Elephants Never Forget: BBW Shapeshifter Romance (Safari Shifters Book 3) (3 page)

“Are you sure?” Branch asked, pouting. “You’re on vacation. There’s no good reason for you to be going home this early.”

“I’m tired. It’s my first day on the island. There’ll be plenty of time to stay out late,” Maura said firmly. “I don’t want to miss the last bus back to the resort.”

Branch pulled her in for a tight hug. He pressed his entire body against her and whispered in her ear. “Well, then, reserve one of those late nights for me.”

Maura nodded and pulled herself from his grasp. “Sure. Thanks for the drinks. I had fun.”

“Come on. I’ll walk you to the bus.” Lily took Maura by the hand and led her out of the bar. “Sorry. Branch is a real ladies’ man. He’s not used to hearing no.”

Maura was having a hard time walking. She’d had way too much to drink thanks to Branch. All night, he’d kept the shots and margaritas coming, and she’d wanted to forget about John and have fun so badly that she’d kept drinking.

“I had a nice time.” Maura spoke slowly so she wouldn’t slur her words.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to ride with you to the hotel?” Lily asked, sounding a little worried. “It wouldn’t be a big deal at all.”

“No, you go home to your husbands.”

Lily let go of Maura’s hand now that they were at the bus stop. “Alright. But you have to text me as soon as you’re in your room. I’m not going to be able to sleep until you do.”

Maura nodded. “Will do. Thanks again for the nice night.”

“Don’t thank me. I had fun too. It’s been so long since I’ve gone out with a girlfriend sans husbands. This was a really nice night for me too. We should get together again before you leave.”

“For sure. I’ll talk to you when I wake up.”

“I’ll be down at the front desk so just drop by whenever. Things are slow now that it’s so hot.”

Maura took the seat behind the driver. There were only four other riders—two couples—going back to the resort. Maura closed her eyes and rested all the way back. She was exhausted. The evening had been a lot of fun but also so stressful. She couldn’t believe her luck.

Any other time, she would have been thrilled to have someone like Branch interested in her. Especially after her breakup, he would have been a very nice distraction. The elephant shifter was still hot as hell. She’d recognized him right away. How couldn’t she? He’d been the star of many of her teenage fantasies. Branch Dunkin, defensive star of the football team and all-around great guy. He had a wicked sense of humor and made lots of jokes. Some people thought he was a total ass, but Maura knew he was actually a nice guy.

She remembered racing home after school every day to be there before he dropped off her neighbor, who was on the team too. Neither of them ever noticed her, but she was obsessed with Branch. Then he’d gone away to college and she’d never seen him again. She had looked for him online a few times and had heard a few things around town, but mostly, she’d forgotten about him. Until now.

Her greatest dream had turned into a nightmare. He knew who she was. He could name her once the protest got started. He would figure out it was her, and it would all be over. She would be arrested and her life would be ruined. Good-bye Elway, hello gulag.

By the time she got back to her room and lay on the bed, Maura was in a tailspin. She texted Lily and then punched in Jimmy Tony’s number. It probably wasn’t the best idea, since she was drunk, but that couldn’t be helped. She had to speak to him now or she was going to have to call the whole thing off.

“Hello?” he answered groggily. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I met one of the workers and he’s from Elway. He knows me.”

There was silence at the other end of the line. Maura was sure Jimmy had fallen asleep until he spoke again. “So?”

“He
knows
me! He’ll be able to tell the island police that it was me. Interpol or whoever will be after me before I’m halfway back to the States. They are going to toss me into a gulag and throw away the key.”

“Did you tell him about the plan?” he asked harshly.

“Of course not,” Maura sniffled and wiped her nose.

“How would he know, then?”

“He’ll put two and two together. He’ll know it was me.”

“Maura, there are thousands of visitors on the island every single day. Thousands of new faces every single month. Why in the world would he think you had any part in our protest?”

