The heavy, rapid breathing in the grand bedchamber slowly began to quiet down. The faint, sad music from the drawing room downstairs had finally stopped, leaving the house in a state of profound, midday stillness.
Rowan shifted his large frame on the mattress. The dark blue silk sheets rustled softly beneath his weight. He moved closer to Delaney, closing the small space between them. He laid beside her. His bare chest was still rising and falling in a steady, calming rhythm. He reached out with one strong arm and gently pulled her against his side, tucking her head safely under his chin.
He lowered his head and pressed a tender, lingering kiss to her damp forehead. It was a kiss of deep affection, entirely different from the desperate, hungry passion that had consumed them just moments before.
