A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 176 - Hundred And Seventy Six

Rowan let go of her face. The brief, desperate touch seemed to drain the last of his strength.

He put his hand back on the wall, caging her once more, but this time, there was no anger in the gesture. He hung his head low in utter defeat, his blond hair falling forward, resting his forehead against the cool stone wall just above her shoulder, unable to look her in the eye as he offered her everything he was.

"You stand here in the dark," Rowan spoke softly, his voice muffled against the wall, "as if you were born of all the dark colors. You wear your plain grey dresses, and you try so hard to hide yourself from the world. Yet, you are the only thing I see with any clarity."

Delaney stood perfectly still. She simply listened to the most beautiful, poetic confession she had ever heard in her entire life.

"For my entire life," Rowan continued, his voice a deep, resonant rumble, "the world has been a garish, noisy thing. It has been full of false brights, loud balls, and empty colors. Everyone wants something from me. Everyone expects perfection."

He turned his head slightly, his cheek resting against the wall, so he could look at her again.

"But you..." Rowan breathed out, his eyes tracing the line of her lips . "You are a quietude I did not know I required. You do not demand perfection. You only demand honesty. I find that my own happiness has become a completely hollow, echoing chamber unless it is reflected in your hazel eyes."

He moved his hand from the wall. He reached out and gently took one of her small, scraped hands. He held it tightly, pressing her knuckles against his own rapidly beating heart.

"I do not ask you to change your temperament," Rowan vowed quietly in the warm, lamp-lit room. "Nor do I ask you to step into a society light that burns you. I know you hate the Ton. I know you hate the crowds. I will not force you to be the Duchess that everyone expects something from. If you wish to hide from the Ton, I will hide with you. I only ask that you allow me to stand beside you in the grey."

He squeezed her hand.

"I would trade every sunny acre of my inheritance," Rowan declared, dismissing his massive fortune with a single breath, "simply to be the one who ensures your silence is never lonely."

He took a step closer, closing the tiny distance between them. He rested his other hand on her waist, pulling her gently against his chest.

"You have become the very gravity of my soul," Rowan whispered, his face hovering just inches above hers. "I am quite literally pulled toward you, Delaney. And I find I have absolutely no desire to resist the fall."

He closed his eyes again, his broad shoulders slumping further as the exhaustion of his injuries and his emotional confession finally caught up with him. He had offered her everything he possessed, and he stood entirely defenseless, waiting for her to deliver the final blow and walk away.

Delaney looked at him. She did not try to escape the cage of his arms. She raised both of her small hands and gently cupped his face.

She held his cheeks firmly between her palms. Her thumbs smoothed softly over his sharp cheekbones. She tilted his head up just a fraction, forcing him to open his eyes.

She let him look at her.

He opened his eyes. He looked down at her, completely vulnerable. He looked entirely shattered. He looked exactly like a lost puppy who was really sad because his beloved master was leaving him behind.

Rowan could not wait another second. The yearning was too great, her touch was too intoxicating. The need to taste her, to feel her, to know she was truly there, consumed him entirely.

Rowan took her lips.

He kissed her senseless.

It was a desperate, hungry, completely consuming kiss. He slanted his mouth firmly over hers, pouring all of his fear, all of his pain, and all of his overwhelming love into the contact. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, lifting her slightly onto her toes, pressing her soft body flush against the hard, muscular planes of his chest.

Delaney gasped against his mouth, and then she kissed him back with equal, fierce desperation. She wrapped her arms securely around his neck, tangling her fingers in the blond hair at the nape of his neck. She opened to him completely, letting him taste her, showing him exactly how deeply she loved him in return.

They kissed until they were both completely breathless. The dark, terrifying memories of the carriage crash finally vanished, replaced entirely by the hot, beautiful reality of this single moment.

Rowan slowly broke the kiss.

He did not pull away. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. His chest heaved against hers as he tried to catch his breath.

His forehead rested on her forehead.

They stood together in the warm circle of lamp light, their eyes closed, simply breathing each other in.

"I have lost someone before," Rowan whispered, his voice trembling slightly against her lips. He thought of the young woman who kissed him and vanished into the night three years ago. The woman he had searched the entire city to find.

He opened his brown eyes and looked deeply into her hazel ones.

"I let her go and regretted it completely. I don’t want to make the exact same mistake and lose you too," Rowan said, his voice filled with a lingering, protective fear.

Delaney smiled. It was a radiant smile that completely transformed her usually serious face. It was the smile of a woman who had finally found her true home.

She could feel his fear. She could feel the slight tremble in his strong arms. She knew exactly what he was talking about, because she had left him once, too.

She moved her hands from his neck and gently rested them flat against his bare chest, right over his rapidly beating heart.

"I don’t intend to let you go, Rowan," Delaney promised softly, her voice filled with absolute certainty.

She looked up at him, her hazel eyes dancing with a beautiful, shared secret.

"I did that last three years," Delaney confessed, her smile widening into a playful, joyful grin. "I left you and jumped off the balcony. I am not doing that again."

The quiet bedchamber suddenly felt very still.

Rowan froze. The soft, gentle stroke of his thumb against her waist completely stopped.

He pulled his head back just an inch. He stared at her. He searched her smiling face, his mind struggling to process the impossible words she had just spoken.

His eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock. He looked at her dark hair. He looked at her striking hazel eyes. He remembered the balcony at that neighborhood ball. He remembered the kiss. He remembered the young woman taking off her shoes, humming a tune he didn’t know.

He had looked everywhere for her. He had hired investigators. He had walked the streets for weeks, months, absolutely haunted by the brief connection they had shared. He had finally given up, believing she was a ghost he would never find, only to fall madly in love with the strict matchmaker his aunt had hired.

And they were the exact same woman.

Rowan blinked rapidly, entirely stunned.

"What?" Rowan asked, his voice a breathless, disbelieving whisper.