Free Favored by Felix by Shelley Munro

think she’s come to the
point where something is worrying her so much, it’s affecting her physically.”
    “So what do I do? I’m keeping her, Ma. I
like her a lot. She’s feisty yet vulnerable and makes me want to look after
her.”
    “How’s the sex?”
    “Ma! I’m not telling you that.”
    A burst of humor showed in her gray eyes. “Can’t
be much wrong in that department then. I knew I brought you and your brothers
up right.”
    “You have done a stellar job, Ma.” Felix
paused, considered. “No, nothing wrong there. In fact, she seems more relaxed
after sex. It’s the in-between times that are a problem.”
    “When she has time to stew,” Anna Mitchell
said. “The more I hear, the more I think this is a classic case of stress. She’ll
need lots of rest and relaxation, plenty of one-on-one time from you. She needs
to fill her time with things she enjoys doing—maybe a hobby of some kind.”
    “She likes to sew,” Felix said, after
thinking hard. “She mentioned something about doing her own designs.”
    “Perfect. Scarlett and I were discussing
opening a shop that caters to our female guests. Clothes, maybe jewels and
beauty products. We think it will be another revenue stream. Maybe she’d like
to help?”
    Felix nodded, his mind busily prodding for
disadvantages to the idea. He couldn’t see any.
    “Why don’t I ask Scarlett to drag her off
tomorrow morning? It will keep her busy. Scarlett won’t let anything happen to
her,” Anna said.
    “Thanks. At the moment, she still thinks
she’s catching the shuttle home tomorrow. I might have to lock her up if she
objects.”
    “Don’t worry, son. I’ve seen her watch you.
She likes you, so it may not be as difficult as you think.”
    “I hope so.” His communicator squawked at
him and he absently picked it up to answer. “Yeah?”
    “It’s Saber. I can’t talk for long. Any
problems?”
    “Everything is fine.” No need to tell Saber
about the bird attack or the damage to the shuttle. The vines. He’d dealt with
it, and if Saber didn’t like his decisions, too bad. “Do you want to talk to
Ma?”
    “Not now. Just wanted you to know we’re
about four or five days out from the resort, I think. Depends on the terrain. I
might not get a chance to call again, but don’t panic. Gotta go,” he said.
    “Saber,” Felix said to his mother. “He said
he’ll be another four days at least before he gets home.”
    “I hope everything is going well. Saber
needs someone after Lori. I never thought that girl was right for him.” She
paused. “Don’t you dare repeat that to anyone.”
    “I won’t. I’d better go and check on Casey
before I head to the workshop.”
    “The remedy I gave her should keep her out
at least until the morning. She needs the sleep. She’ll feel much better for
it. I’ll talk to Scarlett for you, and we’ll put our plan into action. It will
be nice to have the opinion of another woman. Sometimes I think Scarlett’s head
stays in her technological equipment, and she answers me on automatic. I can’t
be sure her opinion is objective.”
    “Okay, Ma. Say good night to Scarlett for
me. See you tomorrow.”
    “Call me if you need me, son.”
    Felix kissed his mother and left the room.
He spared a few minutes to check on Casey. She was curled up on her side, her
face relaxed and so vulnerable it broke his heart. Unable to resist, he brushed
his fingers over her cheek, saw once again the shadows under her eyes.
    She curled toward his hand, making him
smile, his heart do a tiny somersault. He considered crawling into the bed with
her, attempting to kiss her awake. No. He forced himself to walk away because
as much as he’d love to run his hands over her breasts and slip inside her
body, she needed her rest.
    * * * * *
    Laughter woke her. Casey went into military
mode and used her senses. She was at the resort in Felix’s private rooms.
    So who was the female part of the laughter
out in the other