Page 77 of In the Dark

“If you plan to sleep with nothing on, you’ll be sleeping in my bed.”

I chuckled at how serious he sounded. “I think we established last night there’s no reason for me to sleep there.”

He sucked on his teeth, and his gaze cut to mine. “How about I’m not having another man outside your room with you naked inside of it?”

I literally burst out laughing. “Then tell them all to go home. I’m not asking for them to be there. I don’t need a man outside my door at night anyway.”

“Maybe the protection isn’t for you,” he grumbled. “Maybe it’s for all of us too.”

“Don’t trust me, Callahan?” I asked as I started brushing my teeth.

“With the knives you point at me on the daily? Not even a little,” I heard him say, and that had me smiling. He’d woken up on the wrong side of the bed, and rightfully so. I got off and he didn’t, but quite frankly, I didn’t care. He’d kissed another girl, and for that, he could get blue balls all night.

He didn’t owe me a damn thing. I’d meant that. I knew that a contract marriage would never amount to two people being faithful to one another, but he shouldn’t have been so disrespectful with his indiscretions.

Actions had repercussions.

His were that I left him rock hard last night after I got mine.

After I spit, rinsed my mouth, and washed my face, I came back out and popped a hip, knowing I didn’t want to baby his bruised ego today either. “So you plan to be this way the whole day in here while I make calls to my family, or you need to get something off your chest?”

“What would I need to get off my chest?” He frowned at me and then looked down at Romeo weaving around my feet.

I picked up Romeo and snuggled him close. “I have no idea. You seem rather prickly this morning.”

He glared at the cat and begrudgingly admitted, “You talked to Archer a lot.”

“At least I didn’t kiss him,” I retorted quickly.

He sucked on his teeth. “Fair. But I’m still jealous as hell about it, okay?”

I took a deep breath. “I told you yesterday I didn’t care if the marriage was open. That’s on me. You letting Archer in my bedroom is on you. We’re moving forward now. Not backward, right?”

He hmphed before nodding, and then he rubbed his eyes. “I barely slept. I’m being an asshole.”

“You are.” I nodded. “But at least you’re admitting it. Romeo and I like a man who can see his shortcomings.”

“Yeah, yeah. Call your cousins, Viper,” he grumbled, and I chuckled but relaxed as his shoulders seemed to lower too.

Maybe it was our first fight, and maybe we’d just gotten through it.

I put the fluffy ginger down and started on the calls that I knew had to get done. It went right into me arguing with Tía Perla about invites and flowers and every minute detail.

We’d been on the phone for a good twenty minutes when I finally stopped pacing and sat on the bed to grumble, “No, I don’t really think that guy has to be invited, Tía. I mean, there’s already close to four hundred people coming to the wedding.” I paused as I listened to her asking if Callahan cared. “No, I don’t think he cares at all, Tía.”

Callahan announced in the background, “Actually I do care.” I jumped at hearing his voice. I’d forgotten he was there. He waved me on. “Tell her I agree with you, Viper.” I gave him a look, and he lifted a brow. “Go on. Tell her.” He winked at me like he didn’t want to fight anymore.

His small smirk had me trying to get off the phone with Perla to pester him. “You care about the wedding all of a sudden now?”

“I care about how we handle the wedding and the wedding planning,” he said like he was mulling over that fact. Then he continued, “Also, if you’re not going to let me bulldoze you at any point in the day, I’m surely not going to let your family bulldoze you either.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You stand up to me and fight me all day long, Jas. You rolled over and let them have their way with you from the start of that conversation. Why do you think that is?”

“Well …” He had a point. “They’re family, and they’ve done a lot for me.”

“As families should. Doesn’t mean they get to dictate every aspect of your life.”