Page 8 of Queens and Monsters

“Not always.” His timbre was slower and deeper.

My core twisted and my nipples hardened with need. “Good.” My reply was barely audible.

Fire burned in his dark orbs as he wovehis fingers through my hair and tugged me closer until our lips met. His kiss was light at first, testing the waters. He tasted of liquor. I wasn’t experienced enough to know what kind of liquor, only that in combination with cologne, his strong lips, and his touch of my face and hair, the concoction was intoxicating. I pressed forward, lifting myself higher onto my knees and leaning over the armrest. My touch of his rock-hard broad shoulder was only to steady myself as our kiss took on new life.

His hand moved from my hair to the back of my neck as my body ignited with his kiss.

We both startled at the sound of the door opening and bouncing off the wall.

“Jasmine?”

I sucked in a breath, settling down in my chair and brought my hand to my lips. “Piero,” I answered my bodyguard.

He came forward, his gun in his hand. Piero’s eyes narrowed as he took in Emiliano. He returned his attention to me. “Armando reported a scream.”

“Um, it was the movie. Very suspenseful.”

My bodyguard’s nostrils flared as he nodded. “It’s late—or early. I should see you safely to your room. The house is full of guests.”

Standing, I straightened my robe and allowed the blanket to fall to the floor. “That’s probably a good idea.” I turned to Em. “Good night.”

He stood and reached for my hand, a brazen move in front of my armed bodyguard. “Good night, Jasmine. Thank you.”

“For?”

He winked. “Just thank you.”

More warmth climbed from my chest to my cheeks. “Thank you.” I took one last look over my shoulder at the man with whom I’d shared my first kiss before walking away with Piero.

My bodyguard stopped. “Mr. Ruiz, I’ll come back and turn off the movie. Feel free to make your way to your room.”

Em nodded. “It’s late—or early.”

As Piero and I walked up the staircase, I whispered, “Could we please keep this between us?”

His jaw clenched.

“We don’t want to cause problems between the famiglia and the cartel,” I reasoned.

“That’s good advice. We should both listen.”

I would listen, but it would be impossible for me to forget that kiss. I could still feel his lips and his touch as I turned off the lights and slid under the covers.

Chapter

Three

Jasmine

Christmas Eve in our home was more tradition than a religious celebration. For most of my life, this night was filled with delicious food and our small family. Where there were only four, including Contessa, tonight there were multitudes. It was as if the Bible story of Jesus and the fishes was coming to life. There were currently over twenty people to be fed. With bodyguards, the number rose to over forty.

Savory aromas filled the kitchen as Contessa managed multiple tasks. She wasn’t alone: Arianna Luciano brought her cook Greta along to help. Heaven forbid, Dario’s mother would actually do something as mundane as culinary activities. No, she was busyspending as much time with her granddaughter as possible.

The granddaughter wasn’t me.

I wasn’t a Luciano. While I’d lived with Dario since I was seven, the Luciano famiglia beyond Dario and Dante liked to pretend I didn’t exist.

While that hadn’t exactly changed, I existed, and I now had a powerful ally, not that Dario as capo dei capi of Kansas City wasn’t powerful. Catalina was on my side, more than supportive once she learned about me. As the mother of the aforementioned granddaughter, her opinion carried a lot of weight with Mrs. Arianna Luciano.

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