Chapter 4

He slowly laid her on her back and began to unbutton her bodice. Cristina was excited and agitated at the same time, she feared she wasn't up to such a wonderful man but she knew that he was a very sweet person and he wouldn't let her weigh anything. When he was done with her bodice, she in turn took off his black leather jacket and shirt and started fumbling with his pants, feeling all his desire. Buck let her do it and when he was completely without clothes, he began to caress her breasts tenderly, kissing her softly on the mouth and then down on her neck. Cristina moaned with pleasure and in turn stroked his soft hair that fell over her body. Little by little Buck reached down with his hands until he freed her from her skirt. He lifted his flushed and visibly excited face and asked her again: "Are you really sure?".

Cristina replied with a sigh: "That's all I want, I want to be completely yours, Buck".

He gently pulled her knickers off and she felt embarrassed for a moment, but when he came back to caress and kiss her softly, she abandoned herself to pleasure enjoying her husband's touch. Buck stroked her slowly until his fingers reached her private parts. Gently he massaged her and started sliding his finger inside her. Cristina moaned with pleasure and clung more to him. Buck repeated that movement several times until he understood that she was ready. He leaned over her as she stroked his back and kissed him passionately, demanding that he make her his own, and he penetrated her with extreme delicacy. Cristina felt a slight pain that instantly disappeared as she felt her husband moving in a slow, gentle rhythm inside her. Cristina clung to his shoulders until she exploded with pleasure under Buck's amorous assaults that became faster and more demanding. They reached heaven almost at the same time and desperately screamed their names.

Buck slumped over Cristina for a moment to catch his breath and then crawled out of her to lie beside her panting. Cristina was breathing hard too and when he lay down next to her she turned her face to look at him and saw the most beautiful man she had ever met in her life. His eyes were so soft and intense, his chest rose and fell quickly following his breath and she felt so lost in the contemplation of her husband.

Buck felt her gaze on him, turned and asked: "Are you okay?"

She smiled and answered him: "Never been better! I'm just sorry I didn't do it sooner!"

He smiled at her and hugged her to him.

"Are you sure I didn't do something wrong?"

"Are you kidding? It was wonderful. I'm a lucky woman"

Buck blushed and she teased him a little: "Are you blushing? I love your shyness honey. It's one of the sides I love about your character."

"And I love your sincerity and spontaneity. I'm glad you decided to spend your life with me"

"I could not have made a better choice. I'm sorry if I wasn't very good…You'll understand that it was my first time…" and she blushed as she said it.

"You don't have to apologize to me for anything, ever, especially this one. I am proud to be your first man and I must confess that you are also the first for me. I've fallen in love with other women in the past but I've never made love with them and I'm glad it turned out that way. You are the right woman for me"

Cristina smiled at him and hugged him tightly. Buck pulled himself up and placed it against his chest. They stood like that for a while, not speaking, then he asked her: "Are you really sure you want to live in the camp?"

"I want to live wherever you want to be, you are my family and my world, that's all I ask"

Buck kissed her passionately and they found themselves making love again.

They remained embraced until sunset and then Buck said to her: "It's time to go back, are you ready?"

"Very ready. Let's start our new life"

"I love you Cristina. I thought I would never say these words again. Thank you for coming into my life and choosing me" and he hugged her tightly.

Cristina limited herself to saying: "I love you too"

They put on their camp clothes again and made their way to their teepee, still galloping on the same horse.

When they arrived at the camp, they saw Red Bear coming to meet them.

"Nice to see you both again. Did you have a good day?"

"Very pleasant, thank you. Did you doubt that we would meet again?", answered Buck.

"Brother, don't challenge my intelligence. I'm glad you made the right choice"

Cristina wanted to be honest with him: "I love your brother and for nothing in the world I would cause him pain"

"I'm glad to hear you say that, sister. Buck deserves a woman who is devoted to him"

"He found it, I assure you"

"Well, I guess you're tired and want to have dinner in your tepee. Good night. See you tomorrow"

Buck nodded to him, and they led the horses with the others and entered their tent, for the first time as a real couple.

"Go and refresh yourself a bit if you want, I'll take care of dinner"

"I want to help you, you know I don't fully agree with all Kiowa customs. You don't have to serve me just because I'm your husband, I want to share even these little domestic moments with you."

"And from tomorrow you will do it if you like, but for tonight let me do it. Take it as a gesture of thanks"

Buck nodded, kissed her cheek, and went out to freshen up. Cristina prepared dinner as her friends had taught her and also thought of a surprise for Buck.

When he returned everything was ready and Cristina had decorated the teepee with candles.

"Wonderful! Very romantic. Thank you"

"Welcome to your new life darling", Cristina said taking him by the hand and leading him to sit down.

They ate heartily and conversing as if they had known each other forever. The talk also ended up on Red Bear and Cristina asked Buck: "Do you think he suspected something?"

"He didn't suspect, he knew"

"How did he know? Did you confide in him? What if he stopped us?"

"I didn't tell him anything, I would never have risked jeopardizing your freedom, but my brother is a very wise and generous man. He understood right away that I would never keep you tied to me against your will and despite this he left me free to act as I thought best. He wanted to trust us and leave us free to make our own choices. He must be an authority figure for the role he plays, but he has a big heart and is really happy for us."

"I'm very happy for you and I'm proud to have such a brother-in-law then."

They continued to chat for a while and then Cristina said: "Well, now it's time for dessert"

"Did you make dessert too? It wasn't necessary"

Mischievously she stood up, dropped the buckskin she was wearing, and said to him: "This is your dessert hubby."

Buck looked at her with bulging eyes and his expression made her burst into laughter, which she hadn't had in too long.

