The rain outside was relentless, blurring the city lights into streaks of neon amber, but inside, the frame was perfectly clear. He didn’t need the window tonight. He was already inside the apartment, sitting in the deep velvet armchair positioned just far enough in the shadows of her bedroom to watch her step out of the shower.
She stood before the vanity mirror, completely unaware—or perhaps entirely aware—of his gaze. Her skin was flushed pale pink from the heat, damp curls clinging to her neck. He watched the deliberate, intoxicating ritual she performed every night. She didn't reach for lotion or perfume. Instead, she tilted her chin up, closed her eyes, and slid two dark-nailed fingers deep into the hollow of her throat.
From across the dim room, he could see it. The violent, rhythmic leap of her carotid artery against her skin. He watched her chest rise and fall, tracking the heavy, visible tremor right over her breastbone as her heart strained under the pressure of her own thumb. He could have sat there for hours, purely intoxicated by the raw mechanics of her life force moving so beautifully, so frantically, beneath her velvet skin.
She caught his eyes in the mirror, her hand freezing over her collarbone. A subtle tremor ran down her spine.
"You're quiet tonight," she murmured, her voice a soft, breathless friction in the quiet room. She turned around slowly, gripping the edges of her black lace robe, trying to play it cool despite the sudden, erratic spike in her breathing. "Are you just going to sit there?"
He rose from the shadows, the low light catching the sharp silhouette of his jaw. He didn't answer until he crossed the hardwood floor, stopping so close she could feel the cold air clinging to his dark coat. From his pocket, he slowly drew a heavy, clinical stethoscope, the polished chrome bell catching the amber glow of the bedside lamp.
Her breath completely hitched. Her eyes tracked the silver metal, and he watched a heavy wave of blood rush up her throat, her pulse practically hammering against her skin now.
"I'm going to do what I came here to do," he whispered, his voice low, dominant, and entirely devoid of hesitation.
He didn't wait for permission. He stepped into her space, his left hand sliding behind her neck, his thumb pressing firmly over her carotid artery—not to check it, but to trap it. He felt the fierce, desperate force of her blood pressure surging violently under his skin. With his other hand, he guided the ice-cold metal chestpiece directly onto her bare breast, burying it against her skin.
She gasped at the freezing contrast, her knees instantly giving in, but his grip on her neck kept her anchored right where he wanted her.
Through the earpieces, her heart wasn't just beating; it was a frantic, slamming outburst of adrenaline and surrender. A hard, thudding cadence that filled his entire head.
He leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear, his thumb shifting to press even deeper into the pounding pulse point on her neck.
"Look at me," he commanded softly, watching her chest heave against the heavy silver bell. "Listen to how loud you are for me. From this second on... I own every single pause, and every single beat."
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