rubbed her clit over the sheets and whimpered. He put his palms on her bare ass and fucked her just like she asked him to. The tightness around his cock made him ache for release.
But he couldn’t stop. Instead he stroked with vigor, allowing sensation to flood him. Leah whined, and then arched her back again. Gianni stroked in and out, relentlessly. Then his cock pulsed. It felt too damn good. “I’m coming, baby.” As he released, Leah cried out and came apart underneath him, giving in to her own orgasm. She clawed at the sheets and ground her hips.
Gianni fucked her until he was drained. Then slowly pulled out. He rolled off the condom and disposed of it. Then he leaned against the headboard, pulling Leah onto his lap. Her head rested against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her.
She looked up at him. “I didn’t know I would like that.” Leah smiled at him. “But I like how you do it.” She crinkled her brow. “Was it as good as you hoped?”
His heart swelled. “Better. But then, everything is better with you, baby.” Gianni kissed her softly, then guided her into the bathroom to soak in the Jacuzzi tub. The warm water would feel good to her, in case she was sore. Which she would be.
Holding her in his arms with the jets beating against them, Gianni cradled Leah against his shoulder. She was everything he wanted. All he could hope for. He wasn’t practiced at romance, but for her Gianni was going to figure it out. The barrier around his heart could not stand up against the depth of emotion between them. That wall had crumbled. Long ago.
Chapter 7
The Cold Spring trip was short, but Gianni made the most of it. He spent plenty of time in the room with Leah, and relished the privacy. Sex was intimate, and searing hot. He couldn’t get enough of her. Leah’s submission, and loving response, moved him deeply.
When they did venture from the room, they experienced the highlights of the village. There was plenty of opportunity to enjoy the idyllic setting without having to scramble up steep inclines or rent gear to paddle out into the Hudson.
They cruised the antique shops and stores. Leah found some hand-painted mirrors from Peru, and Gianni arranged to have them shipped to the condo. And there were many dining options. From the hearty homemade soup in a local café to the juicy burgers, the food in the town was memorable. He’d traveled the world. Yet only a few miles from home, he’d found experiences to equal those in any other city.
One day they sat at a horseshoe-shaped bar in an outdoor seating area, which was a former train station. They settled in with beer on draft and potpie to watch the many Harley riders passing through. And later that day, their last view of the panorama of Cold Spring was from a bench in the waterfront park. From their vantage point, seemingly toy-sized freight trains snaked their way down the tracks on the other side of the river. And the occasional boat sliced through the river’s shimmering surface.
Gianni wasn’t anxious to head for home, and what waited there. Yet as he gazed at the trains and held Leah’s hand, newfound happiness washed through him. With her by his side, life was different. It was something he would have to adjust to. The feeling he had for her extended beyond the bedroom.
He was lucky to have found her. All else paled against the joy Leah brought him. His money—his business—came second. Gianni realized, and not for the first time, that she meant everything to him. And he had decided how and when he was going to tell her exactly that.
*****
The first day back in the showroom, Dawson had news about Ava. He met with Gianni, and they viewed the most recent surveillance footage. The muscled, tattooed guy they had seen her with before wasn’t on screen.
Instead it was a tall business type, and they were obviously arguing. The man had blond hair, a lean build, and what looked to be a permanent scowl. “A different guy, I