Sweet Flash Marriage with the Restrained Tycoon (Isabelle and Damien) novel Chapter 216

Chapter 216 Private Lessons

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“I’ll teach you how to handle the reins in a moment. Pay close attention–if you don’t get it right, I’ll have to give you a private lesson tonight, and that’s extra work for me,” Brian said, his tone light but insistent.

Diana swallowed again. She hadn’t even started riding properly, yet a fine sheen of perspiration had already formed on her skin.

“Brian, who else have you ‘taught to ride like this?” she asked, her voice wary.

“Others weren’t as… hands–on a student as you. They didn’t need this level of instruction,” Brian chuckled. “Walk on…”

The horse began a gentle, steady trot.

“See? Not so hard, is it?” Brian murmured, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“Let go!” Diana turned her head to glare at him over her shoulder.

“Alright, alright!” Brian glanced around and guided the horse onto a shaded trail branching away from the main field.

“Everyone’s back there–what are we doing over here!” She jabbed her elbow backward into his ribs.

“Ouch!”

He feigned a wince, bending slightly to clutch his side.

Then he laughed softly. “Relax, I’m not going to do anything. It was just too crowded back there–didn’t want to embarrass you during the lesson.”

Diana had a strong feeling his motives weren’t purely instructional.

Brian straightened up and gave her a light, playful pat.

“Learning to post and sit the trot properly is key. Once you get the rhythm, riding won’t wear you out,” Brian explained, holding the reins with one hand while his other arm remained securely around her waist.

Diana wasn’t really following–she’d never done this before.

Brian leaned close to her ear, his voice dropping to a low, suggestive murmur. “Posting is

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Chapter 216 Private Lessons

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when I rise and you stay down; sitting the trot is when you rise and I stay down. You should be pretty familiar with that basic rhythm, right?”

Diana flushed a deep crimson, her knuckles whitening as she gripped the saddle’s pommel.

“I’ll demonstrate in a second. If you don’t pick it up, don’t blame me if I insist on extra practice tonight…” Brian added with a roguish grin.

To be fair, Brian was giving a thorough lesson–it was just that Diana found their physical proximity thoroughly distracting.

The motion was rubbing her in all the wrong places, leaving her unbearably flustered.

Finally, Diana pushed back against him. “Let me try on my own for a bit,” she insisted.

Brian narrowed his eyes, not entirely convinced, but nodded and let her take the reins.

A faint, triumphant smile touched Diana’s lips. She turned the horse skillfully and nudged it into a brisk trot back toward the main stable area.

Brian watched her retreating figure, a broad grin spreading across his face. “Picked it up faster than I expected,” he muttered to himself.

His satisfaction was short–lived.

Diana didn’t look back once. She rode straight to the stable yard and dismounted.

Her heart was still pounding. She shouldn’t have agreed to let Brian teach her. Their arrangement was supposed to be casual–no strings, no commitments, certainly no talk of marriage.

But lately, things seemed to be drifting far from that simple understanding.

She placed a hand on the small of her back. The memory of his firm grip, the lingering warmth against her–it was all still there, making her cheeks burn anew.

She pressed her lips together, a frown creasing her brow.

“Well played, Ms. Williams!” Brian muttered through gritted teeth, hands on his hips as he watched her disappear into the distance.

The three–mile walk back wasn’t far, but it left Brian with a distinct sense of restlessness.

Maybe he’d pushed too far, too fast.

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Chapter 216 Private Lessons

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If she decided to leave tonight, getting her to agree to see him again might prove difficult.

On her way back, Diana saw Isabelle and Damian galloping across an open field in the distance.

They were racing, leaning forward in unison, charging across the grass with effortless speed.

They both grinned, bright and easy–a perfect snapshot of effortless chemistry and pure, shared delight.

“Mrs. Cross, you’re quite the rider!” Damian laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Beside him, Isabelle had shed her outer jacket. Her fitted riding shirt hugged her frame, paired with loose–fitting technical pants and sturdy paddock boots–revealing a completely different, athletic side of her.

Utterly dashing.

“Mr. Cross, it seems you still don’t know your wife as well as you think. Haven’t done your homework,” Isabelle retorted with a playful giggle.

Not far away, Celeste–who had changed into borrowed athletic wear at some point–stood beside a gentle black pony, watching the scene unfold.

They really did make a striking pair.

She used to dismiss Isabelle as just another designer, but after she began winning competitions, earning recognition and praise, even being headhunted by established names, Celeste had been forced to take notice.

Now she had left corporate life and was working under the Muddlehead brand, even making executive decisions on the designer’s behalf.

In so many areas, she and Damian moved in different worlds–yet Isabelle seemed to excel at everything: strategy, marketing…

And now even something as physical as riding…

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