Fallon's Fall (7 page)

“This isn’t necessary,” Fallon said. He could already feel the healing tech going to work on his injuries. Soon the bite would be no more than a memory.

“I’m the healer here,” she said. “I’ll decide what is and is not necessary.”

Fallon hid his pained smile. Pointing out what she’d said would only make her angry and more determined to leave. He wondered if Dora even knew that she’d claimed the position.

“Do you have any other injuries?” She scanned him from head to toe.

Not any on the outside
, he thought. But thanks to her admission, he was utterly raw on the inside. Dora might not need him, but it hadn’t taken Fallon long to realize that he
needed
her.

Pain filled Dora as Fallon walked away. He was hurt. Hurt because he’d saved a creature. He might not have done it for her, but he’d still cared enough for his friend to risk his life in order to rescue Mars’s familiar.

Maybe there was still a little of the boy she once knew inside of him after all. If so, what did that mean for him—for them?

The ship shuddered.

Dora grabbed onto the healing chamber to steady herself. They were safe for now, but for how much longer? The
Anemone
had tried to shoot them out of the sky. They hadn’t considered who might be injured in the process. Dora didn’t have time to be angry. She could be mad later once she was back onboard her ship. For now, she had to do whatever she could to convince Fallon to let her go. It was the only way to save him and his crew.

F
allon headed to the bridge
. By now, everyone onboard probably knew about his history with Dora. That was not something Reaper would keep to himself. He stepped off the transport cylinder and all eyes latched onto him, confirming his suspicions.

He ignored his crew’s curious expressions and stepped in front of the control panel. “Is the
Anemone
still searching for us?”

Hawk nodded. “The ship has set up orbit around the asteroid,” he said. “It’s just waiting for us to move, so it can take another shot.”

“Firing on us makes no sense,” Fallon said.

“Their intention was to disable us,” Hawk said. “They nearly succeeded. Is our patient still doing okay?”

“Mars will be fine,” Fallon said. “Echo is with him.”

“I’m not referring to Mars.” Hawk stared at Fallon’s bandaged hand.

Fallon grimaced. “I’ll live.”

Hawk shifted in his command chair. “She must care a little or she wouldn’t have patched you up.”

“She did her duty and made it clear she wants to go,” Fallon said. Hawk might well order him to do so. What would he do then? He wasn’t sure. He’d only had one day with her.

“What do you want?” Hawk asked.

“My wants are no longer important,” he said.

Hawk blinked. “Since when?”

“Since my actions endangered my crew,” Fallon said.

All traces of amusement fled. “Understood,” Hawk said.

Opal walked up beside the captain.

Hawk grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his arms. “We’re out of time,” he said. “I can only give you one more day to sort this all out. After that, I’ll have to hail the ship.”

One more day with Dora wasn’t nearly enough time, but Hawk was right. For the sake of the ship and the crew, Fallon would have to figure out how to say goodbye to her. This time for good.

“Aye, Captain,” Fallon said.

“Lex, take over Fallon’s position. He is relieved of duty for the next twelve hours,” Hawk said.

“Thank you,” Fallon said.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Hawk said. “We’re far from out of this mess. Now go do what you need to do. I’ll let you know if you’re required on the bridge.”

Fallon returned to the med area, only to find Dora missing. Mars was still inside the healing chamber, but his vitals had stabilized and he was sleeping peacefully. A puff of smoke appeared beside him.

“Find her,” Reaper said. “I’ll stay with him.”

Fallon nodded, then left. There was only one other place Dora might be. He headed to his cabin to confront her.

Dora was sitting at his workstation, when he walked into the room. “I thought you were on duty,” she said.

“Hawk gave me some time off,” Fallon said and closed the door behind him.

“I’ve said all I plan to say to you,” she said.

He leaned his back against the door. “You’re a coward,” Fallon said.

Dora’s face scrunched. “What!”

“You heard me.”

“You are a Cornga backside,” she snapped.

“That may be,” Fallon said. “But at least I’m not afraid to touch you.”

“I’m not afraid to touch you,” Dora said, but couldn’t hold his gaze.

Fallon watched at her for a moment, then said, “Prove it.”

Dora crossed her arms over her chest and shifted nervously on her chair. “I don’t have to prove anything to you.”

“Just as I thought,” Fallon said. “A coward.”

“If I sleep with you, will you release me?” she asked.

Fallon’s jaw locked, but he managed to say, "yes" through gritted teeth. It would kill him to hold her in his arms, then have to let her go. But what other choice did he have? He wanted Dora. Had
always
wanted her. This was his last chance to have her...if only for the night. Fallon wasn’t strong enough to pass up the opportunity, even if that did make him a Cornga backside.

