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?”
