Favored by Felix (16 page)

“You first.”

“Your ass can’t be hurtin’ too bad then.
Maybe I should’ve given you more strokes.”

Casey sniffed, battled her urge to laugh
again. “Did I tell you I have training in hand-to-hand combat? I could do a lot
of damage to your pretty person. As long as you didn’t go hairy, I’d win.”

He flashed a grin. “You looking for a
sparring partner? Could be fun. A little sparring then some hot jungle sex.”

“I’ve had sex in the hot jungle. There are
bugs and they bite.”

Felix unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall
to the ground. He made quick work of the rest of his clothes and stood before
her naked and unashamed. “Just hot sex will do nicely then. Strip for me.” He
sprawled back on the sleep-bed, his avid gaze hot and transmitting a silent
dare.

This time she let her grin run free. She
swayed and lifted her arms. A sensual hip roll snagged his gaze, and she laughed,
a happy sound. “You’re easy, Felix.”

“I am where you’re concerned.”

She unfastened her dress and let it slide
to the ground and land in a pool of fabric. Striking a pose, she blew him a
kiss. “What do you think?”

The apricot-colored lingerie flattered her
curves, and when Felix rose to a sitting position, she knew she had him.

“God, Casey. You’re beautiful.” He held out
his hand and she went to him. “Let me undress you.”

“Not yet. I want to explore
you
for
a change.” She placed her hand in the middle of his chest and pushed. He let
her, and the protection around her heart cracked a little more. This man—he
undid her. So different from all the other men she knew.

Casey straddled his hips. His cock was full
and jutted out, but she ignored his erection in order to explore his shoulders
and chest. She licked the base of his neck and, remembering how it felt when he
kissed and nipped her there, she scraped her teeth over the spot.

He let out a harsh moan, his hands rising
to grip her shoulders and hold her in place. “Bite harder.”

“But I’ll hurt you.”

“Don’t care.”

She bit down and a shudder went through his
big body. She licked the spot and went on with her explorations, trailing her
fingers down his biceps. So much male bounty to explore. She’d never taken the
time before, had never wanted to play. She kissed, took the odd nip, and teased
him with her touches.

“Casey,” he groaned in protest.

He trembled, and she wondered if he’d take
over, but he remained in place and let her have her way. She moved down his body,
gripped his cock and stroked down his length. A bead of liquid formed on the
tip. Curious, she dipped her head to taste him. Slightly salty. A little musky.

“More,” he said. “Please.”

In that moment, she knew she’d do anything
for this man. He was special, so special. She took him into her mouth and
licked, sucked, tested him for reactions.

His hands went to her head, cupping her
skull and holding her in place. She breathed in his scent, reveled in the power
she had over him, the way her touches made his big body quiver with need.

“Damn, that feels good,” he said. “I’d like
more but I want to come with you tonight. I want to slide into your sexy body
and feel your tight cunt caress my shaft. I want to push you hard and fast and
drive into your body. Then once you’re trembling beneath me, I’ll stroke your
mark. Make you come so hard your body shudders.”

Casey pulled off his cock with a popping
sound. “Sounds good. What’s stopping you?”

Primitive hunger etched his face. Raw male
desire, and it was focused on her. “Get on your back and spread your legs for
me,” he said.

After holding his gaze for a fraction
longer, she quickly removed her lingerie and followed his instructions.

“You are so beautiful.” He ran his hand
over her hip, skimmed her inner thigh. He dipped his head and ran his tongue
down her folds. He rubbed her clit, the roughness of his tongue sending clawing
hunger through her. He’d barely touched her, yet she wanted him so badly. The
swirl of his warm, wet tongue sent her nerve endings snapping. One finger
slipped inside her, stroked while his tongue teased the straining bundle of
nerves. A light flicker of a touch. Casey groaned, her hips lifting toward his
mouth.

“Please, Felix.” An orgasm built, layer
upon layer with each touch, each lick, each enticing kiss. Her pulse skittered
as sensation flared and burned. Her hips jerked and bucked beneath the
pleasurable assault. Another finger filled her and stroked her inner walls.
Combined with the lash of his tongue, it was too much, and the sensations
collided in a storm of ecstasy.

