by Lola Kidd
She nodded again and then stared at their hands.
The waitress came with their first course. Branch almost groaned. He’d forgotten that Parker was a vegan chef. It was going to be bird food for the night, and he hadn’t eaten before he left. He was going to have to suck it up for one night.
“This is pretty good,” Maura said. “I was worried about the whole vegan food made by a cheetah-shifter thing.”
“It is good,” Branch lied. It tasted like grass. He was sure it would all taste like grass. No matter. He’d eat all the grass on the island if it meant he could have one taste of Maura. “Do you like vegan food?”
“I’m a vegetarian but I haven’t ever tried to go full vegan. If all the food was this good, I would consider it.”
Branch nodded politely. Vegetarian. He loved meat. He wondered if his carnivorous ways would bother her. He would never be able to go vegetarian but he could probably do two meatless days a week. He was already eating ramen all the time, it wouldn’t be a big stretch to eat meatless pasta two nights a week.
Maura was much more relaxed now that the lights were dimming. She leaned back into his arm and kept her eyes trained on the musical. The second course came out as the music started. Branch had guessed right; it was a riff on The Little Mermaid. It wasn’t exactly the most romantic musical, but the lead actress was great. He was no expert, but the woman was head and shoulders better than any of the other performers.
“You ever been to Broadway?” he asked Maura at intermission. Their final course was coming out. Some kind of lentil and bean monstrosity.
“Never. I’ve wanted to go to New York for a while, but never got around to it.”
“You say it like you’re dead.” Branch chuckled. “If you want to go, just go. What’s stopping you?”
Maura looked at her fork. “Nothing, I guess. I didn’t want to go alone, and I couldn’t find anyone to go with.”
“I’d go,” Branch said.
“Really?” Maura looked at him.
“Yeah. I would.” He was mostly just saying what he thought would make her happy, but a part of him did want to go. Oddly enough, he wanted to take her. She’d sounded so sad when she said no one would go with her. It made him feel strange. He didn’t want to hear her talking like that. She was too nice to be that lonely.
She smiled. “Maybe one day.”
“Maybe next summer.”
“Sure.”
The show started again and their conversation was cut off. He was starting to hate the dinner-musical idea. You couldn’t talk about anything when you were watching a musical. That was why it was usually dinner and a movie. Not dinner during a movie.
At the end there was a lot of clapping and cheers. Branch had to admit it was a good musical, even if it had made it hard to talk to Maura.
“Jasminda was amazing,” Maura said as they left the restaurant. “We’re really lucky she was here this summer.”
“It was pretty good.” They were standing in front of the restaurant, where a row of buses was waiting to take everyone to their separate destinations. He wasn’t about to go back to Safari Town. “I wish we could have had more time to talk. Would you like to maybe spend some time in the hotel bar together?”
“I don’t know. It’s pretty late.”
“But last night you said you’d save a late night just for me.” Branch gave her his most seductive stare and moved in close enough that she could smell his cologne.
“Well, I guess one drink wouldn’t hurt.”
Four
Maura was vacillating between heady glee and serious fear. What had she done?
She was sitting on her bed as Branch looked around the suite. They were going to go to the hotel bar, but it was already closed. When he’d suggested they raid the mini-bar in her room, she didn’t know how to refuse. It sounded like an awfully risky idea, but part of her was elated. Branch Dunkin wanted to come back to her room with her! She wanted to drag that part of her to the bathroom and drown it, but that wasn’t happening.
“I’ve never been in one of the rooms here,” Branch said. “I checked out a room at the Wild Resort when I first got here and I figured they’d all look the same.”
“Are they?”
“Nope. They’re all nice, I bet, but they’re different. This one is much more romantic. Makes sense. It was built for the honeymoon set. Do you like it?”
She nodded. “It’s nice. If I was on my honeymoon, I’d love it.”
“Sorry if I’m being rude, but what happened there?” Branch bent and began taking things from the mini-fridge.
“He cheated on me and left me a few weeks ago.” Maura looked at her hands. “I couldn’t get a full refund on the vacation package, so I came alone.”
“Screw him,” Branch snarled. “Any man who would cheat on you is a dummy. And nobody wants to be married to an idiot.”
“I’m happy that he told me before we were married.” She took a deep breath. “It hurt, but it’s like taking off a Band-Aid. It can only get better from here.”
“Much better.” He winked as he handed her a pale yellow drink. She sniffed it cautiously. It smelled strongly of alcohol and pineapple. “Drink up. This is my signature drink.”
She took a small sip and frowned. “This is just vodka and pineapple juice.”
“I never said I was a killer bartender.” Branch laughed. “It’s actually cake vodka and pineapple juice.”
He sat next to her on the bed, close enough for her to smell him again. She wanted to lean over, press her face against his neck, and breathe deeply. He smelled so good. She didn’t even think it was his cologne. It was his unique scent that was driving her crazy.
An old article she’d read popped into her head. It had said that if you liked how someone smelled, it was because your brain was telling you that your children would have the best chance at survival. Something about opposite immune systems or something.