She said nothing. She had a feeling, but there was no way to explain it without sounding crazy. Hell, maybe it
was
crazy. Something was going to happen. She just knew it. Something was going to happen and Branch was going to be involved somehow. Even drunk as she was, she trusted her instincts.

“I think you’ve had a little too much to drink tonight,” Jimmy said. “When you get up tomorrow morning, you’ll feel much better about everything. I’ll be there soon and everything will be fine.”

“I hope so.”

“Trust me. I’ve been working on this plan for almost a year. We’re going to succeed this time. You still believe in the cause, don’t you?”

“Of course I do,” Maura said slowly. She was starting to feel very tired and her words were slurring even more.

“Good. Think about how good you’re going to feel when we expose Safari Corp to the world. You’re going to make a big difference,” Jimmy said. “You’re very brave. I’m so proud of you. After everything with John, you could have crawled into a hole and been depressed for the rest of your life. But look at you. You’re out there and you’re doing big things.”

“Thank you.” Maura was smiling. “I feel better. Thanks for picking up. I know it’s late.”

“No problem. Sleep tight and good night.”

“Night.”

She did feel better, but that ominous feeling was still there too, like a huge case of nerves. She wanted to trust Jimmy Tony. He had to be right. She would stay away from Branch and it would all be fine.

Maybe after they exposed Safari Corp, business would screech to a halt and Branch would have to come home to Elway. That would be a stroke of good luck.

***

Branch had been texting Lily all day trying to get more information on Maura. Last night had been a bust, but she was too beautiful to give up on after one night. Lily had been stonewalling him all day, but he’d just run into Finn on the way home from work. Finn told him about Lily’s new friend, who was having a very depressing honeymoon dinner for one.

It had to be Maura. Lily had offered to go with her, but Maura had turned her down. Finn had no idea that what he’d done, but Branch was pretty sure Lily was going to be pissed when she found out. Clearly, she didn’t want Maura to have anything to do with him. Too bad. Branch was going to get to know the beautiful redhead a little better. It was more than a good time now. He was interested.

Branch rushed home after work and changed quickly. He put on a nice pair of slacks, a button-down shirt, and a blazer. He knew he looked great and there was no way Maura would turn him away. He caught a bus to one of the resorts and walked to the restaurant. It was another humid and hot day that had turned to a very warm night. Warm summer nights always put him in a good mood. There was an electricity in the air and it made him feel even more hopeful about the night.

He’d been to the dinner theater once before, and it hadn’t been fun. This time was a lot more promising. The restaurant was full, and all the guests were buzzing with excitement.

Branch walked to reception confidently. “Treble. I’m a little late and my lady is already seated.”

Thankfully the receptionist was a newbie and didn’t recognize him. “Right this way, Mr. Treble.”

Maura looked shocked when she saw him. He swooped in and kissed her on the cheek. “Hey, doll.”

“Looks like he made it after all,” the receptionist said to Maura. “Enjoy dinner, you two.”

“What are…What is…?” Maura couldn’t even get a full question out.

“I heard you were coming on your honeymoon dinner alone.” Branch put his arm around the back of her chair. “I thought you could use the company. I’ve never seen this show either.”

Maura swallowed. “A Broadway actress is here to perform tonight. This is way beneath her, but I heard that she’s dating the head chef.”

“Really?” Branch had seen Parker Travers out at Club Safari and there was always a beautiful girl on his arm. “I thought his girlfriend was a model. I met them once or twice, and she didn’t look like a Broadway singer.”

Maura showed him the program. “Jasminda.”

“That makes much more sense.” Branch laughed. “I never thought a chef would get so much play. He must have broken up with the model. Not so nice for the girl, but this is great for the island.”

Maura nodded. Her hands were shaking. It was so cute. “I’ve never seen a show like this before.”

“It’s pretty unique.” Branch put his hand over hers to she’d stop trembling. “A mermaid theme, I think. The website says that it’s the only one of its kind in the whole world. I doubt that, but it sure sounds nice. Looks like the advertising works. This place is packed.”

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.”

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.