Page 35 of Love Is…?

They regarded each other.

“I did, actually, despite failing miserably to apply my flirting knowledge. This was out of my comfort zone, but, honestly, I had fun.”

Jayde reached across and curled her hand over Tessa’s. “Good. That’s what it’s meant to be.”

Tessa breathed carefully. The hand-holding felt protective, which was wonderful and sweet, but there was a great deal of Tessa that wanted Jayde to lean over the table, or push her up against a wall, or, better yet, tug her close so she could straddle Jayde’s lap, then have Jayde kiss her senseless.

“That’s an image,” she murmured, her response drowned out by a techno version of Kenny G pouring from the speakers.

With their cardsreturned to the host—“You girls have a great night! You never know who’ll be knocking on your door based on these little beauties”—Jayde and Tessa made their way to Tessa’s car parked up the road.

“Did that sound slightly ominous or was it just me?” Tessa said, tilting her head to catch Jayde’s answer.

“No, not just you. It had horror movie written all over it. We’ll be sliced apart with paper cuts from the name sheet.”

Tessa laughed, and bumped Jayde’s shoulder. The movement caused her shoe to catch on the rough surface of the road.

“Oh!” Tessa flailed and reached for the nearest object, which happened to be Jayde, and clutched at her torso.

Jayde reacted quickly, as if she’d been watching Tessa the whole time, wrapping her arms about Tessa’s body, then helping her regain her footing. “You okay?” she said quietly into Tessa’s ear.

The entire moment was heated and intimate and Tessa didn’t care that she nearly left skin on the asphalt, because it had ended with that shiver-inducing question. She looked up into Jayde’seyes, dropped her gaze to Jayde’s lips, then returned it to her eyes. Despite the darkness, their faces were so close that she could have counted Jayde’s freckles.

“I’m good. Thanks for rescuing me,” she breathed, then she stepped back, breaking the embrace.

Jayde looked like she was in a daze. “No worries. Come on. We should get home. It’s a school night.”

It didn’t seempolite to simply stop at Jayde’s place, say goodnight, and dump her on the driveway. So, after accepting Jayde’s invitation for a cup of tea, Tessa found herself perched on the cute two-seater couch under the window.

They chatted like…Well, friends. Good friends. A friendly, meandering chat about Canada and journalism and Melbourne and Jayde’s dad and Tessa’s invisible parents who wanted nothing to do with her.

“But you’re amazing and wonderful! How could they not want you in their lives?” Jayde was appalled. So appalled, in fact, that she leapt from her seat, walked two paces, and sat next to Tessa on the couch. She grasped Tessa’s hand.

“That’s so sad,” she continued, and leant closer, and Tessa held her breath because that’s what one did when a thoroughly sexy woman drifted into your personal space.

“Yeah, well, life can suck sometimes,” Tessa murmured, then squeezed Jayde’s fingers and slid her hand away. “Anyway, you and I, our next date-but-not-a-date is dinner the Wednesday of the week after this one.”

She grinned at Jayde, who frowned.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be a very good student.” Jayde tucked one leg under the other.

Suddenly, a little kernel of a joke, a spark of innuendo, tickled Tessa’s mind. She smiled to herself, and went for it.

“I’m probably not either,” she said, watching Jayde carefully.

Jayde narrowed her eyes. “I’ll probably need disciplining,” she murmured, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

And there’s the door. Go for it.

Tessa held fast eye contact. “Do you prefer silk or leather?” she purred.

Jayde blinked, then looked away, then back, and a soft blush dusted her cheeks.

Tessa didn’t really care what Jayde had visualised—she did—but it didn’t matter.

“Yes!” She punched the air with glee. “I made Jayde Ferguson blush!”

The flush on Jayde’s skin disappeared as quickly as it had arrived and Jayde shook her head. “That,” she said, pointing, “was excellent. A plus.”

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