Dark Rivals: Lijuan Wilde Tale 0f Suspense (Half Breed Haven Book 3)

by A. M. Van Dorn

  “Of course, but this is better, Lijuan. You won’t get your clothes dirty,” he told her. “Besides I kind of like you sitting next to me. There’s the range up ahead. We are getting close to where some of the tracks were seen leading to that canyon,” he added.

  “I do feel safer with you closer, Dale. Cougars frighten me,” she told him. Lijuan further bolstered her act by looking down demurely and holding his arm. They were however blissfully unaware of the angry eyes watching them ahead from a nearby hill of rocks. By cutting cross country Lettie Bell had managed to get ahead of them and now laid in wait, almost like a cougar herself.

  “Look at her, holding his arm like a frightened polecat, snuggling up so close. Well, I’ll fix her!” Lettie said out loud to herself softly.

  She bent and picked up a rock, edging down around the big boulder to be in range when they passed by knowing she had to time this just right. When she thought they were in the right position, she launched the stone with all the power her arm could muster, targeting perfectly so it would hit the rear of one of the horses pulling the wagon. The horse neighed loudly as expected and bucked once before it took off in a nervous race. It spooked the other horse in the traces and soon, both animals were running in a panic.

  “She doesn’t fool me. Acting so lady-like. This will ruffle her dress and her temper.” Lettie laughed, her laughter becoming more uncontrolled when she heard Dale shouting to control the horses.

  “Hang on, Lijuan. Something has spooked the horses,” Dale hollered, his voice filled with worry.

  “Whoa there! Whoa! Easy now,” he called, see-sawing the reins back and forth trying desperately to slow the runaway horses. But to no avail.

  Lijuan heard him groan just as they both saw a huge boulder looming right in the path of the plunging horses and rocking wagon.

  “Look out! We are going to hit that rock!” Lijuan shouted, pointing a finger and calling Dale’s attention to the hard wall just ahead.

  “I can’t turn ‘em, Lijuan. Jump clear!” Dale yelled.

  Without hesitation, she grabbed her skirts and leaped clear just as the wagon teetered back and forth and then overturned with a crash, skidding on its side right toward the boulder. It came to an abrupt stop when the front of it hit the boulder. The wood of the front end splintered into kindling as Dale was thrown out of the wagon seat. He hit the ground and slid several feet before stopping.

  The jolt of the wagon being stopped so abruptly ripped the tongue from the wagon allowing the horses to keep up their mad dash dragging the bouncing tongue behind them

  Lijuan hit the ground and rolled, coming to her knees about ten feet from the overturned wagon. In the hills above her, Lettie was delighted. She clasped her hand together with excitement just as she also noticed that something moved in the distance, few feet from the wrecked wagon.

  Still on her knees, Lijuan spotted the cougar, too. It was slinking over a boulder, staring at the wrecked wagon. Dale was lying next to it, dazed and trying to get to his feet without much success. Worried and needing to act fast, Lijuan glanced around and saw a rifle in its case a few feet away. It was part of the supplies and had been thrown clear when the wagon went over. She reached out for it, slowly taking the gun from the leather case, trying not to attract the attention of the cougar.

  Dale was about to find out what sort of woman she actually was. She had no choice in this life-or-death matter but to shed the persona she had taken on and be her real self. She checked the rifle to make sure it was loaded and took careful aim. Here goes that namby-pamby role I have been playing, she thought to herself, right before she took the perfect shot. The big cat, already prepared to pounce on Dale, screamed and collapsed.

  Her aim had been perfect. It always was. The corner of her mouth was just turning upwards in pride when she was startled by a roar. Her head spun around in time to see another cougar, missing one of its ears, crouched on a boulder opposite where the first one had been. She didn’t need to understand the language of animals to see that it was pissed. A quick scan of the dead cougar revealed it to be female, and the one before her now was notably bigger. Its mate. There was no uncertainty about it. Lijuan was about to bring the rifle up again when she heard the rumble of hoofs as the other riders came galloping towards her sending the angry cougar into flight, much to her relief.

