“I’m not. I’m cold.”

Looking down his body, I saw he was hard again.

He followed my gaze and chuckled. “Lots of time to make up for,” he joked.

“Surely … surely there have been others. Other chances?”

His smile faded. “My life has been all about Dauphine and work. I know it seems easy from the outside. Other single parents have it harder. After all, I have a mother and plenty of staff who want to look after her. But,” he paused, brow furrowing as if thinking how to express himself, “I was scared. Scared I would not be a good father, and Dauphine would grow up being like her mother. I … keep looking for the signs. I don’t … it doesn’t seem like much else is important. I have my work. Many new challenges. Inventions. And I have my daughter.” He seemed to be dancing around something else. “I don’t like the way people—women—look at me. Like I’m broken. Tragic. A man to be pitied. Or saved. I am broken. I’m very aware of it. But it’s my business. And I don’t like to see it in people’s faces. In women’s eyes who think they can fix me. I don’t want to be fixed. I don’t trust easily. Not after Arriette. And I want to keep it that way. It’s safer. It works. But that hasn’t left me many opportunities. Women always want more.”

Wow. Offense taken. I was equally awash with pity for him and sadness for us. And hurt. As if he was rejecting me personally. “Everyone should want more. Everyone should expect more.”

He didn’t offer a response.

It was one thing knowing the man you were with had walls. Quite another being personally told about their height, their breadth, and their utter impenetrability. And being warned not to try and scale them lest I be just another one of those women. Was I supposed to feel lucky he picked me? I was on the verge of feeling used. Irritation bubbled. No. I knew what the parameters were. What he wanted them to be anyway. I swallowed the bitter sting of rejection and hopelessness that rose up in me and tried to lighten the mood. “And now I get to be the lucky girl who enjoys this for a few days?” I reached out and closed my hand around his girth. Internally, I winced at the superficiality of my response. It sounded hollow to my own ears. But what other response could I have?

He took my hand off him and brought it to his mouth and kissed the back. Then he sat up. “I should let you get ready. We’ll be docking soon.”