A simple turn of the key and the chest opened without a sound, it was all she could do not to roll her eyes. Mark liked his theatrics but hiding his toys within a locked chest was a bit much in her comment. The reveal had even come with his trademark goofy grin.

They had been talking about this for quite some time but the idea of kinky toys was entirely different from the toys themselves. Jenna had been curious but there was one thing in particular that made a pinprick of ice appear within her chest. The stethoscope that Mark had laid to the left of the chest was hard to ignore but Jenna managed as she rummaged through the chest.

Her fingers brushed over the rope packed away together and Jenna thought how the red would look on her skin. Mark waggled his eyebrows as she held up a large vibrator with a questioning glance, a flick of the switch and the round head’s buzz filled the room. A fluttering began low within her belly as Jenna laid the vibrator to the side.

Most of the toys drew an interested look and Mark made no qualms about her inspection of them all. Although Jenna thought how long it would take before he would bring up the one toy that had drawn her eye every few seconds. Each side glance made the cold spot within grow larger as the fluttering in her belly grew more frenzied.

When Mark stepped behind her to guide Jenna’s hand towards the shiny black rubber the only essential thing was to make sure her hand didn’t tremble. Mark stopped a few inches from it, allowing her hand to hang hover above the instrument.

His voice ran clear through her indecision. “Don’t worry, it won’t bite.”

That drew an amused snort from Jenna while her hand took hold of the stethoscope, she turned around, her chin lifted as she looked up at him. “Oh, is there something in here that would?”

A casual shrug of his shoulders was Mark’s answer even as his eyes stayed fixed on her neck. She knew they were stuck on the exact place he liked to put his teeth but that was easily ignored as she sauntered past him to the edge of the bed.

Jenna’s fingers ran over the length of the tubes and tapped against the diaphragm but it took genuine effort not to let her anxiety take control and toss it away. This little thing had featured in both her most fear-ridden and most exhaustive dreams. The one tool that could take the most intimate thing she possessed. Visiting the doctor was something she avoided, the sight of the white coat and the stethoscope made her tremble.

Yet here she was, holding onto the rubber even as she thought what it would sound like. What it would feel like.

The bed moved beneath her as Mark dropped onto it, a smile plastered on his lips despite even though it didn’t reach his eyes. There was a teasing edge in his voice but Mark used the same tone he all the time did when he pushed her boundaries. Jenna knew that until she used the safe word he would keep gonna see where he could press against the line.

“It works better when you put those little white plastic things in your ears instead of holding onto them.”

This time she did roll her eyes even though they returned to the stethoscope. “If only there were something worth listening to.”

The popping of buttons caught her attention, when she turned his shirt was already half undone. Mark didn’t stop as he met her gaze, he popped each button calm as could be. Unminding of the way the hairs rose on her arms and the ball of ice in her chest chilled her veins. When the shirt fell open Mark laid back on his elbows, a meaningful glance dropped to the stethoscope before his gaze lifted to hers. One brow raised in challenge.

It would have been easy to walk away. To speak the word and make him drop the subject. Jenna knew that he would, there was one thing that Mark had all the time been clear about. The safe words were holy. Say the word and he would all the time stop.

With ice in her veins, Jenna put in the earpieces, her hand trembled even as she raised the diaphragm to his chest. With eyes fixed on the hair on his chest, she put the cold metal a bit below his left nipple and waited with bated breath.

Blood sludged through her veins even as the fluttering in her stomach threatened to explode, still she moved the metal until she heard the faintest beat. An almost silent gasp before she stilled and listened. Slowly Jenna became aware of Mark’s heartbeat. A dull, low sound that still made each thud resound through her head. The sheet bundled between her fingers, Jenna lost sight of the world around her as the beating beneath her became faster.

Unconsciously Jenna drew closer to Mark, her hand pressed on the diaphragm so that she could hear better. When she felt Mark’s chest move with the beat of his heart her breath stuttered.

It was some time before Jenna was shaken from her silent reverie, the earpieces were suddenly pulled away and her gaze snapped up to meet Mark’s. The grin he gave sent a shiver down Jenna’s spine as two words washed over her.

“My turn.”

