The brunette reached out to touch his arm again, but he moved away from her. Kettah didn’t miss the light frown that marred the brunette’s perfectly made-up face. Maverick looked toward her, and something passed across his face. Shit, she was projecting her ludicrous feelings far too strongly. Pushing her cat down, because it was the damn thing that was getting all bent out of shape over the brunette, she plastered on a smile. The brunette, who wore a nametag that had “Barbie” written across it in elegant script, seemed a little too cutesy and totally fucking fake. She walked up to Kettah and eyed her up and down. The Pallas’s cat inside of her bristled, unsheathed its claws, but Kettah effectively controlled herself from hissing. Her reaction to this human female was ridiculous. But she blamed the pheromones Maverick let off around her, and the fact she was feeling unsteady over the whole mating thing and running from her father. All together these gave Kettah enough excuses for her to blame her irrational reaction to this woman on them.
“Honey, we need a total makeover.” Barbie reached out and grabbed the edge of her shirt, and Kettah couldn’t hold make the small animalistic sound that came from her. The human snatched her hand away and looked over at Maverick, as if she wanted the lion to protect her. And didn’t that just piss her off.
God, Kettah, stop it. This is dumb. You are dumb, and you’re clearly acting ridiculous. So what if they probably slept together? None of that matters because right now all you need to worry about is surviving to the next day.
Maverick was beside Kettah only seconds later, and she turned and looked at him, ready to apologize for being rude when he had clearly had to pull some strings to get her a private shopping trip, but he started talking first. “Barbie, how about you let us shop around a bit? I’m sure Kettah knows what she’d like to pick out.” The scent that came from the other female when she looked at Maverick told Kettah enough to know that this woman had been with Maverick in a sexual sense. The aroma of unrestrained lust, remembrance, and overall need was a prickling along her flesh.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, Mav?”
Mav?
“Yes, I am very sure, Barbie. Thank you for closing off the shop for us. It won’t take us more than the hour to pick up some things. I’ll leave the cash on the counter if that’s all right?” Barbie seemed disappointed that he dismissed her, but nodded and left them alone. How close were they that she would just leave him in the store alone, and trust they would pay for everything? Not that Kettah was a dishonest person, but the world most certainly was. She reminded herself this was a small town, and people probably knew each other fairly well and clearly had a lot of trust in each other. Trust was not something she grew up with. Maverick waited until Barbie was gone before he spoke. “I’m sorry if she made you uncomfortable. Barbie is very harmless.”
“I’m sure she is, Mav.” Kettah could have slapped herself for letting slip the little nickname Barbie had for Maverick. It was childish to let it slip, but it was clear she had absolutely no filter when it came to being around her mate. She turned her back to him, hoping to hide her embarrassment in the guise of being overly interested in the clothing. The blinds had been closed, ensuring they had privacy. How many females has he brought here? The thought came to her on its own, and she instantly felt stupid for even thinking it. It didn’t matter. None of that mattered.
“Never.”
She turned back around and furrowed her brow. “Excuse me?” He had a small smirk on his face, and she knew he thought this whole thing was funny.
“The answer to your question is never.” When she didn’t respond, because frankly she still had no clue what he was talking about, he continued. “I have never brought a female out to shop, let alone asked Barbie to close the store for me.”
Kettah’s cheeks instantly heated. Oh, God. Did I just speak my thoughts out loud? But she knew she hadn’t said anything. He was just that skilled in reading people’s faces. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could get a single word out he threw his head back and laughed, which only ensured that she grew even more humiliated.
“Well, shit, I can’t remember the last time I laughed.” Strangely that made her feel a little less embarrassed. “Listen, I don’t know anything about picking out women’s clothing, so how about I stand over there,” he pointed to the wall off to the side, “and let you do your thing. Don’t worry about the cost, okay?” He didn’t wait for her to answer before he was walking to his designated area. He leaned against the wall and said, “We only have an hour, though.” He smiled at her. Kettah nodded, and turned to start getting some clothes, but before she could start looking for clothing a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Her heart raced at the fact he had moved back toward her so quickly and stealthily she hadn’t even sensed him. Instantly her body heated, and she closed her eyes, wishing she didn’t have this reaction toward him. It only complicated things. He let go of her shoulder at the same time she turned around. The electricity that coursed through his hand right into her body had been powerful, so much so that her hair felt like it stood on end. Kettah looked over her shoulder, saw that he was looking at his hand that had just been touching her seconds before, and then slowly lifted his eyes to look at her. She turned fully around, and they were so close their chests almost touched with every inhalation. For a moment they just stared at each other, and then he finally spoke and broke up the sudden awkward arousal that sparked between them. “And just so you know, there is no reason why you should feel jealous over Barbie or any other female, for that matter.” Her pulse pounded hard and fast at his words. He spoke with such conviction that she actually felt herself lean closer, as if there was this magnetic pull. “Pick whatever you want.” He lifted his hand, as though he wanted to touch her, but he curled his fingers into his palm and dropped his hand back to his side. Without another word he moved back over to the wall, leaned against it, and crossed his arms over his chest.