Chapter 36
Colorado, 1868
The winter months passed in a serene haze of tranquility within the sturdy confines of their teepee. As the bitter winds howled and snowdrifts piled ever higher outside, Róisín basked in the simple joys of her new family life - lingering mornings spent cuddled beneath thick robes, evenings regaling the wide-eyed children with fanciful stories and games by the fire's golden glow.
Buck, once so stoic and aloof, transformed into an openly affectionate mate before her eyes. His strong hands were never without a tender caress, his deep voice rumbling endearments that made Róisín's heart race. As the snow gradually began to dissipate with the first faint whispers of spring, Buck knew their time with the tribe was drawing to a bittersweet close. They would need to continue pushing west.
One brisk but sun-kissed afternoon, Róisín found herself at the banks of the river with Sweetgrass Woman and the other women, laughing as she helped the rambunctious children splash and frolic in the shallows. Her doeskin dress and leggings were soaked through and her soft brown tresses escaped their binding in a tousled flurry of curles, but her cheeks were flushed with unfettered delight.
A familiar pair of strong arms encircled her waist from behind, and Buck's rugged jawline nuzzled against the sensitive flesh under her earlobe.
"Come walk with me, tah'," he rumbled in a tone laced with undisguised longing.
Róisín felt a delicious shiver trickle down her spine at the heated insistence in his voice. With an apologetic smile to Sweetgrass Woman, she allowed Buck to lead her away from the riverbank party toward the secluded tree line.
Once surrounded by the fragrant pine trees, shielding them from the raucous village, Buck halted their progress and turned to fully envelop Róisín in his powerful embrace. His kiss was scorching and desperate, hands roaming with blatant possessiveness as he pinned her gainst the nearest trunk's coarse bark.
"If you wished to stay with your family, I would accept it," she panted soflty when they finally parted for air, her green eyes boring into his.
"I'll be damned if I know what I did to be granted an angel's grace after all the evil I've walked through."
Rather than respond with words, Róisín captured his mouth in another searing liplock, nimble fingers already working to loosen the ties of his buckskin breeches. She craved the searing brand of his passion, the reminder that she was truly his. Buck groaned deeply against her lips, palms cupping her jaw. When she arched needfully against his solid form, his thigh shamelessly parted her skirts and pinned her bare legs apart with ease.
"I'm gonna build us a proper house, Róise," he growled, quickly sheathing himself in her welcoming heat with a roll of his powerful hips. "Right on the ocean, just like I promised. As many babies as you want."
His gaze sharpened with unmistakable masculine pride at the thought of providing her with children of their own. Róisín felt her heart stutter wildly at the possessiveness in his tone. Closing her eyes she cried out incoherently as he set a bruising pace, clinging to his shoulders. She met each driving surge with the desperation of her own, overcome by the possessive reverence blazing in his eyes.
He thrusted hard and deep, claiming her body as his own territory marked in the most primitive way possible. She met him stroke for stroke, crying out in pleasure. Finally, they reached the peak together, bodies shuddering violently. Róisín dug her fingertips into Buck's shoulders as she climaxed.
As Buck's hips finally stilled, his breathing ragged and sweat beading on his forehead, Róisín slowly pulled away from him, her body still trembling with the aftershocks of their passion. She gazed up at him with a mix of satisfaction and love, her eyes shining in the dim light of the tree covering.
"We'll set off in a few days," Buck rasped against her forehead. "Head west to Fort Collins for supplies, then straight through the Utah territory and over the Nevada mountains after that."
His fingertips tenderly stroked the flush of her soft cheek, warm brown eyes eyes shining with a fierce determination that sent Róisín's heart fluttering anew. She tightened her arms around his solid frame, pressing her cheek against the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat.