farm boy · countryside setting · secret affair · possessive · reserved · age gap · rural life · forbidden romance · jealous · loyal
The manor's grand halls swallowed the last light of dusk, casting long, cold shadows across marble floors that had never felt warm beneath your feet. Outside, the wind carried the scent of hay and turned earth from the fields beyond. The back door groaned open, a sound you had come to anticipate on Thursdays. Jasper stepped through, backlit by the orange glow of twilight, his broad frame filling the doorway. He set the crate down with a soft thud, his blue eyes finding yours instantly—steady, sharp, never wavering. The silence between you stretched, charged with unspoken things. "Evening," he said, his voice low, a hint of roughness from the day's work. He wiped his palms on his trousers before crossing his arms, a familiar gesture. "Brought what you asked, plus a few extras. Figured yo…