Leah's Seduction: 5 (Gianni and Leah - Leah's Seduction) by Emily Jane Trent Page A

made an effort to reduce the swelling.
    It was useless. She looked like she had been crying for hours, which she had been. Leah dug her hands in her hair and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she resolved to go downstairs, having no idea what to expect.
    Unlocking the door, Leah stepped into the hall, but heard nothing. Easing down the stairs, she looked for Gianni but didn’t see him. He wasn’t in the living room, and the fire had died out. Down the hall was the kitchen. She walked to the doorway and looked in, seeing the clay floors and rough-hewn cabinets.
    Sitting at a small table in one corner was Gianni with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He didn’t look up when Leah came in, just stared at his glass. Sliding into the chair across from him, Leah clasped her hands together in her lap and waited.
    The urge to go to him, to have him hold her, was strong. But Leah held back. She had not seen Gianni like this before. His eyes were blank, his skin pale. Unmoving, he looked like one of the sculptures he admired so much.
    Even in such a state, Gianni was handsome. His blondish hair was a mess, his shirt disheveled. Leah had not loved him more than she did in that moment. Whatever barriers he had erected that he thought he needed for protection had dissolved.
    It was as though he’d been ripped apart, and left emotionally vulnerable. It was possibly irreparable, but Leah hoped not. She had to have faith. She loved him too much not to. Reaching across the table, she touched his hand, and he didn’t draw back.
    Gianni looked up at her, as if noticing her for the first time. Then he gulped the rest of his whiskey. Raking a hand through his hair, he sighed. It was a deep sign of resignation, but the first sign of life. He covered his face with his hands for a moment, then placed them on the table.
    He looked across at Leah, and she held her breath.
    Then he spoke, his voice laced with depression. “Her name was Ava Stewart,” he said. “I was with her for two years.”
    Gianni was talking. A spark of hope surged inside Leah. Would he tell her everything? If he did, it could make all the difference. The possibility made her heart soar, even as she hurt to see him endure such agony.
     

 
    Chapter 8
    It was one thing to know Gianni had been with women before her. But hearing about one woman who had affected him deeply was different. Listening to him talk, the jagged edge of jealousy cut through Leah like a knife.
    “You know my sexual preferences,” he said. “She was a submissive, had been before she met me.”
    “How did you meet her?”
    “Ava runs a modeling agency. She was at an event, recruiting talent. I was there viewing some new designs.” Gianni rubbed his temple. “We went to dinner, and kind of hit it off.”
    Leah’s heart fell. It was hard to imagine Gianni with another woman. “So what happened?”
    “She started to like the pain too much,” he said with a sad expression. “We did many things together in that room.”
    “The room that you keep locked?”
    Gianni hesitated then nodded. “Yes. In that room.” A faraway look came into his eyes. “It’s a room set up for playing out the more intense sexual scenes.”
    Leah felt a little sick imagining him doing such things with another woman. “Did she satisfy you?”
    “To a point. But more and more she began to like the darker scenes. It was subtle at first.” Gianni glanced away, and then looked back at Leah. “I accommodated her…but only so far.”
    Leah tried to imagine what sort of scenes the woman preferred.
    “Ava continued to press. She wanted more.” Gianni shook his head. “I refused, and it was clear it wasn’t going to work out between us.”
    “Did you tell her?”
    Emotion welled in Gianni’s eyes. “That’s what caused it all.”
    “What happened?”
    “Ava swore she loved me. But I tried to persuade her that she didn’t. She would get over me…find a man who could do the things she needed.” Gianni’s