henry did. Sydney knew Audrey crossed a line with both of them.

  Sydney grabbed his hand. “Let it go.”

  Coen stared at her for a long time, silently communicating with her. He wanted to tell Audrey that Sydney was his girlfriend, but she wasn’t ready for that, not with Henry standing so close by. He looked at Audrey. “Don’t talk about my friend like that.”

  Henry marched up to her, anger etched on his face. Henry didn’t get mad very often. Only when something catastrophic happened. “Take your fake tits and get the fuck away from her,” he snapped, his eyes wide.

  Sydney was shocked by the words that flew from this mouth. Henry never spoke like that—at least she thought he didn’t.

  Audrey glared at them both before she walked away.

  Henry watched her leave before he returned to his seat. Coen sat down and said nothing for a long time.

  Sydney looked at them both. “I appreciate you both standing up for me, but it’s unnecessary. Her insults say more about her than they do about me.”

  Coen stared at her, incredulous. “You’re amazing.”

  Nancy eyed them both when she heard him.

  Sydney looked away and tried to dissipate the obvious chemistry between them. If Nancy and Henry didn’t notice it, they were both blind. She looked at Henry. “Please don’t talk like that again.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “It just came out.”

  She stared at him, still surprised by his unexpected ferocity.

  “I was just upset,” he whispered. “It won’t happen again.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Getting Henry expelled would just make her life more difficult.

  Coen looked at them all. “I apologize for that.”

  “Your girlfriend is a bitch,” Nancy said.

  “She isn’t my girlfriend,
” he said quickly. “But you’re right. She is a fucking bitch.”

  “She seems to think there’s something between you,” Nancy pressed.

  “Well, there isn’t,” he snapped. He grabbed his backpack then stood up. “I’ll see you later.” He left the cafeteria from the door on the other side of the room so he could avoid his psycho ex.

  Sydney went to lab with Henry, but he wasn’t responsive through the whole period. She did the entire experiment by herself while he watched, his face stoic. She didn’t berate him for being a bad lab partner. She knew his heart was broken, shattered into a million pieces. Hopefully, he would get better soon.

  After class was over, Henry walked with her outside. “I guess I’ll see you around,” he said sadly.

  “Henry?”

  “What?”

  “I’m here for you.”

  “I know.”

  “Call me if you need me.”

  “I need you all the time, Sydney. But you can’t help me.”

  “I wish I could.”

  “Whoever you end up with is the luckiest guy in the world.”

  She felt the tears spring from her eyes. “Thank you. And whoever you end up with is the luckiest girl in the world.”

  He said nothing then walked away.

  After she watched him leave the parking lot, she walked to the library and entered the study room. The curtain was pulled down over the window, so she knew Coen wanted to have another make out session.

  She placed her backpack on the table then sat beside him.

  His eyes were dark when he looked at her. “Please don’t leave me.”

  “Why would I?”

  He bowed his head. “Because of Audrey.”

  “I don’t care about her.”

  “I’m so sorry about this afternoon. I would tell her the truth—that I’m happy and committed to you, but I know you don’t want that.”

  “You handled the situation as best you could.”

  “I know psycho ex-girlfriends are a huge turn off. I just don’t want her rudeness and bitchiness to scare you off.”