Safari Island Shifters: The Complete Collection(21)

“Finished dancing with those girls?” Finn asked.

Max downed his drink and asked for another and a shot. He hadn’t even noticed his brother coming over. “I am. They weren’t so great.”

“That doesn’t usually stop you.”

He got his second shot and drank it quickly. Not this again. “Are you mad at me?”

“I was just wondering if you were going to bring another tourist home tonight. I was hoping to get some sleep. You’ve kept me up four nights in a row.”

“I haven’t brought four girls home this week.” He hadn’t brought home anyone for a very long time. More than a month, shamefully. Not that Finn would notice in his funk, but none of the women at Club Safari were interesting Max anymore. He was having a dry spell to rival all dry spells.

“No, but you’ve been out until the wee hours of the morning and then you stumble in and wake me up.”

“Is now really the time for this? We’re at a club. Enjoy yourself. Maybe if you had a little fun you’d sleep better.”

“Sure, let me fist-pump with my bros all night and I’ll sleep great.” Finn ordered a drink and turned to survey the club while he waited. “I think this is my last trip to the Club for a while. This place is getting played out already.”

Max shrugged. “If that’s what you want. We could hang out at the bar in town too. That place has gotten much cooler now that the new hires have come in.”

“Eh. I think I’m done with trying to find women in clubs.”

“Ok.” Max looked at the bar. “So you don’t want come out with me anymore?”

“I guess not. You seem to have a lot more fun with Shane, anyway.”

“Cool.” That stung. He didn’t want Finn to see how much it bothered him, so Max went back to the dance floor. By the time he came back to their table to take a break, Finn was already gone.

“He left an hour ago,” Shane told him. “I don’t think he was having fun. Your brother’s becoming a real drag, bro.”

“Whatever.”

One of the girls he’d been dancing with approached the table with two of her friends. Shane quickly moved down and waved the shot girl over. He ordered a round of shots for the whole table and started chatting up the women.

Max wasn’t in the mood for dancing or drinking anymore, but he didn’t want to go home either. He would stick around with Shane for the rest of the night. It wasn’t like Finn wanted him back at the house, anyway. Not that Max wanted to talk with Finn at the moment, either. He would let it wait before approaching him again. Maybe he’d be in a better mood once the wedding was over.

***

“Glad you could make it.” Ward Langston moved aside and let Finn into his home. After a relaxing day with the animals, Finn was meeting the groomsmen and the PR director of the island for a final tux fitting at Ward’s home. There were no tailors on the island, so Ward had flown one in for the occasion.

Branch Dunkin and Chet were waiting in the living room. Chet was standing in his tux while the tailor measured him and fussed with everything.

“Looking nice,” Finn told him.

Chet pulled at the neck of his suit. “It feels a little tight. I wish I could wear something a little more comfortable.”

“This isn’t about your comfort,” Ward reminded him. “You have to look nice for the wedding, and Addison wanted you in a tux. You can wear something more comfortable for the reception.”

“I’m not changing out of my suit,” Branch said. “It looks real classy and the women love it. I’m gonna wear this thing all the time.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Chet said. “But I already have a woman and she likes me just fine in jeans and a t-shirt.”

“Not on your wedding day,” Ward warned.

“You’re just worried about your advertising.” Chet jumped as the tailor measured his inseam. “Getting a little close there, buddy.”

Finn laughed. “You do that every single time. Relax.”

“Easy for you to say,” Chet muttered. “How’d last night go?”

“Did Max keep you up again?” Branch asked, elbowing him in the side. “Bet he brought home a pretty little chicky.”

“He didn’t come back last night.”

Chet whistled. “That’s a first.”

“I think he stayed at Shane’s. He’s done that once before, when he was too drunk to get home. No big deal.”

“Maybe he got lucky and stayed at the resort,” Branch said. “Wouldn’t put it past him. Max knows how to live it up. Wish I could keep up with him.”

“You’re only a year older than him,” Chet laughed.

“But I can’t drink and dance all night anymore,” Branch said. “You’d be mopping me up from the floor if I drank like him.”

“I don’t Max can drink like that anymore, either,” Finn said. “He’s been getting sloppier and sloppier this last year. I think it’s starting to take its toll on him. He needs to grow up already and stop this nonsense.”

Branch raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like somebody is jealous.”

“Jealous?” Finn scoffed. “I told him last night that I’m not going out with him anymore. It’s not fun, and it isn’t like we’re going to meet anyone there.”