Money wasn’t a concern of his, and the cost of providing her with food and supplies for a few months wouldn’t be a noticeable expense. “You don’t have to.”

With her standing so close, he could smell the fragrance of vanilla emanating from her skin. She held herself motionless, as though uncertain about what to do. A soft tendril of blond hair curled against her breast, and she kept her eyes averted.

Her cheeks flushed with color, and she swallowed hard. “Are you expecting me to become your mistress in exchange for the supplies?”

Her bluntness caught him unawares. The thought hadn’t entered his mind, and it irritated him that she would think that. “I’m not that mercenary. You need my help, and I intend to grant it. Nothing more.”

That wasn’t the sort of man he was. After all the years they’d known each other, surely she had to know this.

“Then why did you kiss me before?” Emily looked at him, her brown eyes searching. She drew his coat tighter around her shoulders, her expression vulnerable.

He didn’t answer. How could he answer the question when he didn’t know the answer himself? She should have been a stranger to him, a woman he hardly knew. And yet, he found the past merging with the present, blurring lines he should not have crossed.

“I apologize.” He gave a slight bow. “You should be warm enough for the night. I’ll find another place to sleep.”

She offered him his coat back, and he took it, abandoning the meager plate of food. Behind him, the door swung closed, and he left her alone.

What had come over him? There was no reason to touch Emily again, no matter what had happened between them years ago. She had her own future apart from his. Though he wanted to alleviate her hardship, he knew better than to trespass upon the boundary of their friendship.

His imagination flared with thoughts of her smooth skin, the dip of her stomach and the curve of her breasts. When he’d kissed her earlier, there had been a madness, an instinctive craving. A night such as this made it easy to fall prey to desire. Being trapped in a house, alone with a beautiful woman…it was like walking upon shifting sands.

He needed to keep as much distance as possible between Emily’s room and his own. The house was cold and dark, forcing him to don the coat once more. Hardly any furnishings remained, and when he searched the house, he discovered that none of the bedrooms had a single mattress.