When Bees Sing - Part 1

Chapter 10

God, she hurt. Her head felt like someone had hollowed it out with an ice pick and filled it with pulsing lead. The pressure was so intense that Sadie wanted to pull at her hair to release it. What the hell happened last night?

She opened her eyes and saw the glass of water on the nightstand. Liquid salvation. She stretched her arm, grabbed the glass and put it to her parched lips. Cool, tasteless and perfect, the water soothed her scratched throat and the cells of her body rejoiced with the hydration.

She burrowed back under her covers, carefully placing her head in a way that reduced the throbbing, and heard the click of the hotel's entry system.

Then an intoxicating aroma drifted to her nose. Coffee. Someone brought her coffee.

Although it hurt to sit up, hell, it hurt to be conscious, Sadie pulled herself upright and reached out her hand. "I beg you, please."

"Good morning, my little drunken harlot. From the look of you, I don't need to ask how you're feeling this morning." Derry dangled the coffee just out of her reach. "You hoping for this?"

She wanted to yell but feared her head would explode. Instead she tilted it an inch to the right and whispered, "Please."

"Those are great puppy dog eyes, Luce. Do they get you what you want every time?" He handed her the steaming Styrofoam cup and sat down on the bed.

Sadie took a sip, not caring that it singed her tongue. All that mattered was the caffeine coursing through her system, on its way to alleviating her headache.

"I bet you could use this, too." He showed her a bottle of Advil. In one easy move, he popped off the childproof top and poured two capsules into her hand.

She washed them down with a long sip of water and leaned back. "Thank you."

Derry kicked off his sandals and climbed into the bed. He snuggled down under the covers and lay on his side, propped up on one elbow.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but what are you doing?"

"Going back to bed."

Despite the massive amount of pain in her body, Sadie bolted up. "You're what!"

"Going back to bed."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but going back to bed implies you were once in bed."

"Yes." He dragged out the one syllable.

Sadie squeezed her right eyebrow where the ice pick must have entered her skull. She tried to remember what happened the night before, after her humiliating display at the beach, but her brain came up empty.

"You don't remember, do you?"

A slow heat started in her face, but she snickered. "Um, that's not saying much for your performance then, is it?"

Derry buried his face in the pillow. His shoulders shook and Sadie could hear his amusement. When he stopped laughing, he turned his head toward her. "Lucy, you're cuter than a speckled pup in a red wagon."

"Thank you." Proud of herself, she took another sip of her coffee and waited a beat. "So...um...what did happen last night?"

He cleared his throat. "You got drunk, told me about George and your wedding night, seduced me with a mind blowing kiss and went to bed."

"And you slept where?"

"At my place, in a bed not as comfortable as this one." He bounced around on it. "I walked you up to your room, made sure you were properly and safely passed out in bed and took your room key so I could bring you coffee first thing."