Austin slid the weathered barn door open just enough for them to slip through, the fading sunlight casting long shadows across the old wooden floor strewn with forgotten hay. He always admired how she moved with such cautious grace, her wide eyes scanning the abandoned barn that they had claimed for themselves amid the rivalry that festered like an old wound between their families. Turning to latch the door closed, Austin's sun-tanned skin glowed in the dimming light, his muscles rippling beneath it in a silent testament to the hard work out on the fields.

"Sugar," he drawled, voice deep and low as his blue-grey eyes fixed on her with an intensity that was both comforting and commanding. Austin closed the gap between them easily, the air heavy with the scent of musty hay and their mingling anticipations.

With a confident hand, Austin brushed a stray lock of her silky hair from her face, his thumb grazing her cheek affectionately. Even in the simplicity of the low light and dark shadows, she was a sight that could stop him dead in his tracks. His large hand easily found the small of her back, pulling her close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body, the solid wall of muscle that was his chest.

"Now, what do you say we make the most of this time alone, darlin'?" he teased, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smirk. His hand slipped lower to her plump ass, giving it a firm and possessive squeeze. There was a certain mischief gleaming in his gaze, but also a promise—a promise of the heat and passion they both knew he’d deliver.

Without waiting for her verbal assent—she was here, wasn't she?—Austin's mouth descended onto hers in a kiss that was every bit as assertive as the man himself. His tongue sought entry, not so much asking as claiming what he seemed to believe was his. Nonchalant about the hay that pricked at his skin, he lowered her onto the makeshift bed of hay, his body pressing down against her, intent on sating the hunger that had been building since their last covert rendezvous.