Was she really going to do this? Could she do this?

Dora wasn’t sure. One thing she did know was that she could’ve turned Fallon’s offer down, but didn’t want to. He was right, she was afraid. Not of him, but the emotions Fallon dredged up inside of her. Emotions she thought long dead.

She stared at him. His stern expression and deadly horns didn’t detract from his handsome face. If anything, they added to his good looks. He had grown from a flirtatious boy into a striking man. The air of pride surrounding him made the vulnerability in his golden eyes all the more startling—and utterly irresistible.

Despite his confident appearance, he was as unsure about this as she was. Had she not seen the uncertainty in his eyes, Dora might’ve said no. But that vulnerability was her undoing. She crossed the room and grabbed Fallon by the back of the neck. She pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him.

He stood frozen for a minute, but only minute, then he kissed her back. And oh could he kiss. Dora's toes curled in her boots right before she went up in flames. The years faded instantly and suddenly they were back in the paddock. Two teens fumbling with their clothes, praying that their fathers wouldn’t catch them.

Expect Fallon didn’t fumble, when he removed her shirt or when he loosened her pants. His movements were confident and practiced. A sting of jealousy struck, but Dora quickly shoved it away. The past was the past. All she wanted to focus on was this moment.

With trembling fingers, she grasped the front of his flight suit and pulled. It opened straight down the middle, leaving a vast expanse of hard muscle visible. “Take this off,” she murmured.

“I want you to remove it.” Fallon couldn’t believe this was happening. It was taking every fiber of his being not to rip her clothes off and toss Dora on his pallet. But he didn’t want to rush this moment. It was a moment he had waited ten long years for. He planned to savor it, savor her.

Dora quickly undressed him.

Having her hands on him almost undid Fallon. He removed the last of her clothing. A wealth of flawless skin met his gaze. Her breasts were so much larger now with bright pink nipples that were made for sucking. He had glimpsed them when he was a teen. Touched them through her clothes. Longed to taste them, but this was the first chance he’d gotten to truly explore them. Fallon wondered if they tasted as sweet as they looked.

Dora’s panties hit the floor and the ability to think deserted him. Fallon stared at the thin slash of dark curls covering her sex. He inhaled, taking in her feminine musk. The scent went straight to his head before traveling south to his cock. He fell to his knees and buried his nose between her thighs.

“Fallon?” Dora asked.

“Shh,” he murmured. “Give me a minute.” He held her tight, inhaling deeply. Goddess, her scent was incredible. Fallon nuzzled her, making sure his horns brushed her abdomen. A shiver rocked his spine. He couldn’t wait to impale her in every way.

Dora trembled in his arms. “Please,” she whispered.

“Open for me,” he said.

She didn’t hesitate. Dora stepped wide, leaving her open for his exploration. Fallon did not delay. He ducked his head and swiped his tongue across her moist slit. Her taste exploded on his tongue and he groaned.

“Oh Dora,” he said. “I’ve waited so long to do this.”

“Was it worth the wait?” she asked hesitantly.

His gaze locked on hers and Fallon licked his lips. “What do you think?”

Dora thought if he did that again she was going to explode. Her breath deepened. The look in his eyes was so savage, so possessive that it left her shaken. She held onto his shoulders, sinking her short nails into his skin as he dipped between her thighs once more and licked.

And licked. And…licked some more.

Her knees quaked as he gripped her hips and drove his tongue inside of her. The skin on her scalp tightened and her whole body tensed. “Fallon,” she said breathlessly. “I’m not going to last long.”

“Yes, you are,” he rasped. “You’re not going to come until I give you permission. Now spread your legs wider.”

Dora’s legs wobbled as she followed his command.

“Perfect.” Fallon stroked the tuft of hair covering her hidden folds.

His tongue circled her, drawing her between his lips a second before he bit down.

Dora screamed and her knees buckled, but she didn’t fall. Fallon caught her and gently laid her on the pallet. Her legs dangled over the edge, but she couldn’t touch the floor. She vaguely felt him lift her knees and place them over his wide shoulders, leaving her vulnerable to his touch.

“That’s better,” Fallon said. He rubbed his rough horns against the inside of her thighs.

Dora quivered and took a stuttering breath.

“Like that do you?” Fallon asked.

She nodded, incapable of speech.

Fallon opened a hidden panel beside the pallet and pulled out two blunt metal caps.

“What are you going to do with those?” Dora asked.

“You’ll see.” He slipped the metal caps on the tips of his sharp horns.

Dora’s eyes widened. “Fallon, I don’t know about this.” She tried to scoot across the pallet to get away.

