Page 54 of Jackpot Joker

“So are there underground gambling rings at Angelo and Demone? Is that what your family deals with?”

My teeth grab my lip as I pull them into a smirk. “You know what’s underground: Demone, mio toro.”

Jasmine rolls her eyes. “What exactly does your family deal with? Oh, God.” Her face pales. “Is it human trafficking? I absolutely cannot work for your family if you’re involved in that. In fact, maybe you should go.”

She tries to stand, but I widen my hand on her knee and push her back down. “Calm down, Jasmine. Papa may be a piece of shit human and father, but he would never participate in that.”

Sucking down air, Jasmine regulates her breathing. I give her the time she needs to gain her wits, but she’s still so curious. “Drugs?”

I shake my head.

“Weapons?”

I nod with a sigh.

Her eyes widen, and the expression on her face concerns me. “I need you to tell me you can handle this, Jasmine. If you don’t think you’re up for the job, I’m not certain I can keep you safe.”

A tiny laugh bubbles out of her. “So what? If I don’t agree to be in the mafia’s pocket, they’ll have me sleeping with the fishes?”

She jests, but my face remains unamused.

“Shit,” she says in a hushed tone as her face takes on a different expression. It’s concern. Fear. “How dangerous is your family?”

I cup her cheek. “Very.”

“How dangerous are you?” she whispers.

“Very.”

She swallows, and another shrill laugh has me worried she may be going into shock. “Mafia men are supposed to be scary, and I’m sorry, but the last thing I feel when I’m around you is scared.”

My eyebrows lift. “Oh?”

The cutest huff of breath escapes Jasmine’s nose as a small smile forms. “Gio could probably scare me. Hell, I think Luca could scare anyone. But you…” She shakes her head and lets the sentence end with those two words.

My thumb brushes against the smooth skin of her cheek. “But with me?”

Jasmine bites her bottom lip, and I move my thumb to release it. When her eyes meet mine, I ask, “How do you feel when you’re around me?”

Hazel eyes stare at me as a moment passes. Then two. Finally, she rolls them. “Annoyed.”

My lips tilt up. “Maybe, mio toro, but I don’t think that’s all you feel.”

“Well then, by all means, tell me how I feel.” She attempts to move away from me, but I wrap my hand around the back of her head as I shift my body closer to hers. If she really wanted, she could move, but she sits still, breathing deeply and staring at me with those golden flecks.

I lick my lips, and the motion gains her attention. “I think you do feel scared when you’re around me. You may not fear for your life, but you fear for your heart. You see, mio toro, I think you know the two of us could be incredible together. I think you know that you could find yourself falling for me. And I think that’s what scares you more than any member of the mafia ever could.”

Jasmine’s eyes are wide, pupils blown out to the point I can barely see the beauty of her irises. She takes another deep breath in and exhales slowly. Then abruptly pushes away and stands.

I give her time to pace the room, but eventually find myself standing and walking toward her. When she catches me in her peripheral vision, she turns and jabs a finger in my face.

“You want to know what I really think?”

I brace myself, ready for her to admit she thinks of me exactly the way my father does. I expect her to kick me out and demand, once again, I leave her alone and stop pursuing something that can never happen.

Jasmine steps closer to me, grabbing a fistful of my shirt. I shudder as her knuckles brush my exposed chest, completely aware this may be the very last time I’ll ever feel her skin against mine.

“I think,” she says before tugging me toward her, “you should kiss me.”