From the upcoming MIX & MATCH, dropping on 3.1.2022
“What’s wrong with this one?” Donovan asked when she shook her head. “Seems fine to me.”
“It’s too hard.” Jasmine pressed down on the mattress with both hands and met resistance.
“Aye, and you said the other was too soft. I feel like we’re starring in a Grimm’s tale instead of shopping for a guest bedroom mattress.”
“You don’t want your parents or anyone else who comes to visit to be uncomfortable, do you?”
“No. But we’ve been to three stores already and found nothing to your liking.”
“That’s why they call it shopping.” She rolled her eyes. “You can’t pick the very first one you see. You’ve got to shop around. You’ve got to try them out. You don’t buy a car without taking it for a test drive to see how it handles, do you? A bed is the same way.”
“What do you propose we do to take it for a drive? Sleep on it?”
“Don’t be snide. Here.” She led him to one labeled comfort sleeper. After pressing down on it with her hands and noting how firm, yet supple it was, she said, “This one looks promising. Lie down.”
“What? Here? On that?”
“How else are you going to know how it feels?” She sat on the bed, bounced a few times, then assumed a supine position, her feet pointed toward the bottom. Patting the mattress, she said, “Come on. Hop on. Take it for a spin.”
With his hands fisted on his hips and his brows glued together over his eyes, he shook his head. Then he shrugged and settled down next to her.
They were on a bare, king-sized mattress in the middle of a commercial bed store, surrounded by other shoppers and salespeople. It never occurred to Jasmine there was anything remotely sexual about reclining on the bed with him. They were merely shopping for an item he needed.
The moment his back hit the mattress and he turned his head to look at her, that notion flew out the proverbial window and her pulse started racing.
The bed was big enough they could stretch out their arms and only barely touch fingers, but to Jasmine it suddenly felt small and intimate.
Too intimate.
She bolted upright then threw her legs over the side so she could sit on the edge. For some reason sitting on the bed seemed less… carnal.
“Aye, this feels brilliant,” he said. “More comfortable and cushy than me own bed, for sure.” Donovan was oblivious to her discomfort as he rolled side to side, testing the coils and springs.
Jasmine stood, her face feeling as if she’d stayed out in the sun for days.
“Can I help you two?” A salesman with an I-hope-to-make-a-sale cheek-wide smile approached them.
Donovan pulled off the bed to stand. The salesman stuck out his hand, which Donovan took.
“If you two are looking for a bed that’s gonna last a lifetime, you’ve found it,” he said. “I’ve gotten letters from dozens of couples who’ve told me how pleased they are with this mattress brand. Everyone from the kids who come in on cold mornings to cuddle to the pets who find their way at the bottom of the bed during the night love the comfort of this brand.”
For some reason Jasmine felt the urge to clarify the situation.
“Oh, we’re not together.”
“I thought—”
“I mean, we’re together, here and now, just not together like a couple. The bed’s not for us. It’s for him.” She pointed at Donovan. “For his guest bedroom. His parents are coming for an extended visit and he wants them to be comfortable. We’re not a couple. Just friends,” she added.
Donovan’s brows were kissing again by the time she finished babbling. The salesman’s smile dimmed, when he turned his attention to Donovan.
With a nod, Van explained what he was looking for in the way of cost and availability.
Me thinks the lady doth protest too much, hee hee!
here’s the preorder link if you’re intrigued: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09P48WPZC
Peggy Jaeger, Author 