7

In the middle of their first night together, Pace, who was not quite asleep, felt Siempre take his hand. She drew him up from the floor to the bed.

“You will be more comfortable with me,” she whispered.

“Sin duda,” Pace said, as they began to make love for the first time.

In the morning, Siempre and Pace made love again. After showering and dressing they left the hotel and had coffee and croissants at a nearby cafe.

“What do you want to do first?” Pace asked.

“Look for work and a place to live.”

“You can stay with me until you find a job.”

“How long do you plan to stay in Philadelphia?”

Pace shook his head. “I’m making my plans as I go along. I have no intention of abandoning you to the wolves of the desert.”

Siempre Desalmado laughed.

“Where do they live, these wolves?”

“Everywhere. They’re always on the prowl, seeking the most vulnerable among us.”

“You believe I need to be protected from them?”

Pace sipped his coffee.

“We all do,” he said.

“Perhaps I am una loba del desierto. A wolf in, how is it said in ingles, ropa de la oveja.”

“I’ve seen you without your clothes.”

Siempre laughed.

“Si, you have.”

“You have beautiful fur.”

“Fur? Oh, si, piel.”

“But you do have the scent of the wild. Not from your body but from your spirit, your soul. Su alma.”

“As I told you, I am not heartless like my name says, but I suppose I am not so easy to tame.”

“I have no desire to tame you.”

Siempre smiled.

“Not yet,” she said.