While tiny spasms still quivered through
her, Felix rose and pushed inside her to the hilt. A moan rolled up her throat
and emerged as he pulled back and sank deep again. Flesh slapped against flesh.
His teeth scored the tender skin of her mark, and pleasure coursed through her
body. He flailed it with his tongue, and she sucked in a greedy breath at the
quick punch of heat. A second climax broke over her, not as powerful as the
first but still breath-stealing.

As soon as she started coming, he buried
himself in her and came with hot groans. He curled over her, surrounding her
with his heat and giving her some of his weight. He kissed the side of the neck
and lifted up to smile at her. “That was fun.”

She stared at him, her pulse racing like a
wild creature intent on capturing its quarry. She wanted him to say more—say he
loved her. If she was honest, that was where her feelings were headed. She
grinned back. “Most of it was fun.”

“Just keep sensible decisions in mind, sweetheart.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Nope,” he said. “I’m promising.” Then he
kissed her again, and that was the last time they spoke for a long time.

The general stood at his office window and
peered out at the lights of the cityscape. His hands were clasped behind his
back and he stood military straight.

A tap sounded on his door. “General.”

“I told you not to interrupt me.”

“Sir, I have located Captain Seonaid.”

Elation filled the general and he turned to
face his aide. “Where?”

“She’s still at Middlemarch Resort, sir.”

“But her tracker… How is this possible? I
thought you located the tracker on Dalcon before it moved away toward an
unknown destination?”

“Yes sir, but my contact says she’s at the
resort.”

The general frowned, envisioning potential
problems if he sent a team to extract her and she wasn’t there. “This contact
is reliable?”

“He’s an ex-employee of the resort. I saw
him in person, and showed him a photo of Captain Seonaid. He confirmed she is
staying at the resort.”

“Good. Good. That is excellent.” He turned
back to stare at the lights of the city. Beyond the cityscape, the darkness of
the mountainous region loomed, inhospitable and full of danger. The
unknown…much like the surprisingly unpredictable actions of Captain Seonaid.

What to do?

He tapped his fingers against his thigh,
sucked in a deep breath and let it ease back out. “Order the black ops team to
move. We’ll extract her from the resort and take her to the medical facility.
Tell them to move tomorrow night.”

“Sir, do you—”

“Tomorrow night. And I expect to be kept up
to date on the progress of the extraction.”

* * * * *

“We’re going for a walk,” Felix said to his
mother and siblings.

“You just want to kiss and grope Casey in
the dark,” Scarlett said and waggled her eyebrows at Casey. “I bet he’s icky at
kissing. Actually I don’t want to think about my brother kissing.
Blah.
”

“Change the subject then,” Felix said and
pinched Scarlett’s arm. “Casey doesn’t have any complaints.”

Scarlett wrinkled her nose and danced out
of reach. “It’s not fair that you can talk about sex when there’s no hope of
anyone for me.”

“You’re too young,” Anna said.

“Ma, I’m twenty,” Scarlett said. “You
married Dad when you were eighteen.”

Casey grinned at Scarlett’s plaintive tone
even as she enjoyed the dynamics between the different family members.

“I don’t believe I mentioned sex,” Felix
said. “I asked Casey to take a walk with me.”

“The implication was there,” Sly said,
taking Scarlett’s side.

“I have to vote with Sly and Scarlett,” Joe
agreed.

“We’re not appreciated here,” Felix said,
and held out his hand to her, one green eye closing in a wink. “Let’s go and
make out in the dark.”

“Anytime,” she said.

She was laughing as she laced her fingers
with Felix’s and followed him out of his mother’s suite. She liked the Mitchell
family and enjoyed their teasing and the way they made her feel part of the
group.

Aunt Elsa liked them a lot too, and her
last words before she left to settle her business affairs for her move to the
resort were, “He’s a keeper. I’m so happy for you.”

As for her own feelings, Felix had worn
away her reservations, and it was easy to see how her life would go with him.
They’d be happy. Oh, they might disagree sometimes, but she considered that
healthy, and she thought with a delicate shiver, making up would be a pleasure.
“Are we really going for a walk?”

“I thought we’d check the fence, just in
case there’s more than one person trying to hack holes in the perimeter. I also
want to see if there are any zylon on the other side of the fence. The
population is less than it used to be, but we need to keep it that way for the
safety of the guests.”

“The resort looks pretty at night with all
the colored lights. How are the new guests shaping up? Are they behaving?”

