Page 53 of Jackpot Joker

I shake my head, trying to rid the rotten memories creeping back into my brain after over two decades of suppressing them.

“Oh.” She looks down, and seeing this strong woman look broken is what causes me to snap. I charge toward Jasmine, slamming the door behind me and grabbing her chin. I lift her face so I can see those stunning hazel eyes of hers filled with curiosity as she waits for me to make my next move.

I don’t hesitate. I capture Jasmine’s lips with mine, pulling a moan from her as her hand reaches up and runs through my hair. My hand snakes down and cups her luscious ass, pulling her body against me.

Her hands continue to explore, making their way down to my neck, over my shoulders. Tender fingers dance over my abs and up my chest, where she gently pushes me away.

“We can’t,” she whispers.

“We did.”

“We shouldn’t.”

“I disagree.” I brush my fingers against her cheek, delighting in the way her body responds. When she leans in to me, my lips brush against hers, and once again we’re doing what she swears is forbidden. My tongue caresses over hers, and the taste is so goddamn heavenly it has me ready to spread her thighs and feast on what I know will be the most delicious-tasting cunt one could imagine.

As I trail kisses down her neck and slide myself down her body to do just that, she steps away from me. “Dario, this isn’t why I invited you in.”

I hang my head, knowing exactly her reason. “I don’t need your pity, Jasmine.”

“I didn’t invite you in to pity you either,” she insists. “I thought maybe we could sit and talk about your family. About what I’ve somehow managed to get myself involved in.”

I huff out a sigh, knowing nothing about this topic is going to make her excited about her new employers. Walking over to that damn floral couch, I plop down and rest my elbows on my knees, looking at her. “What do you want to know?”

She bites her bottom lip, and I have to close my eyes at the sight, so I don’t haul my ass back over to her and replace her teeth with mine. I reopen them when I feel her sit directly beside me. “I have a feeling your family is involved in organized crime.”

It’s a statement, not a question. Ten minutes around that dinner table is all one would need to learn that the Caruso family doesn’t exactly do things by the book. She continues with her assessment. “The term would be mafia, right? Gio filled me in a little when you went to get the car. He said that the whole family was there, but he doesn’t mean blood family, right?”

I chuckle, but there’s no humor in it. “They spill blood for us, so I suppose you could call them that. My dad’s brother was the one with the redhead on his arm.” I raise my eyebrows. “I assume that’s why my aunt wasn’t present.”

Anger flashes across Jasmine’s face, and she mutters words that sound a lot like cheating bastard.

“He’s my dad’s consigliere.”

Jasmine’s nose scrunches up, and I reach over to smooth it out with my thumb. I allow it to travel south and run over those decadent lips before I continue. “It means he’s my dad’s advisor.”

Her head bobs slowly as she processes the information. “Because your dad is the leader?”

I nod. “He’s called the don—the boss of the organization, which we call a family.”

“So if something were to happen to your dad, then your uncle would be the next don?”

“No,” I shake my head. “Gio is second-in-command. He’ll take over the reins when Papa’s out of the picture.”

Jasmine leans back, seemingly trying to process it all. “And all the other men and women there tonight?”

I mimic her position, not allowing for much space between us. “Capos and soldiers. The men, anyway. The soldiers do most of the dirty work. There were only a couple of them there tonight, but I’m sure you’d have no trouble pointing them out.”

“The biggest ones?” she asks, and I nod. “So is Luca a soldier? He’s the biggest and scariest man I think I’ve ever seen.”

I smile at her assessment of my brother. “In a way. He’s what we call our enforcer. His services are a little more direct. A bit more personal.”

“I heard Gio say the word ‘capo’ earlier tonight, too. What exactly do they do?” I love how invested my little bull is in the life my family lives.

“They supervise the soldiers. Make sure orders from my papa are carried out, then report back to him.”

She takes a deep breath before her next question. “And what kind of orders would your father make?”

I move my hand to her knee, relishing the fact she didn’t push it away. I give her a gentle squeeze before I answer. “Whatever must be done.”