As Long As I Have You

~ Chapter Thirty Four ~

Kirsten sat in front of her bathroom vanity and struggled with the final handful of waves she was determined to secure, adding another bobby pin to countless ones already hidden within her hair. She wanted to look perfect for Evan and his family tonight, and if it meant a hundred hair pins jammed into her skull and a guaranteed migraine as a result then so be it.

"Argh, stay!" she yelled at the pin, and pulled her hands away cautiously, testing the hold of her hairstyle, daintily at first, and then with a few more shakes of her head. The elegant coiffed style was parted simply and smoothed to the nape of her neck, then spilled down her back, strategically flowing with the cut of her gown. It was a deceivingly intricate look, but she had finally gotten it just right, and she finished it off with a generous covering of hairspray to make sure it stayed put for the evening.

Her makeup was next, and it was always the part she hated doing the most when it came to special occasions. Even though she was a painter, applying makeup beyond mascara and a bit of lip gloss was a skill she struggled with to no end. It took her multiple tries to line her eyes evenly, but after several attempts she found success, finished with the rest of her makeup, quickly washed up, and then retrieved her dress from the bed and slid into it.

The shimmering gown she chose for the evening was full-length and covered in delicate rose-gold crystals, and from the waistline wound and twisted itself around her in a Roman style that was both demure and alluring. The gown's neckline plunged in deep sweetheart fashion, and the skirt split high on one leg to allow for a generous view of her shapely thigh. When she moved, the sugar-spun confection caught even the faintest light and made her pale skin shimmer as if lit by a thousand flickering candles.

She finished off her ensemble with a pair of simple but exquisite diamond earrings her parents had given her following her graduation from law school, and as she admired the final results in the mirror she had to admit the small fortune the sales clerk convinced her to spend on the dress had definitely been worth it.

"Just breathe," she told her reflection, and took a deep breath, then another, and another still. "Breathe and act normal."

Normal. It was such an unexceptional word, but one that she realized as of late was entirely relative depending on the day of the week and the company she kept. It also had the distinct and maddening ability to change as easily as a gust of wind. Six months ago normal meant working on her art all hours into the evening and fighting the occasional night terror; two months ago it included an ongoing yet harmless flirtation with her mystery man, and little more than a month ago it meant making promises to her dying father and coming back to work at Travis Enterprises. Today it meant something entirely different altogether.

She sighed at the strangeness of it all and busied herself with a few final details, like filling her clutch with tiny necessities she might need for the night — lip gloss, smartphone, a bit of mad money and a credit card — and thought again of what normal meant for her since she married a virtual stranger.

After welcoming Evan into her home last Saturday evening he became something of a fixture in her life and part of her new normal routine. Danny was back at the helm of Travis Enterprises even if he still wasn't talking to her, and that meant her days were once again filled with painting and preparations for her upcoming exhibition.

It also meant her evenings were unexpectedly filled with Evan. He showed up late each night after the end of his workday with some version of supper in hand, and an appetite for making love to her that was electrifying and near exhausting. He miraculously functioned on three or four hours of sleep and then worked ten and twelve hour days, and still managed to come home with enough energy to make love to her until she begged for respite in the darkest hours of night. She often fell asleep breathless and satiated in his arms, only to awaken a few hours later, wet with sleepy arousal as he stirred her senses with a skillful touch and the stiffness of his erection thrust against her in need, silently beckoning her soft sheath to open and welcome him once again.