chapter 15

I blink a little in confusion. “What do you mean?” When he doesn’t answer for a moment, when he still looks annoyed, almost angry, though clearly not at me, I tilt my head. “Look, Cassius, I…” I dart a glance toward the twins’ room. “I never got back on birth control after the twins. And, I can’t risk bringing another child into a situation like mine, single mother, working for a living, it’s a—”

He interrupts me with a shake of his head. “It’s not you, Manila.” He locks eyes with me, and there’s a sorrow in them, so deep and profound that for a moment, I can’t respond. “I can’t get you pregnant. I’m infertile.”

Shit. Suddenly that explains some things. The way he acts with the twins, especially. He must want to be a father, but… I frown, too, reaching up to caress his cheek gently. “I’m so sorry, Cassius.”

He shakes his head, reaching up to catch my hand. He leans forward a little, and his hard length presses against my stomach. “Don’t be.” His eyes are on mine again, hot and searing