"I don't want to stop."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure. Are you?"
"I've never been more sure of anything."
He kissed her then—deep and slow and full of want. When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, Riley was shaking.
"Inside," she whispered. "Now."
They made it as far as the kitchen before Grant had her pressed against the counter, his mouth on her neck, his hands sliding under her sweater.
"Barn. More private."
They grabbed their coats and practically ran across the yard, hands linked, both of them grinning like idiots despite the cold.
Inside the barn, Grant locked the door and turned on the space heater. The loft was warmer, more private should his dad come home early, and when Grant pulled her close again, Riley forgot how to think.
They kissed until her lips were swollen and his hands were in her hair and neither of them could breathe properly. When Grant's hands found the hem of her sweater, Riley pulled back just enough to look at him.
"You're sure about this?" she asked.
"Are you?"
"I asked you first."
"I’m positive." His thumb traced her jaw, his eyes dark with want. "You?"
"Same."
Riley pulled his face down to hers. "Then stop talking and take off your shirt."
His laugh was rough and breathless, but he obeyed. Riley's hands mapped the planes of his chest, relearning the body she'd once known so well. They were on the couch, shirts discarded, Riley's lips running down Grant's chest, when everything went dark.
And cold.
The space heater's hum cut out. The barn went completely black—no lights anywhere, not even from the main floor below.
"What—" Riley started.
"Power's out." Grant's voice came from somewhere above her in the darkness.
"The whole barn?"
"Sounds like it. Probably the whole property." Grant shifted, and Riley heard him fumbling for his phone. The screen lit up his face, casting strange shadows. "Yeah. Everything's dark. Main barn, the shop, the lot lights."
Riley sat up, already feeling the cold seeping in. "Can you fix it tonight?"
"I have to. Can't run the lot tomorrow without power. The register, the card reader, the lights for the lot—" He stopped, running a hand through his hair. "Shit."
"That's bad."
"That's really bad." Grant looked at her, his face half-lit by his phone screen. "I'm sorry. I need to check the main breaker, see if it's just us or the whole grid."
Riley laughed despite her frustration. "Our timing is spectacular."
"It really is."