Jenna scrambled away from the bed when he reached over, moving out of Mark’s path while her own heart beat loudly in her ears. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.” It wasn’t easy to make her voice sound unaffected. Judging by the grin Mark had as he stepped forward it seemed that he didn’t believe it either.

There was something of a thrill in being able to fight back and still losing. To struggle against someone while your hands were slowly forced into the right position, a broad chest pressed against your own. The world around you was reduced to something small where your focus lied entirely on how to withstand, nothing else mattered than the moment. Despite the strain in your arms and the fact that you keep getting pushed back, the struggle makes you feel more alive than ever.

The difference between them made it more fun as she kept twisting every which way. Mark was simply bigger than her, even if Jenna had put up more of a resistance, her wrists still would have fit within his hand. She still did her best to make his victory as hard-won as she feasible. Inevitably, the rope around her wrists drew taut and with a victorious growl Mark pinned them down on the bed. Jenna lay stretched out beneath him, a slight flush to her skin while Mark drew deep breaths. Neither one ever shied away from eye contact, keeping it long after another would have averted their gaze. Jenna kept her features blank while Mark held a dark edge to his smile. This time Mark broke their eye contact, he kept his weight on her legs while he maneuvered himself around. A few moments was all it took for her ankles to be bound to either leg of the bed.

Jenna’s upper body laid stretched out on the covers, her arms were held together above her head by the rope cuffs he had put on earlier while her bottom lay perched on the edge of the bed. Her feet were flat on the ground and held fast by a second rope that ensured Jenna’s legs would stay open. Their clothes were scattered around them, neither of them had been particularly careful where they were tossed.

Anticipation fluttered in Jenna’s stomach and even a touch of fear tingled in her spine. All covered with that very same blank expression. Mark took at all times he wanted as his eyes moved over her body, tracing each and every line while she kept still. There was no sense in giving him the satisfaction of easy to read body language. A low chuckle with something dark that lurked within Mark’s eyes rolled over her, Jenna managed to hold in a smirk. Both of them knew it was the most fun to play with someone when you could feel danger lurking in the corner.

Keeping her reactions in became harder when his hands slid over her skin, an almost gentle glide as his body followed. Mark loomed over her with one hand planted next to Jenna’s head while his gaze followed the tips of his fingers that traced a path over her stomach. Soft, with just enough pressure that Jenna felt his skin on hers as they drew a spiral over her breast. The closer Mark’s fingers came to her nipple, the harder it became for her to keep from squirming. Just before he reached the pink outer edge Jenna shifted her hips and a grin overtook him.

A glittering of teeth before he bowed down and pressed a kiss to her. Jenna kept her lips together, refusing to give in that easily from a bit of temptation. Mark grasped her chin, his digits digging into her skin as he turned her head to the side and pressed a kiss to her cheek with a chuckle.

“Never an easy one.” A low timbre that rumbled in her ears before Mark lifted himself back up and stared down at her.

Mark’s eyes bored down into Jenna’s, while his hand reached over to the side. A flash of something black and shiny drew Jenna’s eyes. The sense of anticipation pulled at her insides while something cold took hold of her veins. The stethoscope had laid forgotten on the sheets.

He dangled it in the air before her, swaying the black plastic tubes from side to side while the steel earpieces caught the light. But it was the pendulum swing of the diaphragm that raised the hairs on her arms. The position she was in made it more difficult but Jenna’s arms pulled at the rope while her feet tested their bindings. Mark watched her struggle while his grin grew. The typical boyish charm was gone, his grin stretched too far and showed an edge that was kept hidden away.

Mark straddled her stomach, planting his knees to the sides of her to ensure she could move as little as feasible while he spoke. “I wonder if you are actually as calm as you always seem to be.” The earpieces went into his ears and the diaphragm was held between his index and middle finger.

His voice held a wicked promise as he spoke. “The heart never lies you know.”