Fallon latched onto her thighs, holding her in place. “Trust me,” he said. “You’ll like it.”

She hesitated, then nodded for him to go ahead.

He shot her a devastating smile, then dipped his head. The cap on the end of his horn touched the hidden bundle of nerves at her core.

Breath rushed from her lungs and Dora arched.

Fallon swiveled his head, circling her flesh.

A moan ripped from her throat.

“Thought you’d like it,” Fallon said and did it again.

Dora writhed beneath him, her body undulating in a dance as old as time. He’d never seen anything more beautiful. And Fallon doubted he ever would.

He was done teasing. Fallon slowly pushed the tip of his horn inside her entrance, spreading her.

Dora groaned and rocked her hips. “Oh Goddess!” she cried as his thick horn stretched her. She had never felt so full.

Fallon dropped his chin and went even deeper.

Dora shuddered. She had expected the coarseness of his ridged horns to be uncomfortable, maybe even a little painful, but instead it felt like a thousand tiny fingers were stroking her channel as he drove in and out of her.

She had always thought the stories she’d heard about his people’s sexual prowess were overstated. Now Dora knew that if anything, the gossips had downplayed their talents. She ground herself against Fallon’s horn and whimpered.

“You ready to come?” he asked.

“Yes,” Dora gasped. She was ready to explode across the galaxy into a million tiny pieces. Her whole body tensed in anticipation.

There was something Fallon could do with his horns that he had never done to any woman. It was something the males of his species only shared with their mates. Since Dora was the only woman he had ever considered taking as a mate, Fallon knew this would be the only opportunity he would get to try it. He could already feel his essence oozing inside of her, joining with her, bonding with her.

Soon there would be enough to make Dora feel euphoric, if she didn’t already. Fallon shifted, taking care to give himself plenty of room, then he
vibrated
. The shockwaves worked their way through his horns into her.

Dora screamed and her body clamped down upon him.

Fallon didn’t stop, not until she collapsed beneath him, gasping for breath, begging incoherently. Only then did he slowly pull his horn out of her and remove the blunt tips. He brushed his horn off, feeling her moisture clinging to him. The stroke sent a shiver through him. It was followed by a wave of possessiveness that left him quaking at her feet.

He told himself to stop. That this could never work. But Fallon’s instincts were too strong. Too raw. He’d wanted this—wanted her for over ten years. He ran the edge of his sharp horns over Dora’s inner thigh.

She shivered. “Do that again!”

He did. This time drawing blood. Fallon watched her expression closely. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her.

Dora wriggled. “That feels good.”

His essence dripped down his horns onto the small cut. The wound sealed instantly, but the mark would never go away. Dora would carry it, and part of him, in her for the rest of her life. She would leave the
Nix
without ever knowing what the mark meant and go on with her career. As long as she was safe and happy, that would be enough for Fallon.

He kissed the spot, then licked the last of the blood off. Fallon climbed to his feet and lifted a boneless Dora higher onto the pallet. He settled between her parted thighs, nestling his cock at her entrance. His whole body shuddered as her moist heat caressed him. This was really happening. After all these years, he finally had Dora where he wanted her. Fallon kissed her lips tenderly.

Her lashes fluttered and Dora looked at him.

“Okay?” he asked.

She gave him a sated smile. “Never better. What are you waiting for?”

Fallon grinned. “Just waiting for you to give me the go ahead.”

Dora nipped his bottom lip. “Permission granted.”

If Fallon’s cock got any harder, he was pretty sure it would shatter. He rocked his hips, teasing her entrance. Dora was wet. So very wet. Pride filled him. He had done that to her. He had brought her pleasure. After all these years of pain, Fallon had finally given her pleasure and put a smile on her face. It wouldn’t erase all the tears he’d caused, but it was a start.

He pushed forward and felt the head of his shaft slip inside her. It was his turn to groan. Goddess, she felt...perfect. He rocked his hips and slid in a little farther. Fallon’s hand shook as he cupped her breast and brought her nipple to his mouth. He swirled his tongue around the hard flesh and watched as it flushed an even deeper red.

Dora moved restlessly beneath him.

Fallon locked his free hand on her hip to keep her from impaling herself. “Not yet,” he said, sucking her rosy flesh into his mouth.

So sweet. So plump. Goddess, he would never get enough of her.

He released her nipple with a flick of his tongue, then moved onto the other one. “I think this one may taste a little sweeter,” he said.

Dora grabbed his horns and tried to jerk his head up.

A tremor started at the base of Fallon’s skull and worked its way down his spine. His eyes fluttered shut as the heated sensation spread through his entire body lighting up every nerve.