Still nothing.

His instincts kicked in, and he turned the doorknob, opening the door just enough so that she’d be able to hear him more clearly. When there was still no answer, he glanced in. Everly was sound asleep in the tub, her face blissful.

Shit.

He thought about going back downstairs and letting her rest for a while, but then he started getting mental images of her sliding under the water. She seemed so sound asleep. It wasn’t safe. She could drown.

Hoping he didn’t piss her off, he patted her shoulder. Nothing. He tried hard not to let his gaze drift downward, but this was like setting a starving man set loose in a five-star restaurant.

“Everly? Ev?” He shook her shoulder, and blearily, she blinked up at him.

“Hi.” The word was breathy, and interest stirred behind her golden eyes.

“Hi.” He smiled, trying to keep his own interest from showing before things got out of hand. “You fell asleep, sweet girl. Dinner is ready, if you’re still hungry. Do you need help getting out?”

Like a sleepwalking child, she reached for him, trusting that he’d take care of her. Her trust squeezed the breath out of him. Their fingers laced together, and he stared at them as he helped her to her feet. So perfect. She stood there, swaying, watching him. He lifted her out and put her on the bathmat, then wrapped a fluffy towel around her. A shiver shook her from head to toe, and she leaned into him. Unable to stop himself, he hugged her to him and rubbed her back.

“Are you too sleepy to eat?”

She shook her head. From the bedroom, he grabbed a T-shirt and track pants, then dressed her when she didn’t seem inclined to dress herself. Did she have any clue how beautiful she was? Her face was so dear to him that he ached to cover it with kisses. The column of her bare neck, the swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips, had him staring, enraptured, when he shouldn’t have been. The warm scent of her made him want to taste her and remind her of how well they fit together. His dick was hard, but right then he just wanted her in his arms, in his bed. Safe.

Instead, he rolled thick socks onto her tiny feet and led her downstairs, guiding her so she didn’t stumble.

“I don’t remember being this tired in my whole life. I feel drunk,” she murmured.

He chuckled. “I can tell.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you dress me, but even lifting my arms is hard.”

She shouldn’t know how much pleasure he got from taking care of her.

He settled her at the table, then dished food onto plates and poured them both tea.

“Thanks again. My mom is out of town, and I couldn’t think of anyone else who could front me the money. I’m going to pay you back though. I’ll go to the bank first thing in the morning.”

Ambrose sat down, waving her promise away. She would do no such thing, but he didn’t feel like arguing now. He cut her food, in case she was too tired to do it. When she didn’t pick up her fork, he skewered a piece of meat for her and put it to her lips. She opened her mouth and took it, then accepted her fork back from him.

“I’ve been keeping the food warm for a while. I hope it’s not dried out.”

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she groaned in pleasure. The sound was like a jolt of electricity straight into his jeans. He could think of several more pleasurable ways of making her groan than feeding her, but he doubted that would ever happen again. At least she was being civil and letting him help her.

“You have every right to be angry.”

“I do. Lies don’t belong in relationships.”

He nodded once, and the tiny amount of hope that had blossomed in him shriveled back up. Her tone said she hadn’t forgiven him. And here he’d thought he might have changed her mind.

Did he deserve to be forgiven? No.

They ate for a few minutes, and the haze of exhaustion that had clouded Everly seemed to lift. “This is awesome. So much better than toast.”

Ambrose laughed in spite of himself, considering it was a pretty fancy dinner, even for him.

When she laid her cutlery aside, he brought her to the living room and flipped on a documentary about seals. Either she’d fall asleep on the couch, and he could move her to the guest bedroom they used to share, or maybe he could get her talking.

“Seals?” She sat on the far side of the couch, and he sat on the other end, giving her space.

“If I watch shows about warm climates, I start wanting to travel.”

“So? You’re rich. Why not go?”

“Well, mostly because I’d have no one to go with. My family is busy with their own work, and so are the guys.” Maybe that had been too forward. He glanced at the television, watching the underwater ballet of the seals playing together.

“You’re not seeing anyone?”

He looked at her and shook his head. Although she seemed to be studying him, it didn’t look like his dating status mattered to her either way.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Thank goodness she’d brought it up, because he had to know one way or the other. Asking would have made him sound like some sort of desperate stalker.

Her expression was unreadable, but was there a hint of longing there? “No. I’ve been too messed up about you.”

Ambrose moved closer to her, but stopped when her expression turned wary.

“The very last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt you.”

Everly’s brows raised in disbelief.

“It’s true. That’s one of the biggest reasons I had such a hard time coming clean about the money. Everything between us was so perfect that it made me more and more reluctant to fuck it up.” Ambrose swallowed, giving himself time to calm his voice. He was too stressed out to make sure all of his words came out right, but it might be the only chance she’d ever give him to say it.

“So what were you planning to do? You were just going to house-sit for your imaginary buddy for the rest of our lives? You were never going to tell me where you worked? You would have just kept paying for your bogus apartment?” She frowned and shook her head like he was the biggest damn idiot she’d ever met. When it came to her, maybe he was. Sometimes love made people stupid.

“I don’t know. I thought of selling the house. It’s too big anyway. And I don’t need so much money. I could just donate most of it and live off a normal wage. Other people could put it to better use.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you would have sold your house and lived like a regular person, just to keep me?”

“What’s the point of having money if it means I can’t be with the person I love? Besides, you’ve shown me I don’t need all this shit to make me happy. I was happier in my crappy fake apartment, because I was with you.”

Everly didn’t say anything, but seemed to be mulling over his words. Fuck. He should say something romantic, but he wasn’t good at smooth-talking.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. “I saw an envelope on your counter, from the new East End Shelter. What’s that about?”

Busted.

Mentally he scrambled, trying to figure out what to say.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “No more lies, Ambrose. Just tell me.”

“You said we needed one in that area.” He grimaced. When he was setting everything up, he’d wanted to consult with her, but it would have meant outing himself.

“We needed . . . ? You paid for a shelter?” Her eyes went round. “Like, the whole fucking shelter?”

“And the staff. I also arranged to have the downtown shelter renovated.” Did it sound like he was a rich guy bragging about his philanthropy? Ugh. Could he do anything right today?

She fell silent and eventually shook her head. “You know, when most guys fall in love, they just buy the girl a flower or something.”

He smiled at her tentatively. Taking a chance, he reached out and tucked a damp strand of her hair behind her ear. She didn’t recoil.