Her Brother, Her Mate

Vincent POV

Simone and Laura are bathing Rosie and getting her ready for bed. I have been sent to the alpha quarters to retrieve a playpen to put her to sleep in since she will be staying with us for the night.

Rosie is a darling little child. I’ve never put much thought to having children, but after helping my love take care of the little darling all day, I wouldn’t mind having one of my own.

My men have been fully integrated into pack life. Stephan and Carlos are currently out with the pack’s Beta, Trevor Reynolds, and Simon is completely devoted to his mate. I have a feeling Simon will be staying behind after this fairy issue is resolved to live here with his mate at the packhouse. As long as he doesn’t quit, he has my blessing. I’m happy he has found in Laura what I found in Simone.

As I rounded the corner from the stairs, pulling Simone’s spare key from my pocket, a figure sitting on the bench outside the alpha quarters caught my attention.

“Parker’s father?” I asked, perplexed as to why he was sitting out there. I thought he left with his mate early after the fiasco at dinner.

The man’s head snaps up, and he takes in my appearance, but doesn’t seem hostile or adverse to seeing me. Just curious as to what I’m doing there.

“You are the vampire that Carli’s friend is mated to?”

“I am ,” I nodded to him, “Are you waiting for your son? It may be quite some time until they get back.”

He sighed, running a hand down his face, “I can’t get Parker to answer my call or respond to my texts. I wasn’t sure how long they would be.”

“They are on a date. Knowing Parker, he is screening his calls so he can pay full attention to Carli. We are keeping the baby for the night so they can stay out as late as they wish.”

“You have Rosie?” The man asks in skepticism. I tightened my eyes at his tone, as if he is implying I would be unable or unfit to watch the darling little girl.

“Me and my Simone are, yes. Why? Does that bother you?”

He rubs his eyes as if he is tired, and I noticed the faint darkness under his eyes, like he wasn’t getting enough sleep.

“Only because I have never gotten the privilege to keep my own granddaughter overnight. It’s my own fault, I know, but it still bothers me that a vampire has rights to my granddaughter that I don’t have.”

“Would it have been better if I was a wolf with those rights? It seems that my race shouldn’t be a factor in their decision on who is fit to watch the baby. They are allowing Simone and me that right because they trust us. Can they not trust you?”

He looks at me incresidently for a moment, “It seems not,” he finally says.

Done with this conversation, I move to the door to unlock it so I can head inside and grab the playpen and be on my way. If this man thinks he’s better than me just because of his race, then he is not worth my time or breath.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” he says in a softer voice, “that was not my intention. It’s been…a trying day. Projecting my irritation on you will not solve anything, and I apologize.”

I turned, standing in the open door to study the man once again, “Who are you irritated with, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Myself, mostly,” he sighs, “I made many mistakes in the past and am paying for them now. It’s easier to project and find fault in others instead of looking inward sometimes.”

“My mother always said to remove the log from your own eye before pointing out the sliver in another’s.”This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“I have one heck of a log. It makes it hard to look past sometimes,” he offers me a small smile.

“You could always seek help,” I told him.

“Help from whom, though? I’m walking on eggshells around here as it is.”

“Maybe having an unbiased outsider is the answer. I could recommend a person that helped me when I was battling my mixed emotions from my parent’s deaths.”

“Like a shrink?” his face turned doubtful, “No thanks. I don’t need someone else to know the details of my failures. It’s no one else’s business.”

I shrugged, “It seems to me that your pride is what will do you in more than your failures. I don’t mean to be rude, but I know some of those failures you speak of. I met Carli at a very hard time in her life. The failures you speak of are more than anyone can fix on their own. The more you stubbornly try to gain control of a situation, the more you will realize control is nothing but an illusion, something you will never fully have. I would put your pride away and seek help, but that is entirely your choice. If you don’t think your granddaughter and her parents are worth giving it a try, that is your choice.”

The man seemed dumbfounded for a minute, and instead of waiting for him to argue with me again, I slipped inside and grabbed the playpen that I originally came up here for. When I leave the apartment, he is still where I left him, still staring off deep in thought.

I resolve to leave him be, and just let him do as he wishes. It’s not my problem to solve, and I’m still not a fan of the man, but he stops me as I pass by.

“Can I get the number of that person you were talking about? The shrink who helped you?” He asked, surprising me.

“Sure.” I smiled as I sent it to him by text. Maybe he will start making steps in the right direction. If not for Parker and Carli’s sake, then his granddaughter’s. The granddaughter who I can’t wait to help fall asleep again. She is just so darling. I can understand why the man would want to set his pride aside if it was for her.

Parker POV

This is exactly what Carli needed. She looks more alive than she has all week. Casey does a good job pulling the fighter out of her, but tonight she’s vibrant and full of life. She is starting to resemble the Carli I know and miss once again.

After taking her for a romantic dinner at a beachside Cuban restaurant, we walked along the beach for a long time, eating ice cream and joking around like we always do on dates, and now we are at a salsa club, Carli dancing her sexy a*s off, sensually pushing up against me.

Her leg is hooked around my h*p as I dip her to the ground and rub my nose down her exposed, tan neck. My hand, gripping her butt so she doesn’t expose her naked lower half under her dress, flexes, drawing out a m**n from her sweet lips.

I miss my mate like this. The sexy vixen that treats me like her personal pleasure maker, using me to make herself feel good. She has been so reluctant to have s*x with me all week, and I didn’t want to push her, but I’m ready to explode now. Every time I feel her heat on my leg, or get a whiff of her arousal, I have to think of other things to cool down before I embarrass myself.

We are swaying slowly, bodies flushed against each other, when Carli leans up and whispers in my ear, “Let’s go to the car.”

I know what she wants. I can feel it in the bond. Knowing she wants me after a whole week of going without, she doesn’t have to tell me twice. I dip down and lift her into my arms, carrying her out of the club in a bridal hold. I skip the valet, grabbing my keys from the box while his back is turned, cradling Carli in one arm momentarily as she k****s and sucks on my neck, and then race around the building into the alleyway leading into the back parking lot where they park the cars.

We don’t even make it halfway down the alley before Carli bites down on my mark, making my knees buckle as she slides out of my arms. She pushes me against the wall in my dazed state, lips fiercely attacking mine. Her hands go to my belt buckle, unhooking it and undoing my fly. She is hungry for me, just as I am for her. When she drops to her knees in front of me, I know I’m about to be dominated by my mate right here in the alleyway, but I’m totally okay with it. She can do whatever she wants to me. I am hers.