Packed: The Enforcer: A Shifter Paranormal Romance by Carolyn Faulkner Page B
Authors: Carolyn Faulkner
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them, he reached over and turned the car off, saying, "Get out."
Mari looked bewildered. "What? Why?"
His door was already open, and he had one foot on the ground. "If you're going to ignore everything I'm telling you, and continue to drive like a dumbass, then you ain't driving me."
"All right, all right," she agreed, restarting the car but driving much more slowly than she had been and leaving more than enough space between her car and everyone else's, for once.
"That's better."
Mari humphed petulantly.
"Be happy I didn't follow my first instinct, little girl."
"I'm not a little girl – I'm eighteen and one week!" What was it about this man that made her instantaneously agitated in a way that no one else did? She liked almost everyone, but Tek got under her skin faster than anyone else – and yet she craved being close to him. Hell, she turned down parties with her friends to go hang out at the club on the off chance that he would be there. And she knew her dad wouldn't approve of how she felt, so she was smart enough not to broadcast it to anyone. Her closest girlfriends didn't even know.
"Don't argue with me, little girl," he warned mildly, smiling behind his hand at her exasperated sigh.
After a few minutes, she asked, "Why didn't you follow your first instinct? What was it?"
He chuckled, and Mari thought it sounded lovely. He almost never laughed. "Something your father would probably kill me for, although it's something he should have done a lot more of with you, I can see."
She frowned, thinking, then gasped and glared at him accusingly. "You were going to spank me!"
"Keep your eyes on the road, Mari." He was still smiling, like the cat that ate the canary.
"Weren't you?" she prodded.
"Got it in one. Everyone always says you're smart; I guess you really are."
"Well, it's a damned good thing you didn't!" she said, somewhat alarmed that she was having to work on being outraged at him, even though it was an entirely outrageous thought for him to have. It seemed more titillating to her than brazen, especially with a guy like Tek, who set off all of her warning bells. He was a bad boy – a bad man, she corrected. Her mother used to warn her against away him when she had first started developing, although her father had always said that, if the shit should hit the fan, she should go to him, because he would keep her safe.
Mari'd had her doubts about what her father had said, even when she was younger, and now that she was legal and had grown up a lot more, she knew that she might have been safe with Tek in some ways, but in danger with him in others.
And that appealed to the wild streak in her. She knew she was going to go off to college next fall and intended leave this place in the dust. She also knew that if her dad found out that she had made a pass at an older man – he was twenty-six or so, she thought to her eighteen and one week – especially Tek – that he would probably ground her for life, although she didn't suppose he could really do that, since she was of legal age now.
It was much more likely that he would take her car away, which would be horrid, especially since it was such a beautiful color, thanks to Tek, but she could work around that. She'd ridden her bicycle all over hell's back acre before she'd learned how to drive, she supposed she could go retro as long as she needed to.
Besides, she could always catch a ride with someone to a convenient spot and have him pick her up.
"Yeah, but you sorely need keeping in line, little girl."
"I do not!"
He motioned for her to turn into the parking lot of a local ice cream shop – not that they hadn't had their fill of cake and ice cream back at her dad's house. Or at least, she had.
"Now there you go. Arguing with your elders. There's a spankable offense right there."
She got out of the car just as he was coming around to open the door for her, and he chided her again. "You should always let the man carry the heavy things and open
Mari looked bewildered. "What? Why?"
His door was already open, and he had one foot on the ground. "If you're going to ignore everything I'm telling you, and continue to drive like a dumbass, then you ain't driving me."
"All right, all right," she agreed, restarting the car but driving much more slowly than she had been and leaving more than enough space between her car and everyone else's, for once.
"That's better."
Mari humphed petulantly.
"Be happy I didn't follow my first instinct, little girl."
"I'm not a little girl – I'm eighteen and one week!" What was it about this man that made her instantaneously agitated in a way that no one else did? She liked almost everyone, but Tek got under her skin faster than anyone else – and yet she craved being close to him. Hell, she turned down parties with her friends to go hang out at the club on the off chance that he would be there. And she knew her dad wouldn't approve of how she felt, so she was smart enough not to broadcast it to anyone. Her closest girlfriends didn't even know.
"Don't argue with me, little girl," he warned mildly, smiling behind his hand at her exasperated sigh.
After a few minutes, she asked, "Why didn't you follow your first instinct? What was it?"
He chuckled, and Mari thought it sounded lovely. He almost never laughed. "Something your father would probably kill me for, although it's something he should have done a lot more of with you, I can see."
She frowned, thinking, then gasped and glared at him accusingly. "You were going to spank me!"
"Keep your eyes on the road, Mari." He was still smiling, like the cat that ate the canary.
"Weren't you?" she prodded.
"Got it in one. Everyone always says you're smart; I guess you really are."
"Well, it's a damned good thing you didn't!" she said, somewhat alarmed that she was having to work on being outraged at him, even though it was an entirely outrageous thought for him to have. It seemed more titillating to her than brazen, especially with a guy like Tek, who set off all of her warning bells. He was a bad boy – a bad man, she corrected. Her mother used to warn her against away him when she had first started developing, although her father had always said that, if the shit should hit the fan, she should go to him, because he would keep her safe.
Mari'd had her doubts about what her father had said, even when she was younger, and now that she was legal and had grown up a lot more, she knew that she might have been safe with Tek in some ways, but in danger with him in others.
And that appealed to the wild streak in her. She knew she was going to go off to college next fall and intended leave this place in the dust. She also knew that if her dad found out that she had made a pass at an older man – he was twenty-six or so, she thought to her eighteen and one week – especially Tek – that he would probably ground her for life, although she didn't suppose he could really do that, since she was of legal age now.
It was much more likely that he would take her car away, which would be horrid, especially since it was such a beautiful color, thanks to Tek, but she could work around that. She'd ridden her bicycle all over hell's back acre before she'd learned how to drive, she supposed she could go retro as long as she needed to.
Besides, she could always catch a ride with someone to a convenient spot and have him pick her up.
"Yeah, but you sorely need keeping in line, little girl."
"I do not!"
He motioned for her to turn into the parking lot of a local ice cream shop – not that they hadn't had their fill of cake and ice cream back at her dad's house. Or at least, she had.
"Now there you go. Arguing with your elders. There's a spankable offense right there."
She got out of the car just as he was coming around to open the door for her, and he chided her again. "You should always let the man carry the heavy things and open
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