A Scandal By Any Other Name-Chapter 179 - Hundred And Seventy Nine

Rowan’s arms were still wrapped securely around Delaney’s waist. He felt incredibly weak from the sudden burst of adrenaline and the lingering pain of his injuries, but his heart had never felt stronger.

Delaney noticed the slight tremor in his strong frame. She knew he was fighting a losing battle against his physical exhaustion.

"You need to rest," Delaney whispered softly against his shoulder. She gently pulled back from his embrace. "You have used most of you strength, Rowan. The doctor will be furious with both of us if you collapse."

Rowan let out a low, reluctant groan. He did not want to let her go. He felt that if he released his grip, she might vanish into the shadows again.

"I am fine," Rowan lied stubbornly, his eyes trying to maintain a fierce, commanding look.

"You are not fine," Delaney scolded him gently, her hazel eyes dancing with a mixture of fond amusement and deep concern. "You are pale, and you are swaying."

She placed her hands firmly on his broad shoulders and gently pushed him backward.

Delaney replied, her voice soft but entirely commanding, " Let’s get you comfortable."

Rowan did not resist her gentle push. He allowed himself to fall slowly backward onto the soft mattress. He let out a harsh breath as his head hits the mattress, but he did not complain.

Delaney moved quickly and efficiently. She helped Rowan into the center of the large bed. She pulled the thick, white linen sheets and the heavy velvet quilt up over his legs and chest. She smoothed the wrinkles away, carefully avoiding the dark purple bruises on his skin. She tucked him in snugly, making sure he was warm and secure against the cold night air.

She stood back for a moment, looking down at him. He looked like a baby in swaddling clothes.

"There," Delaney said, a small, satisfied smile touching her lips. "Now, you must sleep."

She turned around and took a step toward the wooden chair, intending to sit back down and resume her quiet watch for the rest of the night.

As she was about to leave his side, Rowan moved.

He reached out with his large hand. He grabbed the edge of the heavy velvet quilt and pulled it back, exposing the empty, warm space on the mattress right next to him.

He opened the blanket and tapped the soft white sheets twice with his long fingers.

"Sleep with me tonight, please?" Rowan asked.

His voice was a low, rough whisper.

Delaney stopped completely. She turned her head and looked at him. Her hazel eyes widened slightly in surprise.

She replied, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion, "Why?"

She gestured toward the comfortable wooden chair. "I am going to sit right here. I will be right beside you all night long."

Rowan shook his head slightly against the pillows. He did not want her sitting in a hard wooden chair. He did not want a foot of cold air separating them.

Rowan replied, his voice dropping even lower, filled with a quiet, honest fear. "I’m scared."

Delaney blinked. He was admitting he was frightened.

She chuckled softly. It was a warm, musical sound that filled the quiet room. She walked back to the edge of the bed.

"Scared of what?" Delaney asked, leaning down slightly. She brushed a stray lock of blond hair away from his white bandage. "Are you scared of the dark?"

Rowan reached up and gently captured her hand. He held her small fingers tightly within his large grasp. He looked deeply into her eyes, stripping away the last of his pride.

Rowan replied, "Scared I’ll wake up and you would disappear."

The humor instantly vanished from Delaney’s face. She saw the genuine, lingering terror in his eyes. He had searched for her for three years, and he had almost lost her to the accident. The fear of waking up to an empty room was very real to him.

Delaney replied, a soft, incredibly tender smile touching her lips. "Have you always been like this?"

She tilted her head, studying his handsome, bruised face. "Have you always been so demanding and so completely ruled by your emotions?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Rowan let out a short, self-deprecating laugh. He shook his head again.

Rowan replied, "Not at all. I was perfectly rational and completely boring before I met you."

He squeezed her hand gently, his thumb drawing slow circles against her knuckles.

"I just discovered this side of me recently," Rowan confessed, his eyes entirely sincere. "And it’s only when you are near. You make me completely irrational, Delaney."

He did not let go of her hand. With his other hand, he tapped the empty space of the bed again. It was a silent, persistent plea.

Delaney stood by the bed, looking down at the empty space.

She thought to herself, a small, playful frown touching her forehead. "Why is he being childish?"

He was a grown man, a Duke of the realm, acting exactly like a frightened boy who needed comfort after a nightmare. She looked at his pale face. She looked at the dark bruises on his chest, and she remembered how those bruises had gotten there. He had traded his own safety for hers. He had thrown his body into the path of breaking wood simply because he loved her.

"Well," Delaney rationalized silently, her heart completely melting. "It’s just for one night. He needs rest to heal. And he looks utterly cute begging me like that."

She let out a soft, defeated sigh.

She replied, her voice pretending to be slightly annoyed, "Fine."

Rowan’s face immediately brightened. A brilliant, triumphant smile spread across his lips, erasing the lines of pain and exhaustion.

Delaney carefully climbed onto the tall mattress. She stayed fully clothed in her dress. She moved cautiously, trying to keep a respectable distance between them, intending to sleep on the very edge of the bed.

But Rowan had absolutely no intention of letting her sleep on the edge.