It was an interesting fact, but a useless one. She knew why Branch was there. He wanted to get laid. The thought made her wet instantly. Branch Dunkin wanted to sleep with her. He was probably thinking of ways to kiss her right now. What rotten luck!
She shouldn’t sleep with him. It would only make things more complicated when Jimmy Tony got to the island. What if Branch wanted to keep hanging out with her? She wasn’t going to have time for that. It was bad enough that she was going to have to lie to Lily. She didn’t want to have to complicate her stories even further and risk getting caught. She was going to have to tell him to go home.
Maura finished her drink and looked at the glass as she spoke. “This was a nice night, but I think you should go now. It’s getting late.”
Branch leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. She was surprised and just sat there stiffly. This wasn’t how she had imagined her first kiss with Branch happening. She didn’t even kiss him back until he pulled her closer. When she felt his body pressing against her, she snapped out of her trance and opened her mouth to him.
His tongue quickly darted out to taste her. She clutched at his arm and ran her tongue over his bottom teeth. The arm around her waist tightened and he kissed down her neck to her collarbone. He pressed his face against her skin and then whispered softly, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she said, but when Branch pulled down the strap of her dress and kissed down to her shoulder, she changed it to, “Maybe.”
“Maybe?” He pulled down the other strap and then pulled the top of her dress down. Maura bit her lip and closed her eyes. She would stop him in a second. Only one second more.
Branch palmed her left breast in his enormous hand. He nuzzled his face in her cleavage and reached around to unhook her bra. Maura inhaled sharply but didn’t say a word. Her nipples peaked in the cool air before Branch even took one in his mouth. She moaned as he moved his head from one side to the other. He sucked hard and she put her hand on his shoulder.
He looked up. “Want me to stop?”
She kept her eyes
closed and shook her head. Of course she didn’t. She should have stopped him, but she couldn’t.
Only one night and she would ignore him for the rest of the trip. It would be hard, but she could do it. Once Jimmy Tony got there, it would be much easier for her to turn Branch down.
One night. That wasn’t so bad, and she deserved this.
Branch stood up and pulled her dress all the way off, then took off his shirt and jeans before pushing her back on the bed. He grabbed her by the calves and pulled her to the edge of the bed, and she trembled as he took off her panties and settled between her legs.
She could only look at him sidelong. It was overwhelming to watch him. He was even better looking than he’d been in high school. His body was so much nicer now that he’d filled out.
His flicked his tongue over her clit and Maura tensed up. She hadn’t slept with anyone besides John in over five years. And it was Branch, for goodness’ sake! She was dizzy from all the emotions running through her mind.
“You’re doing great, beautiful,” he said as kissed her thigh. She wasn’t, though.
Maura sat up and pulled him up to kiss her. She could feel his cock pressed tightly against his briefs. She reached between them and stroked him through the material. Branch groaned and she felt bold. She pushed him to his back and leaned over him.
His briefs could barely contain his massive cock. She’d heard all the rumors in high school about Branch the elephant with the very long “trunk” and had always wondered if the rumors were true. Handsome, smart, and popular, with a big cock? Who could be so lucky? Branch, apparently.
She pulled the briefs down and eagerly put her hands around him. She couldn’t even close her fingers.
She jacked him with her hand before lowering her mouth to his cock. She could see Branch out of the corner of her eye; he was watching her intently and breathing heavily. She took the tip of him into her mouth and his head fell back on the pillow as he moaned and thrust up into her mouth. Maura put her hand on his pelvis to still him, then lowered her head until her face brushed his pelvic bone.
Slowly, she raised her head and then went down again. Branch cursed and thrust up again. She could feel him growing wider in her mouth before he pushed on her shoulder.
“Enough,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re way too good at that, and I don’t want to come until I’m buried inside of you.”
Maura nodded and climbed on top of him. She used her hand to guide his cock to her entrance and moaned as he slid inside. Branch groaned and grabbed her by the hips. He thrust up into her quickly until she was clenching around his cock.
Not satisfied with the angle, Branch rolled them over and then continued at an even faster pace. Maura’s toes curled and her eyes rolled back in her head. He reached down and rubbed her clit slowly in contrast to his fast pace. It was enough to send Maura over the edge again. She clawed at his back as she yelled his name.
Branch looked like a man possessed. Sweat dripped from his chest onto her body and he was murmuring her name over and over. He lowered himself and hugged her close. He kissed her lips hard, then began to kiss her neck. Maura cried out as he sank his teeth into the tender skin. Finally, he convulsed and filled her with his seed.
When he stopped trembling, Branch laughed. “Whoa.”
Maura giggled. “Yeah. Wow.”
He touched her neck and cursed as if he had just noticed it, then licked at the wound.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Maura said sleepily.
Why in the world had she waited so long to sleep with a shifter? She was glad she hadn’t gotten a chance to be with Branch in high school. He’d probably been a crummy lover back then. It was better now that they were both adults, and it was exactly what she had needed. She almost didn’t want him to leave for the night.
He rolled over and pulled her close. It wasn’t until he began to snore that Maura realized he didn’t plan on leaving. She lay with her eyes wide open and stared at the ceiling.
