Free Leah's Seduction: 3 (Gianni and Leah - Leah's Seduction) by Emily Jane Trent

satisfy her curiosity. Maybe it should have, but the look on his face had been unsettling.
    If it was just business, Gianni would not have given it a second thought. But Leah had seen it in his eyes. He had tensed, and lagged just a second too long when replying. It was as though he needed to think it through before he gave her an answer.
    And that concerned her. It wasn’t that Leah thought he would lie to her. She didn’t necessarily believe that. But she was sure there were things he hadn’t told her. He had so much as said so.
    Gianni might think the past was irrelevant, but she knew it wasn’t. A man’s history with women didn’t go away, no matter who he was with at the moment. And knowing about earlier relationships would be enlightening; it would reveal more about his character.
    To Leah, he was a trustworthy man. But she was biased. It was difficult to see things clearly when emotions ran deep. And she was acutely aware that Gianni had not wanted to discuss the subject of other women.
    It wasn’t only that it didn’t affect their relationship, as he claimed, but that he felt awkward when talking about any woman who came before her. Since Leah didn’t know why he was closed off, it nagged at her.
    If only she could ask Gianni and get a straight answer. But she knew he would sidestep the issue. He had a way of maintaining control, and only allowing her to know what he felt she should.
    But that was not how Leah wanted it. She wanted to know the real man, his past, and his inner feelings. The likelihood of Gianni opening up to her anytime soon wasn’t high. But it was becoming harder to pretend she didn’t care to know.
    Being intimate meant doing so in all ways. That was how she saw it. The physical side of the relationship was exquisite, and Leah wouldn’t trade it for anything. But experiencing so deeply involved her heart.
    But not Gianni’s. He continued to dominate her in the bedroom while acting like her heart didn’t exist. Or it wasn’t part of his domain. Of course, he cared about her emotionally. But it was in how she felt about a scene they shared.
    He wanted her to reach within and give him all. Could it be that he believed she could do that without falling for him? It had taken strength not to tell him how she felt. And Leah wondered if her feelings were evident despite her silence.
    She looked up. The clouds moved slowly overhead. The light changed, and Leah crossed the street with the mob of people, knowing drivers rarely stopped for pedestrians unless they were part of a big group that couldn’t be ignored.
    When Leah had moved to New York, she had been thrilled at the pulse of the big city. All through school she had anticipated an exciting career. Now she had that. Yet it paled in comparison to what she felt for Gianni.
    Leah had it bad. Wanting to be with him just might overshadow her life if she didn’t be careful. There had to be a limit. She couldn’t continue to give all if Gianni wouldn’t.
    Giving him an ultimatum was out of the question. A man like Gianni wouldn’t respond to such a demand. He did what he wanted, and didn’t seem persuaded by what others wanted of him. Yet he showed that he cared about her in many ways.
    Why couldn’t she be satisfied with his pampering of her? Dates with Gianni were the stuff of fairytales, and sex with him was straight out of her personal fantasies. Did she have to be so greedy, and demand love too?
    Yet no matter how much she attempted to convince herself that she could stick to her agreement with Gianni, that the heart wasn’t involved in their relationship, Leah couldn’t stop wanting more. The need for love, real love from a man, remained unsatisfied.
    Passing a bookshop, Leah went inside. It occurred to her that she missed having her journal. Since it had been lost, she hadn’t bothered replacing it. For a while, Leah had thought it would turn up. But it hadn’t.
    Her concern that someone would read all the feelings she had