of a ceramic bowl on narrow table, he retrieved a key. She could have found the key long before, and entered on her own. But it wouldn’t have been the same as doing it with the man she loved. And especially now, after what he had shared.
Without hesitating, Gianni opened the door and they stepped inside. Leah let go of his hand and walked all the way in. It was a beautiful room, decorated in earth tones with splashes of red. The polished wood floors gleamed, and dark wood cabinets matched what furniture there was.
One entire wall was a mural. It was an erotic painting in subdued colors, but the scene portrayed sexual longing and gratification. Leah’s skin tingled as her eyes roamed over the expanse of it. Turning, she saw Gianni standing off to the side.
Allowed to look, Leah walked slowly around the room. In one tall cabinet were implements, only a few of which she recognized. Hung from pegs were whips and crops of varying types and styles. And overhead was a metal grate with straps dangling down.
She looked at Gianni questioningly.
“It’s a suspension device,” he said.
There were all kinds of sexy garments, pillows, and bottles of creams. Leah fingered some erotic-looking jewelry, and ran her hand over a long, velvet-covered bench. The leather massage table she recognized, but there was one thing she didn’t see.
“There’s no bed.”
Gianni stood emotionless. “I had it taken out after the incident with Ava.”
By any standards it was a tastefully designed room, yet it exuded the personality of its owner. It revealed more about Gianni’s tastes than words could have. And Leah’s desire to submit rose to a new level. Even not knowing what each implement was for, or what Gianni could do with her in the room, she knew it would test her limits.
Gianni, sitting in a padded chair, pulled her onto his lap. He waited for her to say something. Leah touched his cheek. “I want to be in here. I’m not afraid…not with you.”
His blue eyes were soft. “I closed off a part of me that I wasn’t sure I could get back. When I locked this room, I gave up…something that brought me intense pleasure. But also…something that is dangerous if not handled right.”
Leah dug her fingers into his hair. “I trust you.” Her words echoed in the silence of the room, and anxiety rose in her belly. Not because of what Gianni might do with her in the room. But for fear he might refuse her.
Chapter 9
Gianni ran the tip of his finger over her lips, and felt Leah quiver. “I turned away from this room…denied myself its indulgence. And I thought I could stay away from it.” He could see the need in her brown eyes. “Until I met you.”
Leah’s lips parted, and he covered her mouth with his, tasting her sweetness. Delving his tongue inside, Gianni raked it against hers, drinking her in and wanting more. The soft sound she made in the back of her throat sent heat flooding to his loins.
The lure of the carnal undercurrent surrounding them was impossible to ignore. There was only one way to placate Leah’s desire and his, and that was to give in to Gianni’s thirst for the more extreme sexual play. That she was willing made the effect of the special room more potent.
He ran his hand down her back, feeling the heat of Leah’s bare skin, revealed by the low-cut dress. Then he unzipped it and leaned back. With her hands buried in his hair, Leah looked with anticipation into his eyes. “I need you naked,” he said.
She slid off his lap, and he stood, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Tonight you are mine.”
Leah’s cheeks flushed. “I am yours,” she said softly.
“This room is ours now, and we will explore new boundaries.” He was lost in her eyes for a moment. “Beginning tonight.”
“Yes,” she said, “I would like that.”
He took her hand and guided her to a tall apparatus against one wall. It had a narrow red cushion along the upright pole that would support her spine. And it
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