Jenna squirmed beneath him and Mark’s grin grew impossibly wider. She had already been distantly aware of her own heartbeat but the moment that stethoscope came into view it seemed to thunder in her ears. Each beat struck against her chest so loudly that he should have heard without that thing. Jenna’s mind became blank as it approached, there were no thoughts, only a sense of fear and anticipation mixed in with a sense of arousal that became stronger as the diaphragm came closer. She squirmed harder beneath him but Mark put an end to that when he reached for her throat with his left hand and squeezed. Jenna’s eyes locked onto his and with those sharp teeth showing Mark pressed down.

When the stethoscope finally came into contact with her skin Jenna let out a gasp, her back arched as she pressed into the touch on her chest. At that moment she wasn’t aware of the ropes, the sheets underneath, or the hand on her throat. All that she knew was the pounding within her chest and the cold pressed just below her left breast.

Jenna’s breath got stuck somewhere within her chest. She could only gaze up at Mark. Watching helplessly as he licked his lips and whispered in a tone filled with a sense of wonder.

“It’s going so fast.” Jenna shuddered at his words even as she saw Mark’s eyes flutter while he listened. “Your heart is pounding.” The words came in an almost reverent tone.

Jenna’s heart was beating faster than typical, but she knew how it could race. If her head had been clear enough she could still have counted the thuds. But all the rational wondered was swept away as the most intimate piece of her was taken. Jenna didn’t know how much time passed by as her eyes stayed on a spot on the ceiling beyond Mark’s head. A sharp sting erupted in her right cheek and when Jenna’s eyes found his again, she felt his hand caress her cheek where his palm had struck.

There was a furrow to his brow, that mad grin tempered as he looked down at her and said a single word. “Breathe.” The sound of Jenna’s inhalation filled the room as she finally remembered how while Mark nodded. “Good, I want to keep listening to this so you need to keep breathing.” Something inside her core clenched at his words and her thighs rubbed together.

Mark simply sat there. Listening as her heart began to slow. The warmth from her core spread, beating against the icy cold within her veins.

Mark gazed down at her, his head tilted to the side. A shiver ran through Jenna as she had come to recognize that shine in his eyes when he had an idea. So far she had all the time been free to fight back, the possibility of taking control had all the time been there. A possibility that he had taken from her, the only thing that would stop him were the agreed words. They had spoken of many things but now all of them were an option and she didn’t know which he would take. Mark’s grin widened as he heard how Jenna’s heart sped up.

A low chuckle, something dark with a nasty edge bubbled up from him before the words. “Time to play.”

Her head was lifted from the bed and a blindfold took away Jenna’s sight. Her chest rose from deep breaths. Blind and bound she turned her head to follow every little sound she heard and flinched when a horrible screech sounded before something was torn. Jenna’s breath sped up while she tried to listen, something long and sticky was placed between her breasts and over the diaphragm. The corners of her mouth turned downward as Jenna puzzled out why he would be putting tape on her before the horrible sound returned, a second piece crossed the first.

It was a while before Mark spoke with a wicked promise hidden in his tone. “There, that won’t be going anywhere and you get to listen to my little experiment. Let’s see how fast we can make your heart go.”

Those ominous words were followed by something being pushed into her ears. A loud rustling filled Jenna’s ear and she winced at the noise of it until suddenly it was gone. Replaced by a rhythmic thudding that filled her whole head. Jenna began to shudder on the bed while she listened to her own heart thumping within her chest. Nothing she did would make the sound stop, Jenna could only listen as it sped up.

Mark’s hands slid over her stomach and Jenna gasped, she was sure she did but all she could hear was the ever faster thumping of her heart while Mark took benefit of her helpless position. With a gentle touch he explored Jenna’s body, fingers drifting everywhere with the ghost of a touch. A soft caress over her side. Mark’s nail scraped lightly when it traced a line down her stomach. And even though Jenna hadn’t stopped tossing her head, she couldn’t dislodge the earpieces, every touch made her heart beat the slightest bit faster.

The calluses on his hand chafed as he rubbed her thighs. Jenna bit her lip when he pressed his thumbs into the skin of her inner thighs and pushed them forward toward her aching core. A gasp before he stopped massaging her thighs, his fingers drifted over her stomach and up her sides until they reached the hollow between her shoulders and arms. Mark’s fingers danced against the delicate skin of her armpits and Jenna danced on the bed. She squirmed and wriggled every feasible way to escape those fingers while her heart raced. As suddenly as he began Mark stopped. Allowing a moment’s rest while his hand drifted over her skin.

