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she could almost swear he’d been staring at her a couple times. As if he knew her or something.
    It was unsettling.
    That was when she realized he didn’t have a cart or handbasket. Turning halfway to the side, she ignored him as she looked at cauliflower heads, but now she knew what had been bugging her all along. He’d just been going up and down the aisles without picking up anything.
    Out of the corner of her eye she watched him put the apples back and look at her again. She wasn’t imagining it this time either; he was tracking her. Maybe that was too strong of a description but she didn’t care. She’d traveled enough to know when to pay attention to people.
    Taking a steadying breath, she decided to go straight to the manager. The owner was friends with her parents so she’d just ask someone to walk her to her car after purchasing her items. Even if she hadn’t known the owner she’d ask for help anyway. She’d read enough horrible stories to know what could happen to women alone in a parking lot—before or after dark. There was no way she was ignoring her instinct with this.
    Ordering herself to remain calm, she moved to another section of fruit and picked up a small mesh bag of mandarins, her favorite snack food. When she glanced back over, the man was gone. Feeling a little silly, but not enough to disregard her feelings, she put the bag in her basket and headed for the front of the store. She’d seen a few employees idly talking by a cash register earlier because there didn’t seem to be too many people here right now.
    As she rounded the corner of the produce section she almost ran right into the tall, blond man. Her heart jumped in her throat but she reminded herself she was in a public place. All she had to do was scream if he did something.
    Using her basket as a shield in front of her, she kept her gaze on his and took a step to the side. He moved with her, his look menacing.
    “Move out of my way,” she demanded. Loudly. Her mother had taught her and her three younger sisters that with people who could be potential threats, the only way to respond to them was with force—because it was usually the last thing they expected.
    He blinked, as if she’d truly surprised him.
    Well, good.
    Then he regained his composure and a smile lit up his face. “Sorry, honey, didn’t mean to get in your way.”
    “Yes you did.” She took a small step back, needing to put some distance between them. She might be able to scream but that didn’t mean she wanted this guy to hurt her before she drew attention. And something in his dark eyes said he’d take great joy in doing just that.
    There was something wrong with him, a wild gleam in his eyes that made all the hair on her arms stand at attention. Physically, he was a really good looking man. Kind of like a Ken doll but with scary eyes. And a tattoo peeking out from beneath his sweater. Not that tattoos were bad—Quinn had a few himself—but she saw a snake head with red eyes that looked well, creepy. Just like the man in front of her.
    She’d taken him off guard again, she saw, when he blinked in that same surprised manner. Then his jaw tightened a fraction, his gaze narrowing before he glanced around. Athena saw exactly what he did.
    An elderly couple standing by the end of an aisle discussing whether to buy a higher priced box of organic pasta or their normal choice, and two teenage clerks flirting with each other instead of working. Not much of a protection, but it seemed to be enough of a barrier to make him take a step away from her.
    But not completely and he didn’t move enough out of her way so she could bypass him. He was definitely trying to use his size to intimidate her, she had no doubt. Asshat.
    He leaned down, but didn’t actually step closer, his dark eyes seeming to glitter ominously. She knew that was her own imagination because for a long moment, she was rooted to the spot. Her throat tightened and in that moment she hated herself.