"Do you not feel it, too?" Poka'aki asked, her voice breathless. "I have seen the looks you have given me sometimes in the evenings when we sit around the fire. Please tell me. I am not making this up, am I? It is not all one-sided, is it? Do you love me, too?"
Red Fox shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then, slowly he bent his head to hers and touched his lips to hers. At their touch, every sense within him awoke to the splendor of her, and his heart began beating as fast as it had been only moments ago when they had been swallowed up within the buffalo stampede.
Raising his head only slightly and inhaling deeply, he looked up into the heavens before bringing his lips down to hers yet again, and he kissed her once more, but deeply this time. His tongue opened her mouth to his persuasion, and, thereupon, he proceeded to love her with his kisses, one after another, as though he were a hungry man and she were the only sweet thing that could satisfy him.
She kissed him back, and as she did so, the world around him seemed to come alive. Indeed, the sun, shining down upon his shoulders, felt warmer. The wind seemed to join in with the sun in a kindlier fashion as it whirled around them, sharing itscooler temperature with them. Truly, it felt to him as though the life force of the earth and all of His creatures were as happy as he.
However, as was to be expected when a man loves a woman, a certain place on his body came alive, and, backing slightly away from her so she wouldn't become aware of how much he really loved her and was ready to love her, he was startled when she clung to him, disallowing so much as finger's depth to come between them.
Still, he was aware of how his need for her had to be clearly evident, if only because she stood as though she were glued to him. Did she wish for his lovemaking? Bringing his head down toward hers, he touched his lips to hers yet again.
Áa! Magic! It was as though they had been waiting longer than mere years for this one precious moment to declare themselves to one another. Over and over, he kissed her hungrily, the moment seeming to him as if it were a prelude to lovemaking.
Lovemaking.
How splendid it would be to lay her down upon this field of grass and make love to her now, here, beneath the deep blue of the sky overhead and within sight of the Creator. Then they could announce their union to one and all without risking the very real possibility of her father denying her to him.
After all, it was her brother George who had included Red Fox as a tutor for her all those years ago…not her parents. In truth, it was with a critical eye her parents, József and Mária Fehér, had watched him teach her to shoot, to ride, to track and hunt game as well as any man. Added to this, for the past month, Poka'aki's elder brother Frederic—who lived in a faraway, eastern part of the Americas—was now temporarily in residence here in Pikuni country. And, though Frederic had brought with him his wife and their child for the visit, Fredericheld himself and his immediate family aloof from all things Pikuni.
Niitá'p,indeed, since Frederic's arrival, Red Fox had noted a change within her father's behavior toward all things Pikuni.
Needing to breathe, Red Fox broke off the kiss, listening to his…and her strained breath. Then, a little huskily and with a silent air of doubt in her voice, she asked, "You do love me, don't you?"
So enamored was he with her, his voice was shaking when he answered, "Of course I do. For many years I have loved you. And, if I loved you a little less than I do, I would make love to you now under the eye of the Creator, thus letting the world around us be joyful with us or condemn us."
"Oh yes. Please. We should make love. I, too, crave this, and I am ready to become your woman, your wife," she whispered.
Once again, he shut his eyes as the throes of passion came over him. He was more than ready to love her, and she wished for it, too. Did he dare do it?
Saa,no. He silently answered his own question; he could not disrespect her in this way. A good man would approach her father and ask for her hand in marriage. Besides, he did not wish to disrupt her family nor his. After all, her other brother, George, was married to Red Fox's sister.
Inwardly sighing, he realized it was true. Now was not the time for lovemaking. All that was needed to make what was good turn bad would be for him to be caught unaware of the environment around them, allowing a stray hunting party or a war party to come upon them, and he unprepared to defend her.
He swallowed, hard, bringing control over his impulses. No, this had to be done in the right way; it was his place to approach her father, bringing with him as many horses ashe could gather together from his herd, since this was the traditional Pikuni way of asking for a woman to be his. No, he would not cause the woman he loved to be thought of as a stolen woman.
Moving his forehead down to hers, he said, "We will go to your father's house tonight with many horses, and I will ask your father to give you to me as my woman for all my life."
She swooned in toward him, which he realized probably made his desire for her more than evident again. However, all she said was, "I will look for you my darling, handsome tutor. I will look for you this night. I am certain my father will say yes. After all, he speaks very highly of you and how you have patiently taught me how to survive on these plains."
Red Fox, however, had his doubts about this. All he said, though, was, "Come with me as I go to the chiefs and report what has happened here. Then, together we will take all I can quickly find of my pony herd, except this animal who carried me to you this day. We will then ride to your father's home, and I will ask him to accept the horses I give him as he, likewise, gives you to me."
"Yes," she said, placing her arms around his neck and bringing his head down to hers once more. "Imagine. Soon I will be your wife."
Laughing, she brought her lips up to his in a sweet, yet stirring kiss.
Ending the caress, Red Fox said, "Come, let us find your brother quickly and tell him our happy news. Then, we can all go to the chiefs and report what we have found concerning the buffalo herd. And, after we have made our report to our chiefs, we will seek out your father."
"Yes," she said. "Oh yes. Let us hurry!"
