Page 51 of Lupo

I press the wet cloth to his side, cleaning away the dried blood. He doesn't make a sound, but I feel his muscles tense under my hands. The wound isn't terrible, it won't need stitches, but it's angry and red.

"You have to be more careful," I say, focusing on the wound instead of the way my hands are shaking. "We can’t let this get infected."

"I will be." His voice is rough. "Tomorrow, I'll wrap it better before I go."

Tomorrow. He's planning to go back.

"You don't have to go back," I say. “You shouldn’t go back tomorrow. You’re not well enough to do this kind of work.”

"Yes, I do have to go back." He catches my wrist, stopping me. "Isabella, look at me."

His eyes are intense, burning into mine.

"I need to work," he says. "I have to take care of you. Both of you. It's the only thing I can do right now. The only way I can," he trails off, struggling for words. "The only way I can be worth keeping around."

"You think that's why you're here? For money?"

"Isn't it? You need help with money. I can provide it."

"No." I set down the cloth, turning to face him fully. "That's not why you're here. You're here because I want you here. Because Elena adores you. Because you make this place feel less empty and more like a home."

"Isabella," he says, my name barely a whisper. "I don't even know who I am. Why would you want me here?"

"I know who you are now. That's enough for me."

"It's not. When I remember, when my past catches up, it might be bad."

"Then we'll deal with it then." I touch his face, feeling the rough stubble under my palm. "But right now, in this moment, I know exactly who you are. You're the man who works himself to exhaustion to feed my daughter. Who checks the locks every night. Who plays with Elena like she's precious. Who kisses me like I'm something worth having."

His hand comes up to cover mine. "You are worth having. You're worth everything."

"Then stay." The words come out before I can stop them. "Not in the barn. Stay with me. Tonight. Stay here in the house."

Something in his expression shifts. Darkens. His eyes drop to my mouth.

"Isabella, do you know what you’re asking if I stay," he asks.

"I know."

For a heartbeat, we just look at each other. Then he moves, and suddenly his mouth is on mine.

The kiss is desperate, consuming. His hands are in my hair, on my face, pulling me closer. I part my lips and his tongue sweeps in, claiming, possessing. I make a sound in the back of my throat and feel him groan in response.

We're still sitting at the kitchen table. This is awkward, wrong, but I don't care. I need him closer. Need more.

I pull back just enough to breathe. "Elena, is upstairs."

"I know." His voice is wrecked. "We can't. Not yet."

"After she's asleep?"

"Yes." He kisses me again, softer this time. "I'll wait. I'll wait forever if that's what you need. I’m not pressuring you."

I make dinner somehow, though my hands are shaking and I can barely focus. Lupo sets the table, moving carefully because of his ribs. Elena chatters through the meal, oblivious to the tension crackling between her mother and the man she's claimed as hers.

After dinner, I put Elena to bed. She wants three stories instead of one, and I nearly scream with frustration. But finally, she's asleep, rabbit clutched tight, her breathing deep and even.

I check the lock on her door, just to be safe, and walk back toward my bedroom.