“Everything seems to be going well.” Felix
steered her into the shadows and drew her close. “I don’t want to talk about
guests.”

His kiss was easy and the tenderness with
which he kissed started a slow burn in her pussy.

“Hmm, more,” she whispered when he lifted
his head. She wrapped her hands around his neck and drew him down for another
seductive taste.

He brushed her cheek in the casual yet
affectionate way she’d come to enjoy. “This isn’t getting the fence checked.”

“I thought the silent alarm was enough?”

“I didn’t say anything to the others, but I
got the sense someone was watching earlier in the day.”

“From the other side of the fence? Not the
chief or one of his men?” He was confiding in her, sharing his concerns, and it
knocked yet another flimsy barrier away.

Scurvy sky pirates
, where was her mind?

The truth was, Felix, aided by his
boisterous siblings, had charmed her, shown more love than she’d ever received.
Heck, all of them had seduced her to their way of thinking what family should
be.

“I think they would’ve come to say hello
since they know me now.”

“I agree. Was anyone working outside the
fence today? Could Laurence have returned?” she asked.

“Laurence has no guts. He’ll be on Dalcon
where he was sent, having his normal pity party.”

“Harsh.”

“But true. The man has always been a
sniveling idiot.”

They walked hand in hand, the gravel path
crunching beneath their boots. Somewhere a night bird cried out and invisible
insects hummed in chorus.

As they rounded a corner in the path, the
night noises Casey had become used to suddenly ceased.

“You’re right,” she murmured, putting her
mouth next to his ear so the sound didn’t carry. “Someone or something is out
there.” She kept ambling, every sense hyper-alert.

“I can’t scent anything,” Felix said after
a while.

They followed the circular path until they
arrived back at the main part of the resort. Feminine laughter floated on the
air, the occasional male voice.

“Business as usual here,” he said.

A burst of fear struck her right in the
heart. “What if the general has sent a squad for me?”

“That would be illegal. You’re not military
any longer and your tracker is gone.” Felix turned her to face him. “If that
happens, we’ll deal with it. You’re not going anywhere. You’re my captive.”

Casey let out a scoffing sound. “It’s a
hard life but someone has to do it.”

“Not someone. You.”

“Me,” she agreed, and realized she’d never
hesitated.

As they neared Felix’s suite, a frisson of
awareness hit her. She kept walking but felt the weight of a stare pressing
against her flesh. She shuddered and prayed it was an overactive imagination.
But she didn’t think so.

Only when they were inside their suite did
she start to relax.

“I think you’re right,” she said.
“Something was out there.”

“You felt it too,” Felix said.

She nodded. “What are we going to do?”

“Nothing right now. The alarm is on and
functioning. While you’re getting ready for bed, I’ll let my brothers know
something is off. Tomorrow we’ll check it out.”

“In cat form?”

“Yes.”

Casey twisted his plan in her mind and
finally nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

“If there’s anything untoward, we’ll know
and can make plans.”

Casey wrapped her arms around him and gave
him a quick kiss. “You’re good at this stuff.”

“Thanks, sweetheart.”

* * * * *

The fence alarm woke them in the early
hours of the morning.

Casey dressed and snatched up her weapon.
“I’m coming with you.”

Felix gave a curt nod. “Stay close.”

They slipped from their suite, Felix still
in human form. His brothers had already shifted and stalked along the path in
front of them.

A single form, dressed in black, flitted
across the path. Felix’s brothers prowled through the shadows after him. The
gravel crunched up ahead.

“Shoot to wound,” Felix whispered against
her ear. “We want to question them.”

Casey kept close to Felix and tried to
emulate his silent footfalls. Not easy on a gravel path.

A shout rang out to their right. A feral
snarl.

“Retreat,” a low voice said. “I repeat.
Retreat!”

A familiar voice.

Casey tugged on Felix’s arm. “That’s one of
my brothers.”

Another menacing snarl carried on the air.
A panicked scream. The sound of running feet.

Casey ran behind Felix, no longer worried
about noise.

“Here’s the hole,” Felix said in a grim
voice. “They’ve gotten away.”

A fierce growl sounded behind them, and
Casey turned. One of Felix’s brothers dragged an unconscious man by the arm.
Two other cats trotted behind. The big cat dropped the man on the path under a
light.

Felix knelt and pulled off the man’s
headwear. “Recognize him?”

