Cody tipped his hat to Mabel, but didn’t extend even that much courtesy to Melissa before latching on to her arm and practically hauling her into the storage room, past the startled gaze of Eli Dolan. Cody kicked the door shut behind them, plunging them into darkness.

“Dammit, Cody, what do you think you’re doing?” Melissa demanded, trying to wrench herself free and reach the light switch at the same time. She couldn’t succeed at doing either one.

“We need to talk,” he declared, seemingly oblivious to the lack of light.

“Fine. Then let’s do it like two civilized adults. There’s no need for your caveman routine.”

He was close enough that she could see that his eyes sparked fire, but he released his grip on her. Melissa felt along the wall until she found the switch. She flipped it on, illuminating the room that was small under the best of conditions, but claustrophobic with Cody pacing in the cramped space.

Somehow he managed to neatly avoid the stacks of just-delivered boxes, metal shelves of inventory and a disorderly array of cleaning supplies. Melissa had the feeling that he was practically daring the inanimate objects to give him an excuse to knock them all to the floor. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him quite so angry or quite so speechless. Cody’s glib tongue was known far and wide, especially among women.

She kept silent and waited. Finally he stopped in front of her, his hands shoved in his pockets, legs spread, a belligerent expression on his handsome face.

“Whose baby is it?” he demanded in a tone that made her hackles rise.

Melissa made up her mind then and there that she wasn’t giving in to his bullying or to any coaxing he might decide to try when that failed. Maybe that had been the problem in the past. She’d been too darned easy on him, too much in love to ever say no. She hoisted her chin a challenging notch.They were going to have a conversation on her terms for a change.

“Good morning to you, too, Cody.”

Cody’s gaze narrowed at the sarcasm. “Dammit, I asked you a straight question. The least you could do is give me a straight answer.”

She wasn’t sure where she found the courage to face him down, but she did. “Why should I, when you’re acting like a bully?”

“I think I have a right to act any damn way I please.”

“No,” she said softly. “You don’t. I told you before that we can discuss this like two civilized adults or I can go into the other room and go to work.”

He raked his hand through his hair in a gesture that was vintage Cody. She’d always been able to tell exactly how frustrated or annoyed he was by the disheveled state of his hair.