Chapter 2
Francesca
“Try again,” Stefan ordered as I held onto the saddle with a death grip.
“What if I fall?” I said, but it was too late. He boosted me up, and I had no choice but to lift my leg and sit down.
“You're not going to fall. Sole is gentle. And slow. And extremely tolerant. Much like me.”
That made me burst out laughing. Unfortunately, Sole didn't seem to enjoy that. She huffed and snorted and jerked her head.
“Whoops,” I whispered to Sole. “Nice horsey.” I carefully patted her.
“As long as you don't make any sudden loud noises,” Stefan added with a glare. He shook his head and wandered over to his own horse.
And let me tell you.
Watching Stefan mount that horse was a huge freaking turn on.
Huge.
Like he'd done it a billion times before.
He turned his head and said, “This way.”
They took off at a slow walk. But Sole and I stayed behind.
Stefan's head swiveled to look at me. Then he turned his horse around.
Once he'd circled back, he put the reins in my hands. “Pull these lightly and squeeze your legs. Like we talked about. Remember?” he instructed. And just like with everything Stefan taught me, he was kind and attentive.
“I don't want to hurt her.”
I touched Sole's smooth, shiny coat.
“You're not going to hurt her.” Stefan chuckled and smiled at me. “Here.” Stefan grabbed the reins from me and made a clicking sound with his mouth. And then sure enough—Sole started walking.
I quickly took the reins back. Then Stefan showed me how to make her turn left and right and stop.
And yes—he had shown me all this earlier. But actually being on the horse was a whole different ball game.
It took me a while to get used to being up so high on a large animal. Finally, after half an hour or so—I gradually got the hang of it.
It was a fun way to explore Stefan's property. He showed me where he and Carlo used to play when they were boys. It was hard to imagine those big men as children. I wondered what they looked like as babies and young kids.
After we made our way back to the stables, Stefan helped me down. “Your legs might be a bit sore. Seeing as this was your first time and all.” He smirked at me and kissed my forehead.
“Oh, have you called the doctor yet? Tell her it's an emergency,” I mocked him.
He grabbed a large handful of my behind. “Now, that,” he whispered in my ear, “is what will get you a spanking, Francesca.” His lips lightly touched my temple.
My body uncontrollably shivered. “What?” I asked, feeling goosebumps emerge over my skin.
“Talking back. Mocking me.”
Well, that didn't exactly sit right with me. And I said so. “I was just teasing you.” I rolled my eyes and frowned.
“Call it whatever you want. When you do it—” he squeezed my behind, “you know what you'll get.”
Hmm.
I thought about that as he kissed my lips.
“And what about the other—” I hesitated for a few seconds, “stuff? What do I have to do for that?”
He laughed against my mouth. “Everything else is just for play.” His tongue licked my bottom lip.
“What do you mean—play?”
He smirked and put his arms around me. “You'll find out in time, Francesca.”
I frowned at him and tried to push away. Not that he allowed it, though. “What do you mean 'in time?’” Did he think I was too immature? Or inexperienced?
“Less than a week ago you were still a virgin. You don't need to learn everything right away. There's still plenty to do before we—play.”
This conversation was starting to irritate me. “Like what? Haven't we done it every way you can possibly do it?”
Stefan howled out his laughter but then seemed like he immediately regretted it. “No, my wife. There is still a lot to teach you. And I intend to go slowly. We have the rest of our lives, you know.”
I was seriously ready to kick this man. “So, you're saying I’m too dumb to catch on?”
His head tilted to the side, and he stopped laughing. “I'm not saying anything like that at all. I'm still learning, too, Francesca. How your body responds to me. Where to touch you and when. Just like you're learning what I like.”
Okay. So that was a decent explanation, but I still felt perturbed. And I wasn't exactly sure why. “What else do I have to learn?”
Stefan's smexy smirk was back. “Would you like me to make a spreadsheet for you?”
I bit my lip.
And thought about it.
Then I nodded. “Yeah. That would be helpful. Thanks.”
His eyebrows raised, and he nodded. “Fair enough. That's not a bad idea now that I think about it,” he said in a serious tone. I rose up on my tiptoes and met him for a kiss.
A really, really, really great kiss.
At least it was until we were interrupted.
“Stefan!” an old woman's voice exclaimed loudly.
Stefan quickly ended our kiss and looked up. “Shit,” he whispered under his breath. Then he cleared his throat. “Ciao, Mama.” He grabbed my hand and held onto it tightly as he walked us over to the stunningly beautiful older woman. Her hair was gray, and she was about my height.
She gazed at me with sharp eyes like she was assessing everything about me.
“Mama.” He hugged her, but still held onto my hand. “This is my wife, Francesca.” He let go of her and looked at me.
“I heard,” the woman—Stefan's mother—said. She smiled at me and then looked back at her son. “I guess my invitation got lost in the mail?”
Stefan let out a sigh. “It couldn't be helped.” Stefan's voice was low and respectful.
“Your brother told me. He—still calls. Unlike you.” She pointed her finger at his chest.
“You know I call you, too.”
She waved him off and stepped over to me. “Francesca. You are beautiful. Welcome to the family.” Her arms wrapped around my body, and she hugged the crap out of me.
“And what do you like to do for fun? Other than secretly marry my son?” She let me go and gave me a smile.
“She's quite an artist,” Stefan answered his mother. “And she loves watching reality shows.”
She frowned at him and said, “And can Francesca answer questions for herself? Or must you always do it for her?”
A giggle erupted and flew out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop it.
His mother looked at me. Then she looked back at Stefan and said, “I like her. A lot.”
“Now,” she grabbed onto my arm, “let's go inside. Let my son deal with the animals.” She waved her hand distastefully at the horses. “I need to begin teaching you how to cook the meals my son enjoys.”
Something told me there was no sense in arguing with Stefan's mother. It was pretty obvious where he'd gotten his bossiness from.
Instead, I laughed and gazed over my shoulder at Stefan—and the handsome smile on his face.