“Let’s go, Sal!” I shouted at my horse, wanting to catch up to the feisty and competitive Giovanna. The way she reacted so quickly was thrilling. Most women in my circle were snobby prima donnas with zero personality. They seemed to be cut from the same cloth, which made them boring and not interesting.
But Giovanna… She excited me. Challenged me. Called me out on my bullshit. They’d said she was wild and unruly. Not the prettiest woman. A couple of my close friends had joked about putting a bag over her head if she was too ugly to look at when I fucked her.
Lucky for me, Giovanna was attractive in her own way. Smart. Talented. A superb equestrian…cavallerizza. And boy could she kiss… I couldn’t wait to find out if we had even more chemistry in the bedroom.
It was unfortunate that we couldn’t have the picnic I’d planned. It was okay, though. We had dozens of years ahead of us for picnics and leisurely rides with our horses. I would just have the food set up in the solarium instead.
Through the curtain of rain hitting me in the face, I saw the stable boy helping Giovanna off Valentina. She ran inside, soaked to the bone and probably freezing to death like me.
My teeth chattered as I wiped my face so I could see where I was going. Unable to see her, a weird anxiousness descended over me. Not having her in my sight was distressing. I held my breath as I was nearing the stable.
The stable hand appeared to take my horse for me. I hopped off and rushed inside, eager to see Giovanna and make sure she was okay.
“Gia,” I shouted when I didn’t see her. “Gia!”
“Alessio? I’m right here.” She appeared from the tack room with a blanket around her and another her hand. “Is everything okay? You sounded scared.”
“I just didn’t see you when I came in.” I gasped trying to catch my breath and went over to her.
“Well, I’m right here.” She popped up on her toes, wrapped a blanket around me and secured it tightly with her hand, then with the other she dried my face with a towel. “Let’s get you warmed up before you catch pneumonia.”
“What about you?” I stared at her face, noticing it was dry. Her hair was damp and messy, brown strands were sticking to her cheeks. My heart stuttered behind my ribs. She was so beautiful and kind, I could hardly stand it.
“I’ll be fine.” She smiled as she patted my face and hair with the cloth. “I took care of myself a minute ago.”
“I don’t want you to get sick.”
“That’s sweet. I won’t.” Again, she smiled as she took care of me, instead of herself. This display of selflessness overwhelmed me.
Women typically fawned over me, tempting me with their lips and fingers. I wondered if any of the ones I’d been with would help me the way Giovanna was doing. I sensed that no one would have to focus on themselves.
Without another though, I swept her off her feet and carried her to a bench.
“Alessio! What are you doing?” She squealed in surprise and looped her arm around my neck as if afraid I would drop her. Not a chance. She was light as a feather and soaked like me. “Put me down.”
“Hush, Gia. You’re not the only one who can take care of people.” To my surprise, I liked holding her this way very much. Her face was level with mine. Her body was snuggly against my chest. And she smelled fresh and sweet, like she’d just taken a shower.
“Why are you calling me Gia? That’s something only my family calls me.”
“I don’t know. It just came out of my mouth. But I’m your family now, so it’s okay. Yes?” I sat on a bench, putting her on my lap. I tugged her close, so my blanket wrapped around her.
“Yes, I suppose it is okay. I like the way you say it.” Her cheeks turned red and she fluttered her eyelashes acting bashful, which I didn’t buy for a second. “We really should get out of these wet clothes.”
“Louie,” I called for him, knowing full well he was aware we were in the building. But as I’d requested early this morning, he had left us alone.
“Sí, Signore?” He appeared from his office. “How can I help you?”
“Call up to the house and have the maids get a bath ready for Giovanna.”
“Sí.” He nodded and went back into his office.
“That’s sweet, but what about you? You should take a bath too. It will help warm up your bones better than a shower.”
“I agree,” I replied.
“Are you going to tell Louie to have them prepare one for you?”
“No.”