  As the riders drew near she knew most must have seen what had happened. Carson Bell, Lijuan’s Father, Catalina, Lettie and few extra hands gathered around the pair while Carson himself helped his foreman up.

  “Whew, what a shot! Miss Lijuan sure saved your skin, Foster!” Carson told Dale with a grin. The older man threw Lijuan an appreciative nod before turning to the rest with another nod. Whip remained silent, but she knew the proud look on his face and could almost hear his words Well, done my little Daisy!

  Everyone spread out afterwards, understanding the Carson’s second nod to mean that they should go looking for more tracks. Lijuan went to check on Dale to make sure he was alright. He put an arm around her shoulders immediately she stepped close enough and she found she liked the feel of that.

  “Lijuan, I never knew you could shoot a gun like that. Also, the way you jumped from that wagon proves there is a lot I don’t know about you!” Dale said to her with an incredulous stare.

  She had to come clean with him she thought surrendering to the inevitable and clearing her throat.

  “It was all an act, Dale. I wanted to be sweet and mild because you said you like your women gentle. Really though, I’m a hellcat. Ask my sisters, ask anyone from Alamieda and if you could ask the murderer I killed that tried to rob an assayer’s office down our way the other day.” Lijuan told him, with some pride and trepidation as this could be the end of their involvement now that the truth was out. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lettie draw near, a look of anticipation forming on her face at the prospect of Dale dumping her on the spot. Her father also took a step closer to the foreman.

  “Don’t blame my daughter if she buried what she’s capable of Mr. Foster. It was upon my request. You see I’ve got some very special children.” Whip continued by explaining to Dale about just how formidable his family was when it came to dire situations, further elaborating on how his oldest child Cassandra frequently called up on the others to help her in her role as a lawman.

  Dale pushed his hat back on his head and listened intently to it all, while Lettie’s face continued to curl in anticipation of him exploding at being duped. Her grin plunged like a man falling from a cliff as Dale whistled and was suddenly all smiles.

  “No, Lijuan. You’re just an all-around type of woman any cowpuncher would like to have at his side. Rough when you need to be, but a real lady at heart!”

  Lijuan hadn’t expected that. In fact, she hadn’t expected him to like her exactly as she was. She smiled broadly as he hugged her briefly, his hands tenderly holding her waist. Well, she might have lost the bet to her father, but she had saved a man’s life. It was a fair trade, she thought, awash in satisfaction.

  By the looks of Lettie, she also guessed it was far better than fair. The aggravated witch was sitting on her horse and seething in anger as if a knife had been twisted into her backbone. When Dale leaned over her to kiss her, Lijuan forgot about her and stood on her toes to get close enough to return his kiss. She heard Lettie riding off in anger and also heard Carson calling after her.

  Lijuan didn’t care. It was a good kiss and she found herself wishing for more.

  ***

  They all arrived back to the ranch before dark and the plan was to resume in the morning having prematurely aborted the hunt. Another looming rain storm had been spotted heading in their direction and the bottom of a canyon was no place to be with the threat of a cloud burst. Rather than risk losing anyone in a flash flood Carson tabled the hunt until the following day.

  Dale had promised to show Lijuan around and she hoped that meant what she thought it did. After dinner Lijuan had politely excused herself while
Carson and Whip had launched themselves into one story after another of their naval days while Cattie listened in rapt attention. Upon meeting, he led her to a smaller stable behind the one next to the corral. It had walls made of strong timber, and he told her when he first arrived at the ranch he had heard it once housed only younger cattle but as the ranch grew over the years a whole new barn had been built to house that task and now this barn was exclusively for the foreman’s use.

  Lijuan studied it noticing It also was roofed with sturdy wood and through the open doors she spied a ladder leading upwards to a loft that was above it. Walking arm in arm they passed some cow hands were working late around a branding fire and they furtively stole glances as Dale led her across the threshold into the stable.

