can save my ass from a major jam and I prefer not to let that secret get out to the masses. I said no.” I shot him a dark glare over my shoulder and then went back to staring at the door as my heart pumped harder and harder.
When they came through the door, I wasn’t even that surprised.
“Damn it, Kit, I don’t want them seeing you!”
I sighed and turned around. “You are more likely to make them notice me than I am,” I pointed out. Without looking, I snagged the basket and headed down the aisle. “Come on.”
He was still snarling at my back, all but stepping on my heels.
“You can make yourself seem more human than this,” I said quietly. “If you don’t want us catching attention…blend.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if they notice me.”
“Yeah, well, I’m standing two feet away.” Reaching inside my vest, I tugged out a black bandana and quickly tied it over my hair. We passed a display of reading glasses and I snagged a pair, tugging off the tags and sliding them on. Immediately, my vision went blurry but I could handle that. Inside another pocket, I had a rolled up skull cap. I pulled it out and shoved it at Damon. “Take it. And damn it, tone it down.”
Bit by bit, the heated wave of his energy melted away until I couldn’t feel any of it.
The warning sirens in my brain were still going off, though.
“You can work around the front of the store,” he said softly. “Get outside, wait in the car. They are moving over to the refrigerator section—you’ll have a few minutes.”
“Bad idea. They’ve got dogs. The dogs smelled me yesterday and will probably be outside—they’d catch my scent in a second.” I saw the aisle I needed and smiled. Perfect. I pointed. “You. Right there.”
He stopped and looked around and then gave me a pained glance. “You have got to be shitting me.”
“No.” With a pleased smile, I moved further away. He could study the tampons and pads, and the panicked, glazed look in his eyes was ideal. Me? I parked myself right in front of the remedies for yeast infections, about ten feet away. As I did so, I casually slipped out of my vest, untucked my shirt. I held the vest over my arm. I couldn’t get to my weapons as easily, but I wasn’t going to need them.
“This is stupid,” Damon muttered, his voice drifting to me across the distance between us.
I snickered, shooting a look at him.
He was crouched on the floor, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a dull red flush on his golden skin. Oh, yes. Perfect, indeed. He had a hand on the back of his neck and he looked about as self-conscious as I thought he could ever look.
An employee came down the aisle. Just as she was going to pass me up, my ears caught something—Damon had tensed as well. I caught the employee’s attention and spoke, making my voice about as high-pitched as I could without sounding like I trying to alter my voice as I said, “Um, can you help me a little?”
The lady paused. Her nametag read, Marie, Pharmacy Tech.
A blush settled over her cheeks as she glanced at the box I held.
Monistat 7.
“Um, you might be better off—”
The group of men trailed by. I felt the gaze of one them cut my way. Linger on Damon, then brush to me. I stood with my back them—they wouldn’t see much, just my height, body type. “Will a generic help with a yeast infection as good as this will? Cuz this thing is killing me…I haven’t been able to have sex in like a week and I’m dying…”
Poor Marie went red.
The men disappeared.
Two minutes later, as Damon came prowling my way, I smiled at him. “Did you find what you needed? I can always ask Marie to offer some advice.”
The storm clouds in his eyes glittered. If I wasn’t mistaken, something that might have been a smile almost appeared on his face. Almost. It was gone so quick, I couldn’t quite tell.
“You’re lucky that worked.” His voice was flat.
Rolling my eyes, I dropped the box Marie had all but shoved into my hands back on the shelf. “Pal, that wasn’t luck. Regardless of your race, men tend to still be men and you all freak out at certain things. And I’m damn good at not getting noticed.”