Turn It Up by Inez Kelley Page A

didn’t want me to get another one, either. But he relented when I let him check out the parlors and artists until he found one that met his minimum approval.” She twirled her fingers through his hair, her voice teasing and tender. “Of course, since my pants were down, he insisted he be there to make sure nothing ‘unsavory’ happened, as he put it. After he helped me off the bench, I told him it was his turn. You should have seen his face.”
    Charlie’s lighthearted story was meant to ease sudden tensions, but Caz still fumed. A silent breath filled Bastian’s chest before he looked at his brother. Despite their differences, they could read each other well enough for this. He selected each word with care.
    “Charlie asked me to and I did.”
    All it took was the slight emphasis on her name. Stunned understanding dawned in similar eyes and Bastian nodded. Yes, I did it because I love her that much.
    “Did you get her name in a heart?” Girl Groupie Number Two sighed as if that would be a grand romantic gesture.
    “No, a caduceus,” Charlie supplied, oblivious to his silent declaration.
    “A what?”
    “The physician’s winged staff, the one with the snakes around it. Most ambulances have them on the side,” she explained gently to the pretty but dimwitted girl.
    “Let’s see it. Unless you got your ass tattooed,” Caz goaded.
    “It’s on my back, all right?” A protest formed but Charlie was already unbuttoning his shirt. Growling, he finished the job, yanked the shirt down and leaned over her lap. “There. Knock yourself out, Boo.”
    He’d chosen only blue ink, the traditional color of healing. Tall as his hand, the slender staff with dual serpents rested on his shoulder blade. Charlie had chosen the design and the placement. What she’d seen as a friendly bonding rite had meant much more to him. It was the day he’d realized he loved her, was in love with her. If she’d asked for her name, he would have gotten it. He’d have even dropped his pants and gotten his ass inked for her.
    Caz whistled. “Nice art. Very clean, kind of minimalistic. I like it.”
    “Glad it meets with your approval,” Bastian snarled, pulling his shirt over his shoulders. Charlie’s hands smoothed the fabric, slipping each button back into place while holding his eyes. Seduction in reversal, the act was tantalizingly erotic.
    “I need to go to bed,” she whispered. The hand sliding down his chest denied her need for sleep.
    In a twisted joke of fate, her apartment was closer to the hospital and his house closer to the radio station. They often ended up staying over at one or the other to arrange schedules. With them both sleeping at odd hours, it wasn’t uncommon to go to bed in the afternoon or wake up in the middle of the night. Today, she’d nap here before their show.
    “Go ahead. You know where the guest room is.” She’d slept in the same guest room for years. Bastian needed her to continue. He couldn’t take another day lying beside her and not give in to the urge to possess her.
    Pink lips pouted. “Guest room? That doesn’t sound like any fun.”
    “Guest room, Charlie.” Stroking her cheek with the back of his hand, his tone was gentle but firm.
    Wrinkling her nose at him, she climbed from his lap. “Is the Tylenol still in the medicine cabinet?”
    “No, but there’s some Excedrin in my desk if you need it.” He grabbed her wrist, silently timing her pulse. It was normal. He waited until her eyes rose to his. “Another headache?”
    Her jaw firmed and the smile on her lips froze. “Let it go, Doctor No.”
    “Let me take your blood pressure.” He scanned her face, looking for signs of distress. “How’s your vision? Seeing any spots or flashes of light?”
    “Stop. You can only play doctor if you do it naked.” A sly look rounded her cheeks. She bent and nuzzled his cheek, her breath washing warm across his ear. “You know, medical studies prove an orgasm is one of the best