Page 50 of Bad Medicine

Well, not often, at least.

Even Sway, who was young and new to the group, looked like he was having the time of his life, shoveling food into his mouth at a pace that said he might not eat again for a month.

These were my people, my crew, my brothers—and sisters—in arms. So why the hell was I being such a mopey bastard?

As I stabbed my fork into the volcano I had created out of my now cold mashed potatoes, I blew out an annoyed breath, knowing exactly why I was pissy.

Dr. Mia Carmichael.

That damned woman with her luscious ass and those fiery baby blues was running circles in my brain and not giving me a moment’s peace.

It was annoying as fuck.

“Why don’t you get the hell out of here and let the rest of us enjoy our meal?” Lexi went on, and I could tell she was intentionally trying to goad me.

The bitch of it was it was working.

“You could hit the club, pick up a nice piece of tail. Hell, get two. You could distract yourself from whatever it is that’s turning you into a grouch. Hell, I might even join you.” Reaching for her glass, Lexi muttered under her breath, “God knows I could use a good orgasm or six.”

I considered her words—the first ones, not the last. She was right; my usual MO when shit was shitty was to go out and get laid. One, two, hell, sometimes even three broads at a time, and all my troubles would melt away. There was nothing better than a great one-night stand.

But, I couldn’t make myself do it.

And I knew exactly why.

Coming to a decision, I set down my fork, placing my napkin on the plate and standing.

“Thanks for dinner, boss lady,” I said, hoping my face wasn’t giving me away. “But I have somewhere I gotta be.”

Francesca looked at me quizzically, but Enzo scowled.

“Where the fuck are you goin’?” he snarled at me. “Francesca worked her ass off for this dinner, Rock. You can’t just fuck off in the middle of it.”

“Enzo,” Frankie said, placing her hand on his arm, but still staring at me. “It’s alright. Let him go.” Giving me a soft smile, she added, “Good luck, Rocco.”

I could only nod.

I placed a kiss on Lita’s cheek before I tossed a wave to the rest of the crew and headed into the house and out to my car. I had just opened the door when I heard Lexi calling my name.

“What?” I asked, annoyed at being held up again.

“You know what you’re doing with her?” she asked, crossing her arms and giving me the evil eye.

“Who?” Yeah, I was playing dumb.

“Oh, fuck off, Rock. You know who.” Lexi shook her head, her blue hair flying in the warm wind. “Just...don’t think you can treat her like all the others, okay? There’s more to Mia than meets the eye, and it would piss me the fuck off if you hurt her just to get your dick wet.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but I really had no defense. That kind of behavior was exactly what people would expect from me, because I had never given them any reason to think otherwise. Suddenly, I was more than a little angry at myself for being so goddamn one dimensional.

“I’m not gonna hurt her, Lexi,” I said, even though I knew I couldn’t guarantee anything.

“Yeah, well...” Lexi hesitated. “It’s not just her I’m worried about.” I frowned, but she continued before I could ask what she meant. “Don’t fuck this up, Rocco. Because you’ll only get one chance.”

With that, she spun on her heel and headed back up the sidewalk toward the house, leaving me more confused than I was before.

Turning back to the car, I froze, realizing I had no idea where I was going.

“Hey, Lex?” I called, but she just flipped me the bird.