  “I get rooms above the stable. As said it’s a perk of being foreman.” Dale told her at the front door. “This way, I don’t have to sleep in a bunk house with a dozen other men,” he told her softly as they made their way deeper inside.

  While Dale was busy walking over to shelf where he said he hid the key to his room under a tin can, low voices drifted to Lijuan’s ears, subsequently fixing a smile on her lips. Dale couldn’t hear them, but she could hear one of the cow hands saying, “Foreman Dale is so lucky. I sure know I always wanted to try for one of those exotic Asian women. They is scarce where I comes from in Virginia.”

  “Ahem, I ain’t seen a one of them until I moved out west.” she heard another man mutter.

  Lijuan was used to comments like that. They had the dual effect of flattering her and angering her at the same time, not wishing to be viewed as a curiosity for a man to sample for the first time. Whatever the men said, she sure wasn’t picking up such feelings from Dale. He seemed genuinely interested in her for who she was and not as some trophy from the Orient. Once he found his keys, they went across the floor of the stable to the ladder that went up into the loft and she followed him up. The woods creaked every time, the sounds of their footsteps rhyming with the beating of her heart. She was excited for whatever plans he had for her; she knew this. She was also excited to have him invite her into his room for the first time. They walked the length of the loft and finally to the door of his room, she spent the entire time stealing glances at him and wondering if she would have the chance to cuddle so close he would have no choice to envelope her on his wide and strong chest.

  “Here.” She heard him whisper after he unlocked the door into his room.

  The room, unlike most of the rooms in the main ranch house, was small and cool. The temperature inside must have been because of the cold outside, but she preferred the idea that it was chilly inside because he was in there with her and she had some very inventive ways in mind for them to keep warm. She let him place his palm on her back, slightly guiding her into the room before closing the door behind him.

  She turned to face him, then looking into his eyes for the first time since they met that night. She could see her emotions in his eyes. He must have been having the same thoughts as hers, feeling the same desires, controlling the same urge…but no more, no more would Lijuan keep wishing when she could just have the man. Without thought, without much sense of how the room was because of the dim light in it, she began to step towards him, closing the space between them with each determined stride.

  She was feeling some excitement in the pit of her stomach. Lijuan knew of course she didn’t love the man. He was a nice guy and they got along well despite her rough ways. She was however, most definitely attracted to his looks and knew he reminded her of the love she could never have. As a Wilde, she had never been a prude and believed that life was short. They got along and were attracted to each other so why not, she told herself as he stepped forward to meet her half way too. They embraced immediately, his hands running over her hips and her waist as she kissed him with so much determination.

  She pressed herself against him, enjoying the feel of his hard-muscled body against her softer chest. She opened his shirt as his hands went under the waist band of her skirt. She ran her hands over the bulging chest and sighed before letting out a soft moan of desire. She was really enjoying the experience. Her skirt dropped, and he bent and picked her up in his arms quickly, without warning and she squealed with laughter at the surprise, returning to kissing him and exploring his body with her hands.

  She still had her underwear on and he was still in his trousers. Even though she was in his arms, she pushed her weight into him, staggering him backwards and towards the wall. There was a hard thump as his back hit the wall, the bulge between his thighs hitting her abdomen with so much heat. She rose on her toes and smashed her lips against his to silence his groan, taking his breath and getting his heart to beat faster, probably than it already did.

  When his fingers forced their way into her top, she grinned, loving the way they teased the timid flesh of her stomach before settling for her breasts. He squeezed one gently, moaning, appreciating her passionate groan. He squeezed again, this time harder, loving the way she nuzzled closer, asking for more. He stopped lifting her with his arm, trusting her to envelope him with her legs and not fall. His hands began work immediately, one working on her notoriously large breasts all four of the Wilde sisters possessed, while another tilted her underwear aside and played with the love button between her thighs.