“My brother William,” Casey said in a grim
tone. She stalked over and poked him with her boot. “You can wake up now,
Lieutenant.”

“Captain,” he murmured, warily eyeing the
silent cats that surrounded him.

“
Casey
,” she said in a firm voice.
“What the
phrull
are you doing here?”

“The general wants to see you,” William
said.

“He couldn’t use a communicator like a
normal person?” Felix demanded.

“Who are
you
?”

“Casey’s fiancé.”

Surprise suffused Casey. They hadn’t
discussed marriage yet, but it warmed her through to learn Felix’s intentions.
Sometimes she got the feeling he was moving slower than he wanted, but he was
proceeding with caution so he didn’t scare her away.

“The general won’t give up,” William said.

Felix grabbed William and hoisted him to
his feet with easy strength. Casey almost laughed at the shocked expression on
her brother’s face.

“I want you to give the general a message.
You tell him Casey is no longer in the military. And you tell the asshole from
me that Casey has
no intention
of entering the medical facility to
undergo the procedure to change sexes. And finally, you tell him if he doesn’t
back the hell off and leave Casey alone, we’ll break the story in a public
manner that will embarrass the general and humiliate the military. Have you got
all that?”

“He wants you to become a man?” William
asked, his horrified gaze on Casey.

“Yes.” A tight knot formed in her throat
and she couldn’t force out another word. Felix took one look and went to her,
slipping his arm around her shoulders.

“Why would he do that?” William demanded.

“You’ll have to ask
him
that,” Felix
snapped. “You make sure he realizes Casey is out of his reach. Got it?”

William nodded. “I understand. You can call
off your trained cats now.”

Felix snapped his fingers and his brothers
backed away and went to sit beside Casey.

William brushed himself off and limped
toward the hole in the fence.

Typical, Casey thought.

But upon reaching the fence, William
turned, his gaze going straight to Casey. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were
the one we were meant to extract. I was assigned to hold our perimeter, someone
else was tasked to obtain the target. The general… I’m sorry,” he repeated,
then he was gone, his black uniform blending with the darkness.

* * * * *

“Where is she?” the general barked into his
communicator. “I want to see her before she goes into the medical facility.
Have Captain Seonaid escorted to my office.”

“Ah, sir,” the soldier in charge of
extraction said. “We don’t have Captain Seonaid. The mission failed.”

“What?” The general’s bark took on an edge
of bite. A snarly quality that warned his subordinates to tread warily. “You’re
telling me our best black ops team failed on a mission?”

“They seemed to know we were coming, sir.
They were prepared, and they have large black cats patrolling the resort.”

“Did you have weapons?” The vein at his
temple started pulsing and the general pressed a finger against it.
Stupid
imbeciles.
How could they mess up such a simple mission? One puny woman to
extract and they messed it up.

“The cats attacked Lieutenant Seonaid, sir.
He barely managed to get away.”

“Let me talk to him.” Gods, his one weak
daughter constantly managed to outshine her brothers.

“He’s not here, sir. He’s having his arm
treated.”

The vein pulsed a fraction harder and for a
moment, the general thought it might pop. His brain felt the same way—too big
for his skull to contain. It pulsed and ached. “Have the lieutenant contact me
on my direct personal line. Immediately,” he added, lest the squadron leader
have any doubts as to the depths of their failure. He cut communications and
leaped from his chair, the urge for movement a compulsion.

He paced back and forth.

He’d get his way. There was a reason he’d
risen to the rank of general. Because he was smart. He saw the overall picture
rather than single components. He deserved this promotion, and if his stupid
bitch of a daughter
phrulled
it up for him, heads would roll. He’d stomp
her into the ground, and then he’d obliterate the people who were sheltering
her. Earth
phrull
-ups!

A tap sounded on his door, halting him
midstride. “Enter,” he snapped.

“Sir, I thought you should read this.” His
aide cautiously extended his arm, the paper he held rustling when he failed to
control his nerves.

Idiots. He was surrounded by namby-pamby
phrullin’
idiots.

He snatched the paper, scanned the headlines
and tossed it away in disgust. “It’s a gossip sheet. Why should I waste time
looking at this rubbish?”

His aide gave an audible swallow and looked
as if he might faint. He swallowed again. “There’s a paragraph in the gossip
pages,” he said.