The bed dipped near Jenna’s hips and Mark grasped her breasts, kneading them in a slow exploration as a moan escaped her. He kept testing and teasing until it became hard for Jenna to concentrate on what he was doing. The pounding in her chest and the thundering in her ears consumed everything in her word until suddenly she felt two fingers press on the side of her throat. Somehow her entire focus was drawn to those two fingers as they sought a specific spot. Jenna pulled at her restraints even as her core clenched. Everything stopped when he found it, she could hardly remember to breathe when those fingers pressed down on the carotid artery she froze.

Jenna stayed still as each beat pressed against Mark’s fingers. Something trembled within her and there must have been a noise that came out of her open mouth but she knew none of it. It was only when she felt a sharp pain in her side that she realized he moved. Sound and sensation came back at once as his teeth pulled at her skin. She could feel as he loomed over her and the fingers on her artery shifted until they were joined by their brothers. Mark squeezed.

Jenna’s breath became shallower, somehow she felt his other hand brush over her breast until Mark set his nails against her skin and raked them down her side. Jenna gasped sharply at the sting, arching her back while her heart thumped wildly in her ears. The sharpness of the sting was softened by Mark’s caress of the lines he left behind. Jenna squirmed underneath him as Mark’s fingers drifted lower and lower before they dragged down the apex of her legs to weeping lips.

Jenna could hardly breathe as his fingers stroked her lips, tingles were sent up and down her body with each pass. She jerked on the bed when they swept past her clit. A strangled moan came as his palm pressed against her stiff button and circled with just enough pressure. The sensations made Jenna rock her hips against the hand that set the pace. One of Mark’s fingers quested downward, circling her entrance before it made its way inside dragging another ragged gasp out of her. The finger inside of her was joined by a second as they pulled up and she twitched.

The world became an agony of sensations as her heart continued beating in her ears. The fingers inside her worked in tandem with the palm pressed against her clit. Even if she had wished to, Jenna wasn’t capable of stopping her hips from moving to the pace set. The moan she let out was heard even above the pounding in her chest.

Jenna dropped down onto the bed when his hands left her. Somewhere far away the ropes around her ankles were loosened, but it was all far away as she drew ragged breaths. Even when her legs were lifted into the air she couldn’t discover it in herself to care. Only when something long and hard was laid against her lower lips did she jerk back to attention. The earplugs were taken out so she could hear his voice.

“That seemed like fun.” His hard length rubbed between her lips, pressing down onto her with a pressure that sent shocks through Jenna’s legs until only the tip was left. “Is this what you want?” A low and husky timbre as Mark moved forward slowly, impaling Jenna as her breath was driven out.

Once Mark was inside her to the hilt he lay down on top of her body and pressed his lips to her neck in a dozen places. Finally, he began to rock back and forth and laughed when Jenna moaned.

The whisper in her ear was devilish in its intent. “Now you get to listen to mine.”

Those words were almost enough to make her moan on their own, all she could do was flex her toes and squirm on the bed. Inside, a knot grew tighter with each moment.

The earplugs were replaced in her ears before something was pulled off her chest. Again that horrible rustling as the tubes were dragged along sheets and skin. It took far too long before something else entirely.

A slow, steady beat. As if someone pounded a drum at a deliberate pace, ensuring that every strike was felt before the next.

Her own heart had been pounding but it never sounded like this. Each beat resounded through her body as Jenna shuddered around Mark and pulled him closer with her legs. She could hear as his heart sped up, the bed dipped near her head as Mark began to move again. A slow rocking that turned to a steady thrusting. Each passing second the pounding of the drum became louder and faster.

Jenna couldn’t help but moan while her hips met his. The knot inside kept getting tighter and tighter as the two moved. It was his heartbeat that carried her further as they became more frantic. That pounding in her ears made the knot explode and carried her over the edge. It drew a scream from her as the world shook.

As stars flew before her eyes she could feel Mark pound into her body until suddenly he stopped. The beating of his heart became a strange almost flutter as his body tensed and the waves of a second explosion dragged her under.