Her Brother, Her Mate

Parker POV

The giant flamingo float Beta Anthony’s tween daughter brought down is currently Carli’s oasis in the large pool as she floats around, soaking up the sun. I’m sitting off to the side of the pool on a lounge chair, beer in hand, watching my smoking hot mate stretch out on the ridiculous blown-up bird. Her perfect, rounded a*s is up in the air as she lays on her belly, twirling her fingers through the water as she laughs at something her cousin is saying.

“It’s so cringy seeing you look at her like that,” Casey grimaces beside me.

I wanted to laugh at his statement. “I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about you looking at her like that anymore.”

He smirks, “f**k you.”

“Are you the one who contributed to that dirty mouth she has now?” I side eyed him.

He laughs, “That would have to be the other way around, fucker. Carli isn’t the most impressionable person. She does what she wants.”

That she does. Carli squeals when Beta Anthony’s son, Trevor, cannonballs right next to her, then flips the float so she falls into the water. The little fart had been persistently harassing Carli since he came down. He’s closer to her age than I am, so it’s starting to get on my nerves, but I’m trying not to make Carli more wary of me by acting possessive and telling him to f**k off.

Courtney laughs, pulling her wet hair off her shoulders and wringing it out.

“When are you going to mark her?” I asked Casey.

He laughs, taking a long swig from his beer. He isn’t even trying to conceal it from the adults, “I’m working on it. I didn’t want to rush it. She’s….not experienced and I want it to be special for her. Plus, her dad has been a big pain in the-”

“In the what?” Gamma Nathan took a seat in a plastic lawn chair behind us.

“Uhh….” Casey panics. I shook my head, smiling, then turned my attention back to Carli. She’s dunking Trevor under the water, and he’s not putting up much of a fight. Every time he comes up for air, his eyes are red from keeping them open under water and he’s got this devious smile on his face. This little s**t.

I stood, leaving Casey to deal with his future father-in-law on his own, then dove into the pool, coming up right behind my mate.

“Ready to apologize yet?” Carli asks Trevor, her hands still on the top of his head.

“I don’t think I’ve learned my lesson yet,” he grins.

Before she can dunk him again, I grab her by the waist and pull her to me. She squeals and screams as I toss her several feet away from the young beta. I glare at him while she’s still under, hinting he needs to back off.

“Parker!” Carli sputters as she breaks the surface.

I dive under the water so she can’t see me, swim between her legs, then come back up with her on my shoulders. Her squeals and giggles make me laugh and I throw us both back, pulling both of us back under. She grabs hold of me underwater, locking her legs around my waist, grabs my n*****s and twists, causing me to yell when we surface.

“Stop trying to drown me,” she growls, but I can feel the playfulness behind her words. I grip her butt and she settles her hands on my shoulders.

“Drown you in my love,” I smiled, wiggling my eyebrows.

She blushes and slaps my chest, “So cheesy.”

The closeness, having her in my arms, sends my senses into overdrive and the pull to mate her comes over me. I don’t know if she’s ready to fully accept me yet, so I try to bury the desire and focus on the fact her father is glaring at us….well, me….from the grill where he is talking with Beta Anthony. Elena seems to have accepted me as Carli’s mate, but Gamma Thomas is still not my biggest fan.

“I think your boobs are bigger than mine,” Carli says, fondling my chest. She’s not helping me in my fight to overcome my desires.

“If you don’t quit fondling me, I’m going to start fondling you back.”

“That sounds fun,” she bites her l*p seductively. Oh, f**k. She’d had a few cups of Elena’s spiked punch and she was getting tipsy. I’m glad I pulled her away from Trevor. His teenage hormones wouldn’t be able to handle Carli’s drunk tendencies.

“No more drinks for you,” I told her.

She frowns, pushing the corners of my eyes up and down, “Don’t tell me how to live my life.”

I roll my eyes, making her giggle since she is still playing with them. “I would never,” I mutter.

“I think you would,” she teases, trailing her fingers down to my lips. I playfully nip at them, making her laugh in surprise.

“Okay, kids. Food is done.” Carli’s dad calls out, giving me a hard look, indicating to stop flirting with his daughter. I smiled back, not fazed at all. He can’t tell her what to do any more than I can, and she’s the one clinging onto me right now.

I carry Carli out of the pool, and she clings onto my neck, pushing her chest against mine as I support her.

“You smell good,” she sighs, burying her nose in my neck. Tingles and shivers run down my skin as her nose skims over my marking spot and her sweet coconuty scent washes over me. I smile, knowing she’s starting to pick up more on the mate bond. Just a few more days.

“You smell better,” I smirked.

“Will you both knock it off,” her dad grumbles. I set Carli down on a chair at the large outdoor table. Before I can sit, she pulls the chair next to hers as close as possible, then smiles up at me innocently. Her dad huffs but doesn’t say anything as everyone else laughs.

“So, you’re really mates?” Jessica Reynolds asks, taking the chair between her mate and Elena.

I smiled over at her politely, putting my hand around Carli’s chair. “Yep, we are.”

I figured we would get some looks of disgust or confusion, and Jessica didn’t disappoint. She watched both of us grow up, so I’m sure it must be weird for her.

“When does Carli turn 18 again?” Beta Anthony asks.

“Saturday,” Elena tells him, taking another sip from her red solo cup, full of the strong drink that is responsible for Carli’s forward behavior.

“I bet you have big plans for your birthday,” Courtney says, giggling and giving Carli a sly look.

“Do I have big plans for my birthday?” she turns to me and asks.

The smile that splits my face almost hurts, but I can’t help myself but be overjoyed hearing her ask me that. “If you want there to be. No one can tell you how to live your life, remember.”

“WE have big plans for her birthday,” Gamma Thomas glares at me. “She’s graduating too. I thought we could go out for a big dinner.”

“We can make big plans for after my dad’s big plans,” Carli whispers loudly to me, causing Casey, Courtney and even Trevor to snicker while most of the adults, besides Carli’s dad and Jessica, look amused. Amber, the Beta’s daughter, looks at everyone confused, not sure what we’re all talking about.

Carli reaches across the table and takes Elena’s almost full cup. I take it from her before she can take a drink and hand her a water bottle instead. She pouts but, thankfully, doesn’t argue with me. Elena smirks and takes her drink back from my hands.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

The grilled snapper and veggie kabobs are delicious. Elena is a great cook. Her pasta salad and marbled cookie brownies are to die for. Carli is moaning appreciatively as she bites into her second brownie, making me adjust uncomfortably in my chair.

Gamma Thomas, Gamma Nathan and Beta Anthony start talking about work, discussing the rogue vampire attacks and its relation to Blue Cliff Pack. Elena is offering her opinions and theories, but Jessica decides to take Amber back upstairs to get ready for bed. Her and Trevor have school in the morning. Trevor left as soon as the meal was done to hang out with his friends. He really should stay and listen, learning from the current ranked wolves since he will one day be my Beta, but if his dad isn’t going to tell him to stay, I don’t think it’s my place.

Honestly, I’m not paying much attention anyway. Carli took it upon herself to start tracing mindless patterns on the exposed flesh below my swim trunks on my thighs, and it’s taking my full concentration to fight off the burning need that’s building inside me.

“Wanna come up to my room tonight?” Carli asks me quietly, her green eyes illuminating through her thick lashes.

I would love nothing more, but taking advantage of her drunken behavior isn’t right. I want her to choose me when she’s sober, thinking clearly, and not just reacting to the effects the growing mate bond has on her. An idea came to me.

“How about we go for a run first?” I asked. In wolf form, she should sober up almost instantly.

She smiles widely, “Let’s go!”