She approached him, took his hand, made him stand up, wrapped her arms around his waist and said: "Enjoy your dessert" and started kissing him greedily.

Buck didn't have to repeat it twice, he lifted her, laid her on the blankets of their bed, quickly got rid of his clothes and the two made love for the first time in their home, enjoying each other without shame and without brakes.

They remained embraced enjoying their serenity and suddenly Buck offered her: "There is something I would like to offer you"

"Tell me everything you want"

"Wow, don't tempt me…", he said mischievously

"Oh yes, I'll tempt you... I would never deny you anything, you know!"

"Seriously. I've been thinking about it all day... What would you say about getting married even with the religious rite?"

Cristina was stunned hearing these words.

"Why?"

"Because in the white world we are not legally married"

"So? We live among the Kiowa"

"Yes, but we don't know what fate has in store for us and if we were to have children I don't want them to suffer from our decisions. If one day they wanted to be part of the white world they would not be recognized"

"Wow, are you already thinking about the children?"

"Well, technically today we might have conceived them three times already and it's only the first day…."

"Oh yes, if we keep this pace..." and they burst out laughing.

"Really Cristina, wouldn't you be calmer?"

"If this makes you feel more serene, I agree. I would marry you with all the rites in the world to make you happy"

"Me too. One more thing: don't you have any relatives in Italy that you would like to contact? I'd like to call all my pony express friends again."

"Would be great. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have any close relatives, just people I've hardly ever dated, so I'm fine with that."

"Perfect. Let's take a few days to think about how to do it, then we will talk about it with my brother and I think we will necessarily have to involve Rachel and Teaspoon"

"I really think they would be thrilled"

"Yes!"

They kissed and went back to making love. They fell asleep in each other's arms and the next morning Buck was the first to wake up. He watched her sleep peacefully and felt at peace for perhaps the first time in his life. He hadn't dared hope that this beautiful woman would agree to stay with him and be his wife. Only the previous morning he was convinced that he would lose her forever and now he was so happy. In his heart he hoped with all his strength that this time was the right one and that he would not have to suffer again as with Camille and Kathleen, the two women he had fallen in love with in the past. He felt that this time everything would be fine. She was even willing to spend the rest of her life in the camp just to be with him. Buck was happy, but knew that this could not be their fate. He had begun to think about how to reenter the white world, especially for the children they would have.

He was aware that the world was changing rapidly and that Indian tribes would soon become extinct. He did not want his children to experience this tragedy, so it was better to raise them immediately in the white world, while continuing to pass on his traditions to them. He didn't want to talk to Cristina about this right away, he didn't want her to think he was sacrificing himself for her. Little by little he would make her understand that it would be the best solution.

While he was immersed in these thoughts, he looked at her tenderly and soon she stirred and opened her big green eyes.

"Good morning honey, did you sleep well?"

"Like a dormouse and you?"

"Wonderfully in your arms. I love you so much Buck and I'm happy to be here with you"

He smiled at her and kissed her. They ended up making love again.

"Well, I think we need to hurry up with the wedding, we're really in danger of becoming parents soon", he teased.

"Oh yeah, I can't resist you, you're so sexy..."

Buck blushed and she teased him again.

They ate breakfast and then Buck went out to do his chores. Cristina was joined by her friends and Sad Eyes and they spent the morning together.

Buck had gone hunting with Red Bear, who had wanted to spend some time with his brother after what happened the day before.

"So bro, it looks like things are going well for you", he began.

Buck knew he couldn't get away from him and hide nothing from him, so he decided to be completely honest even though he had told Cristina that they would tell him about the wedding later.

"I'm really lucky brother, I think I've found the woman of my life. She says she loves me and wants to live here with me"

"But?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to tell me that there is no but?"

"You really don't miss a thing huh? Yes, there is a but. If I had to decide just for me and her, I would have nothing to object to. She has settled in well in the camp, made friends with the girls and is taking care of Sad Eyes like a mother, but the fact is that sooner or later we will also be responsible for other people…"

"Are you thinking about when you will have children"

"Yup. If I was sure I could always live like I do now, I'd risk it, but we both know very well that soon they'll try to lock us up in reservations and impose their way of life on us, then it would be devastating for my children. If, on the other hand, they lived among whites from an early age, they would not be treated as their equals but would be spared the humiliation of deportation."

"I understand your reasons. Do you plan to leave camp soon?"

"Not for now, I haven't said any of this to Cristina, but I have proposed to marry her also according to her ritual"

"And what did she say?"

"She said it doesn't matter to her, she's fine with that but if it's important to me then she will"

"She is a wise woman. I give you my blessing brother. I will suffer immensely when you leave, but I understand your reasons"

"It will be gradual, it won't happen immediately, unless…"

Red Bear understood and smiled at him.

They spent the day hunting and Buck returned in the evening for supper. He found Cristina waiting for him while she was sewing some beads.

"How was your day my love?"

"Challenging and interesting at the same time. And yours? I see you are now a perfect Kiowa wife…"

"Come on, don't make fun of me, I'm trying to fit in. Why do you say it was a busy day?"

"I told my brother about our marriage and he understood"

"Didn't you say we'd do it in a while?"

"Yes, but nothing can be hidden from him"

"It's better this way, I don't like secrets. And is there no possibility that it could be present?"

"I don't think so, but it will be there with the thought. So, do you want to start thinking about it?"

"Sure!"

While they ate dinner, they decided to go to Rachel and Teaspoon the following week with letters for Cody, Jimmy, Lou and the Kid. They would not propose a date but would ask each of them how soon they could be in Rock Creek. They would compare the answers and based on that they would decide on a date.

They were very excited about the preparations and ended up back in each other's arms.