He wasn’t going to leave. And she needed to go and get Jimmy at the shore in a few hours. Shoot!
She poked Branch in his ribs and he opened one eye. “Ready for more?”
Maura cleared her throat. “Don’t you have to work in the morning?”
He sat up. “Seriously?”
“I don’t want you to be late. I don’t know when the buses leave, and I don’t want you to miss one.”
“The last bus left hours ago, and the next one won’t leave until quarter to six.”
She knew that. She needed to be on the second bus out to Safari Town. It was the busiest bus, according to Jimmy, so she wouldn’t be noticed. She needed Branch to get on the first bus or her plan would be shot.
“It’s almost five fifteen now. You don’t want to sleep and miss it.”
He stood up and snatched his pants up. “Don’t worry, I won’t miss the bus,” he said as he searched for his shirt. He put it on but didn’t bother buttoning it before opening the door. “If you want to see me again, you can text me. Don’t worry, I won’t stick around next time.”
“I know you’re tired. Sorry.”
He looked at her incredulously. “I’m pissed that you’re throwing me out like yesterday’s trash. I didn’t plan on sleeping much tonight.”
Maura winced. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings. She hadn’t even thought that was a possibility. She was only on Safari Island for a few days. This couldn’t be anything serious, though she could stand to see Branch one more time. “Maybe I’ll text you tomorrow night?”
“Cool.” Branch started to walk out and then turned around. “I know you’re on vacation, but I do think you’re a really cool girl. I’d like to keep talking. If you only want this to be some kind of vacation thing, let me know.”
Maura was sure she was hearing things. He wanted to keep talking to her? That didn’t make any sense. She couldn’t. Could she? Her head swam with all the possibilities. If she kept talking to Branch, he might find out what she did and he could be very angry.
It would be better if she didn’t see him after the trip. “I only want a vacation thing. I just came out of a serious relationship.”
He nodded curtly. “Cool.”
He closed the door behind him and Maura let her head fall onto the pillow. She knew it was the right choice, but she felt so awful.
Five
Branch was still in shock when he got home an hour later. He was sure it was all a fever dream. There was no way any of that had happened. A woman had asked him to leave, and he had responded by saying he wanted a relationship.
Oh, and he had marked her, too.
He put his head in his hands as his dinner threatened to come up. All of those things had happened, and now his elephant was restless.
He jumped up and paced his small living room. He was going to have to shift soon or he was going to lose his mind, but he wanted to get a grip on what he’d done first.
Marking a woman was a very big deal. It meant that she was his mate. According to shifter tradition, at least. He liked Maura and all, but it made no sense for her to be his mate. She was great in bed and hot as hell and easy to talk to and smart. That was why he had wanted to get to know her better. But that didn’t mean she was his mate. He wasn’t even looking for a mate. He had just been caught up in the moment, he reassured himself. He liked her a lot but there had to be more to mating than a good roll in the sheets.
His elephant didn’t like that thought at all.
Branch had to get out of the house. It was still early, but he went to the edge of the safari park, undressed and left his clothes on the van he was working that day. He let his elephant take over from there. Once the shift was completed, he headed for the elephant sanctuary. He passed a few of his co-workers heading in from night shift.
Branch was surprised to see a new calf when he reached the elephants. The bull wasn’t around, luckily, and he got a good look at the little guy. After a quick meeting, he set off to look for food. His eleph
ant liked eating near the giraffes. There was lots of tree bark and low-hanging leaves for him to eat.
He felt much better after the short walk. He was starting to feel good, actually. A new calf, delicious leaves, and getting to watch the sunrise surrounded by animals. Pretty nice way to make up for his behavior earlier.
That was what made him most uneasy. It wasn’t how he would normally act. Usually, he would have a great night with a girl and skedaddle before she woke up. This had been one of the rare occasions when he wanted to sleep over. He wanted to make love with Maura two or three more times before he went in to work. Maybe get some dinner later and repeat the whole thing. But she’d tossed him out, and it had hurt. He’d felt awful when she told him to go.
Branch couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. She’d hurt his feelings and he had to let her know. Which he also hadn’t done since college. It wasn’t like she owed him anything, either. She was on vacation, for goodness’ sake! What did he expect her to do? Drop her whole life for some guy she barely knew? They were from the same town but so what? He knew he was being out of hand, but it didn’t change anything.
He did want to keep seeing her. Even after she went home, they could still talk. Maybe it would go somewhere one day. He did go home for Christmas and Thanksgiving, so it wasn’t impossible. She’d said she didn’t want to get serious since she’d just gotten out of a relationship, but what he had in mind would work perfectly for her. They would go slow and be friends first. He wasn’t ready to settle down just yet and neither was she. So why was she being so difficult?
There was a possibility that she didn’t like him at all.
His elephant didn’t think that was true, and he agreed. She liked him too. And he liked her. And they were both single.
No, something else was going on. He needed to talk to her again. He still had a few days before she left.
It was getting close to time to clock in and he began walking back to the vans. When he got close to the entrance to the park, a crocodile stepped into his path. He fought the natural instinct to stomp on it and run, and the croc changed into a grinning Finn Nunez.
