CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sharon welcomed Strikes Fast's embrace as though they might have been married for years instead of a few hours, and, bringing his face down to hers, she kissed his lips, his cheeks, his eyes, even the tip of his nose.
"I love you so very much," she murmured in English. "You have honored me today. Always you do the unexpected for me, giving yourself so bravely to do the deed needing to be done. I know it took fortitude and courage to tell me what you did. Don't think I would ever leave you. I'm only glad I have come to know and love you." She sighed. "When I think of how afraid I was of making this journey to your country, I feel foolish. Had I given in to my fears and not come here, I would never have met you."
Coming up onto one elbow as he lay over her, he signed with one hand, "Can you say your words in sign so I might understand?"
She did as he asked at once and used the language of gestures to say her words as best she could, but she had to have use of both her hands, which caused him to change his position so he lay on his side next to her.
He asked in sign, "If you were this fearful of making the trip into my country, why did you come?"
Again she sighed. "Because," she signed, "my friend Amelia was so much in love with Gray Falcon, she would have made the trip alone if I hadn't agreed to accompany her. I couldn't let her come here by herself…a woman alone. Anything could have happened to her."
His smile at her was gentle. "Your heart is very big," he signed. "And, now I understand. Before we came to speak to one another, I had observed your fear of the people. I did not know why then. Now I do. You are a courageous woman to have done this for your friend, even when you were afraid. But, do not forget you have many almost sisters now to help you. As well as your friends, your new sisters will also listen to you and guide you."
"Yes, I hope they still wish to be my sisters," she signed. "As you said, we do not know what David might be saying about me."
As she was using her arms and hands to sign, Strikes Fast had brought up his own hand to massage one of her breasts, and she squirmed under the fire of the lightning-like stimulation his touch always brought to her. She moaned.
And, he groaned in response to her. Briefly, he signed, "I feel it, too. There is power between us. I think there has always been power between us." And, when he brought his hand to massage her other breast, she squirmed again, unable to control the flow of the white-hot energy coursing through her.
"It is good between us," he signed. "It is also good for us to love one another after our talk. It binds our commitment to each other—makes it stronger. Do you feel the same as I? I ask because I do not think I have ever felt this close to another human being."
"Indeed, my husband, I feel it, too."
His kneading of her breasts caused her to moan, launching her into the world of pure pleasure, and as he came up over her again, he kissed each one of her ultra-sensitive mounds of flesh. Sharon arched upward, inviting him to do more. He did not disappoint, and he accepted her gift as he gradually descended downward over her stomach, slowly kissing his way toward that ultra-sensitive spot between her legs.
And, then his hand found her core and a thousand points of fiery-hot excitement washed over her. She couldn't help herself; she began to match the rhythm of his exploration down there, and his deep, masculine groan caused a need, raw and passionate, to explode within her.
When she felt him come up over her, she welcomed him into her arms and into her warmth with all the love within her heart. And, in this ultra-sensitive moment, she felt united with him physically, yet more. So close was she to him, she could not only feel him breathe, she knew also the passion of his thoughts, knew he was experiencing the same as she. It was a merging of body and soul, this marriage.
Coming up onto his elbows over her, he gazed down into her eyes before beginning the age-old courtship dance of love and marriage. He kissed her then, his tongue imitating the act of love with his lips on hers, and she gave to him all that was in her to give. Had she ever felt like this before? This feeling of coming home?
No, never had she ever given herself so completely. Then an all-pervading feeling, so sensual, so consuming in its strength, built up within her, and she whimpered and moaned as the height of passion swept over her.
It happened then. Their dance of love had brought them both to the point of release, and as she felt herself begin the sensual fall from the high precipice of pleasure, he joined her, ultimately gifting her with his seed. On and on the pleasure continued as though neither one of them wished the moment to end.
When at last their desire was spent and he lay over her, the essence of who she was expanded outward and she felt herself become him, if only for a moment. Never would she have ever imagined two people could be so close nor that she could love a man so eagerly. As she hugged him to her, she wished she could hold him like this forever.
And, though she realized forever might not be possible, she would always have moments like these. Always.
****
As Sharon crawled into their tiny shelter, she stood up to her knees and threw off her dark-green cloak, shaking off the snow. Briefly, she shivered, having only now come from the sweat lodge, where the heat was quite intense. Because the little sweat lodge was an extremely small structure, it allowed only one or perhaps two people within it, but no more. But, the difference between its heat and the fierce, icy wind and snow blowing in her face made her shiver.
Although Strikes Fast bathed daily in the nearby stream regardless of the weather, Sharon could not do the same. Thus, Strikes Fast had built a tiny sweat lodge for her, showing her how to heat the inside of the structure by throwing water onto the steaming-hot rocks which were kept hot inside the structure by a fire. Each morning, before he left for his own bath, he lit the fire and poured water onto the rocks to bring steam into the little hut. At first, she hadn't known how to bathe in this manner, but he had shown her how easy it was to do, and, in truth, it had become part of her morning ritual now.
At present, she was alone within their small home, Strikes Fast having gone out much earlier to bathe and to hunt. Sharon sighed. So pleasant and intimate were these days with Strikes Fast, she wished fervently for the storm to wage through the rest of the winter months, although she knew her longing was unlikely to be fulfilled.
Although she and Strikes Fast had accumulated enough food to see them through the rest of the storm, he still insisted on hunting each day, and it was he who skinned and roasted the meat over the tiny fire within their lodge, drying the food so as to make it easier to carry. Each day he also saw to the comfort of the horses, whom he seemed to love as much as he might treasure a son or daughter.
He even insisted on doing many of what might be considered women's chores, stating he wished her to do no more than enjoy their time together. Later there would be more work, he'd said. But, for now, he was happy to do almost everything needing to be done. And so, enjoy their time together, she did.
Never could Sharon remember feeling so contented, nor so happy. She adored this man beyond anything she had felt was possible, and because he was so very virile, she found herself feeling quite feminine by comparison. Truly, each time he stepped into their lodge, she caught her breath at the handsome sight of him, unable to believe this man loved her perhaps as much as she did him, if this were even possible.
As she gazed around their miniature lodge, she realized she had better straighten it up a little. And, though it took hardly any time to do it, she set their sleeping robes into a neat-looking bed. Many of Strikes Fast's things were strewn about the lodge: his many bags used to carry their few possessions; an assortment of knives, one of which he had shown her was for her protection; there were several hides for trading once the snows were gone; also, there were many items of the masculine jewelry Strikes Fast often wore—a few necklaces, shell earrings, bracelets and even rings.
These Sharon set in good order, and, getting to her knees—because the hut was too small to allow her to stand up—she reached out to take hold of his blue-and-white-beaded necklace, an item quite unusual, and yet it was beautiful in its craftsmanship. It reminded her of him, and she touched it lovingly.
