She did not answer him.Instead, she shifted her weight more fully.Her knee pressed against his thigh.Her body aligned with his in a way that made her intent clear without a single word.
This was not her world.That fact remained present.It sharpened the edge of what she was doing.
Titus’s hand came up and settled at her waist to steady her.His grip was firm.He waited and gave her space to stop if she chose to.She did not.
Her breath came uneven at first and then steadied as she adjusted.She found a rhythm that worked for her.The movement built gradually.The friction between them pulled his focus down to the point where their bodies met.
He tightened his grip slightly to hold her in place.His other hand braced behind him.He kept himself grounded as she moved against him.The contact turned deliberate and unmistakable.
Her head dipped forward.Her hair brushed his jaw as she drew closer.He could feel the heat of her breath at his neck.
“Kyla,” he said again.He was softer this time.
She shook her head once.Her fingers tightened at his shoulders.The pressure grounded her as much as it did him.
The shed remained what it had been.Straw lay under them while birth stayed fresh in the air.The cow shifted nearby.The calf continued to find its legs.None of it stopped what was happening between them.
Titus let her take what she needed.His hand stayed steady at her waist.His body responded without taking over.The control stayed with her.
Her breathing broke first.She took a sharp inhale she could not smooth out.A low sound followed.She pressed it into his shoulder as if that might contain it.Her movement tightened and then sharpened.The rhythm lost its evenness as she chased the end of the sensation.
He tightened his grip in response.He kept her close as the tension built and then gave way.
She stilled against him.Her body pulled tight for a second before it released.The motion was small but unmistakable.Her grip on him held for a beat longer and then loosened.Her breath came back uneven and slow.
Titus did not move right away.He kept his hand steady at her waist.He let the moment settle instead of breaking it apart.
Kyla stayed where she was.Her forehead dropped forward until it rested near his shoulder.For a second, she leaned into him for recovery.Then she pulled back.
The shift was small but decisive.Her hands left him first.Then her weight followed.The space between them opened again as she sat back on her heels.She did not look at him right away.
Instead, she reached for her jacket.She pulled it back into place with movements that were more controlled.When she finally met his gaze again, she appeared more contained.
“Thanks,” she said.
It was not about what had just happened.They both knew that.
Titus nodded once.“Yeah.”
The word carried little weight, but it was all he had.
Kyla pushed herself to her feet.Her legs were unsteady for a second before she found her balance.She grabbed the thermos she had brought and tucked it under her arm as she moved toward the door.She paused there with one hand on the wood.She looked as if she might say something else.
She did not.
The door opened and let in a rush of cold air.The wind cut across the warmth they had built.Then she stepped out into the dark.The door swung shut behind her with a dull sound.
The shed settled back into its usual rhythm after she left.It took longer than it should have for Titus to register the quiet.
He remained where he was with one hand still braced in the straw.The other rested on his thigh where her weight had been.The warmth she had pressed into him faded by degrees.It was replaced by the cold that worked its way back into the space.
Across the stall, the cow nudged her calf again.The animal staggered and then pushed up with stubborn insistence.Titus watched it without moving.His breathing was slow to even out.
He dragged a hand over his face.He felt the grit of dried sweat and straw against his skin.His muscles protested when he shifted.The effort of the night settled into a deep ache.
For a moment, he considered staying there.Then he forced himself to move.
He pushed to his feet.The motion was stiff.The shed came back into focus in pieces as he crossed to the cow.His hands returned to the work that did not wait.