  Foreplay; she had had enough of the simple ones with him. She would be in control. She would command how little and how extreme they could go with this. When she stopped kissing him and leaped to the floor, he frowned, wondering what she was up to. She said nothing, allowing him to watch as she threw her top over her head, allowing the blouse to float to the floor. His eyes went wide now, excited with the sight of her breasts being freed from her corset as she began stripping out of it. Wriggling completely free of it she now found herself standing bare in front of him and telling him what to do with a stern gaze.

  He obeyed her without thought, his hands rushing to his trousers immediately. In a flash, he was naked too, his back plastered to the wall like a loyal hound, waiting for more instructions. She stepped towards him then, kneeling in front of him like a service maid. He was hard for her. His throbbing cock strengthened in her palm, jerking fervently and finally becoming still when she closed both palms around it’s unusual thickness. She stared up into his eyes, silently promising pleasure he had never had before, right before she pulled him into her mouth.

  “Oh, Lijuan.”

  She had only just begun. He hissed when she moved very fast, pouting her lips around it, before nibbling softly and then pulling his cock out. She repeated the process before he could gasp for breath, loving the way she taunted him. He arched his waist at one point, his fingers burying into her luminous, straight and shiny hair. Briefly, she let him pull and push her head, his cock ramming into her mouth with so much energy. He rammed into her throat, the tip of his cock hitting the back of it.

  “Oh Lijuan, stop… don’t … just…please…”

  He was begging her. “Really?” She thought she hadn’t done anything yet! She pulled his cock out of her mouth eventually, holding it tight in her palm. She began to pull, guiding him by his cock towards the bed. He fell on his back, sighing when she slowly placed herself above him, her breasts sliding all over his chest.

  “They are all yours,” she told him, knowing he wanted permission to take it the pair.

  He went to work immediately, his lips closing around her nipples in a rush. He suckled hard, rubbing her breasts so fast it tickled. He buried his head between her breasts, sighing ceremoniously like a satiated animal. He might have thought he was in heaven, but that wasn’t all she had to offer him; she tapped his head away a second later, jumping on top of him once more and sitting instantly on his hard shaft.

  “What the…!”

  She had felt it too. It felt as if she had found home. He fitted into her perfectly, his huge cock curving right into her depth. For a moment, neither of them moved. They waited, catching their breaths first before one of them fin
ally moved. Actually, Lijuan moved first. She danced on top of him, jerking up and down; whirling her waist and letting him run wild with all the pleasure. When his hand jerked to her waist to get her to keep riding him, she changed position and snuggled close. This time around, only bouncing her ass all over him.

  One of them would cum soon and it might be her. She guided his palms to her ass, loving the way he tapped her, groaning each time. When he raised himself to suckle her nipples once more, a new energy ran through her, ending her much expected ecstasy. She held his neck, pulling him closer, urging him on. Let him suckle her breasts dry she thought. Let him take it all from her. She might not love the man, but she wanted to satisfy him. She wanted to take it all too, getting the same satisfaction, she was willing to give him.

  She stopped riding him like a horse afterwards, sliding to lie beside him. She turned her back to him, expecting him to know what to do. He raised her head first, sliding an arm under her. He raised her leg with his second hand, snuggling so close behind her and gently ramming his dick inside her. He moved fast, ramming into her remorselessly.

  “More.” Lijuan demanded, “More!”

  He couldn’t go any further. She couldn’t too. Yet she screamed out her ecstasy instead of allowing her body to go to sleep first. She felt a bolt of electricity sizzling through her entire body just as his body shook behind her. Their groans filled the dark room afterwards, a sign of their uniform orgasm.

  “I am coming, Lijuan…I am….!” She felt the sudden absence of him within her and a warm sensation splash on her body as he continued calling out her name.

  She wasn’t listening to him. She felt another wave washing over her as she too came finally, her vision becoming blurred with inexplicable satisfaction.

  She had totally expected it to be this magical and had not been disappointed.