Page 91 of Love Is…?
“Tell me, Tessa Connor. What else do you like?” Jayde’s smile was open and full of delight. The answer wasn’t difficult at all.
She delivered a quick kiss. “You. Us.”
Jayde’s smile widened. “A lot?”
Tessa laughed. “Yes, a lot.”
Jayde kissed Tessa’s shoulder, then her neck, then her lips. “That’s good. I like you. Us, a lot, too.”
Chapter
Eighteen
Gloriously satiatedand grinning like a goof, Tessa stared at a sleeping Jayde, admiring her cheekbone, jawline, skin, the way her fingers were relaxed into a soft curl near her chin, how her lips were gently parted. Then Tessa flushed. Those very lips had done extraordinary things to her body last night, and the night before, and the one before that, and basically every night for the past two weeks.
Two weeks of discovering what it was that brought each other pleasure, such as finding out that Jaydereallyliked a wide satin ribbon draped over her eyes while Tessa trailed kisses and fingertips over every inch of her skin. Two weeks of making love in bed, and other places. Two weeks of occasionally hanging out with Angel, enjoying her latest anecdote, or sometimes sharing dinner with Oliver, adding to his collection of dad jokes and absorbing his very long looks that made his eyes twinkle like stars. Two weeks of snuggling on the couch at night in Jayde’s flat, talking, laughing, and occasionally crying a little as they told each other their stories.
And two weeks of working.
Jayde was finalising the draft of the profile, which meant that not only had Tessa met bone-melting, lust-inducing, joy-creating versions of Jayde Ferguson, she was also introduced to distracted, frowning-at-the-screen Jayde Ferguson. She fed that version of Jayde Chinese take-away and kisses.
Meanwhile, notwithstanding the Wedding which had taken on a capital letter when used in conversations, there was the imminent launch of Grace’s TikTok. Tessa worked with Tom, who’d flown in from Los Angeles on the Monday of the second week, and Isabelle, who beamed in via Zoom, on the structure and timing of the account.
“I sound like I’m some sort of influencer,” Grace whined, dropping her head dramatically as she perched on the leather footstool in Abby’s study.
“You are,” Tom stated bluntly. “You’ll just have to deal with it.”
Then they glared at each other in the way that people who’ve been close for years do where they break into laughter at the end.
“Fine. Well, I’m in control of content so I want an eclectic mix, like, modern, Victorian, ancient, and personal poetry, too.” Then she stood, and pointed at Tom, Tessa, and Isabelle’s face in the laptop. “Grace Taylor, very important influencer who talks about herself in the third person, is off to raid the pantry because Sam bought biscuits that Mum doesn’t know about.” She sashayed out of the room.
Tom and Tessa grinned.
“She’s one particularly awesome person,” Tessa declared.
Tom nodded. “Yep. Has been since she was little.”
At Grace’s insistence,the ‘TikTok Ta-Da’—Sam’s title for the event which she refused to give up despite Grace’s very teenage sighing—was pushed aside because the highlight at the end ofthe week was the wedding of one Abigail Taylor to the love of her life, Samantha Markson.
The paparazzi outside the house had increased from a permanent scraggly trio, to a football pack that was using each other’s backs as step ladders in their attempt to snap their best photo. This was mainly due to the potential increase in income from any and all magazines when some of the celebrity guests, who’d arrived in Melbourne a week early, popped by to say hello.
Most of the photo-worthy folk dropped into the MTC so that they could hug both women, catch up with a few cast members of the latest headlining production, then simply hang out absorbing the nostalgia of a time when treading the boards was the epitome of one’s acting career.
Occasionally, Jayde arrived at the house and was welcomed with open arms. She had checked with Abby about the random visits despite having concluded the interviews weeks ago.
“Of course,” Abby said, stopping everyone—Sam, Grace, Tessa, Jayde—at the small elevator in the garage on Tuesday morning. “Tell Tilde that you are gathering some…” She frowned in thought then smiled. “Background colour for the profile.” Then she looked pointedly at Tessa, raised an eyebrow and Jayde blushed, making Grace and Sam laugh in unison.
“Background colour…” Jayde said slowly.
Abby grinned, then leaned in, her hair falling forward in a perfect wave. “Here’s an extra one for your book. Marina has already said that love is laden with colour, Jayde. I think you just have to find out which colours are yours.” She pointed to Jayde’s phone in her hand.“You didn’t get that on tape. Oh, well. You’ll have to remember it.” Then she winked as the elevator door slid sideways and they squashed inside.
Abigail Taylor was entirely too sexy for words and Sam, all heart eyes and softness, knew it because Tessa caught the grin she was sporting at Jayde’s good-natured discomfort.
Jayde hadn’t expectedto receive an invitation to the wedding, and Tessa felt the sudden jerk of Jayde’s surprise as she stood behind Jayde with her arms curled around Jayde’s shoulders. Jayde, who was sitting on one of the stools in Abby and Sam’s kitchen, traced the edges of the velvety card.
Abby leaned across the bench.
“We’d like you to come on Saturday.”