The Grandmaster's Legacy (HOT Historical Suspense, Box Set)

by Taylor Lee

  No, as painful as it was, Lei reminded him more of Vivian. With a flood of tenderness, he remembered the first time he made love to Vivian. She was a virgin and afraid of him. But God how beautiful and how responsive she had been. He tried to push the memory away, but it lingered, poking at his heart, a painful stab.

  He remembered telling Vivian that he had fucked more women than he could remember or count, but that he had never made love before. It was true. He also told her that he loved her –something he had never said to any woman except Vivian -- before or since.

  Thinking about Lei, he felt a pang of conscience. She wasn’t like those countless women whose names or faces he couldn’t remember. But it could never again be like it was with Vivian.

  He decided that tonight he would do his best to concentrate on Lei. He would think as little as possible about Vivian.

  ~~~

  Chapter 13

  At ten o’clock, Wyatt walked around the back of the student dormitory. To his surprise, he saw the edge of an iron gate behind a tall hedge. Rounding the hedge, he walked through the gate up a short path to a small garden and was hit in the face with the smell of a hundred flowers. It was too dark to make out the varieties, but the smells were extraordinary, subtle, not overpowering. Where the hell had this come from, he wondered? He hadn’t known this addition was back here. Joey must have had it built when he was in Santa Fe. It was cleverly camouflaged with bushes and a dividing wall. Unless you knew it was there, you never would find it. Though it was a small space, someone had taken great care to make it as welcoming as possible. There was a natural rock formation with water trickling over the rocks, contributing to the overall impression of an Oriental garden--small, elegant, perfectly constructed.

  Wyatt knocked lightly on the door. A long minute later, Lei opened it. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide. If he had to describe her with one word, it would be anxious. Wyatt smiled, leaned down, and kissed her on the cheek. He’d spent a lifetime gentling skittish mares. The vibrations from this little filly were registering somewhere between panic and flight. Neither one was in the cards he planned to play tonight. In preparation for the task ahead, he slipped on his invisible whispering cloak.

  He walked past her into the room, whistling in appreciation. Like the garden, the room was exquisite, every detail crafted for elegant comfort. An overstuffed sofa and arm chair flanked a native stone fireplace. The fire burning in the fireplace cast a sensual glow over the room. There was a small table with two chairs to the side and an ebony bookcase that held easily a hundred books. Brightly colored hanging lamps lit specific areas. Expensive Oriental rugs warmed the polished dark almost black wood floor, expertly dividing the living space. On the far wall, across from the fireplace, was a four poster canopied bed carved from the same elegant ebony wood as the bookcase.

  “Holy shit,” Wyatt said in amazement. “How much did Daddy shell out for this or am I paying for it?”

  Lei laughed. “I think my father handled the finances. At least, no matter where I go, an elegant room like this precedes me.”

  Wyatt reached under his vest and pulled out a bottle of champagne and a bottle of bourbon. He put them on the table, careful not to crowd her or move too quickly. He whistled again when he saw a tray of beautiful fruit, meats, and breads on the table.

  Turning to her, he asked in wonder, “Do the other students know that you have this place?”

  She shrugged. “Some do. Probably all of them. I don’t care what they think. Except for the Sing Leon members, they all despise me. They’re angry I’m here. They don’t dare say nor do anything because they know who my father is.” She sighed. “That’s how it’s been my whole life.”

  Wyatt thought of that day in the dojo when he made her cry and forced her to apologize in front of all the students. God, that must have cut her to the bone. And made a lot of assholes happy. He understood now why Joey asked why he found it necessary to humiliate her—to crush her. But Joey was wrong. Wyatt treated her the way he would any aspiring master who behaved outrageously. But he knew now that the lesson was a hard one. He ached for her.

  For the first time, he turned directly to her. Catching her gaze, he smiled appreciatively.

  “You look beautiful, Lei.”

  God, did she ever. She was wearing silky flowing pants that emphasized the curve of her hips and ass. Her fitted camisole was appliquéd with flowers and lace. The laced up bodice was tied at the top with an enticing ribbon. It looked as though the bodice might open if you pulled on the dangling ribbon. Wyatt looked twice to see what miracle of construction promised full firm breasts when all you could see was the barest glimpse of golden skin. She was wearing Oriental slippers that appeared to be covered in jewels, but in reality were embroidered with a hundred different colored threads.

  Wyatt changed his mind when he saw her face. She didn’t look anxious, she looked terrified.

  “Lei, honey. Come here, Princess.”

  He stood still and waited for her to come to him. She hesitated. Then as if she was approaching a guillotine, she walked over to him. He waited until she was next to him, then pulled her closer and put his arms around her. He whispered soft gentle words that didn’t mean anything, were just meant to comfort.

  He held her quietly for several minutes and then said, “Honey – do you mind if I call you that? At least for tonight? Yes? Good, because that is what I want to call you, among other things. Okay, Princess?”

  When she nodded, he continued, “Honey, nothing that we do tonight is going to hurt, do you understand that? Yes? And everything we do is going to feel good. Okay?

  “And if I do something that you think you don’t want me to do, you can tell me to stop. I’m not sure that I will,” he said with a grin, “but at least we can discuss it.”

  She smiled at that and he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “Is that luscious looking food over there for decoration to torment a guy who hasn’t eaten since breakfast?”

  She smiled again. “No, it is to be eaten. I’m hungry, too. I don’t think I’ve had anything to eat since breakfast, either.”

  “Let’s have a picnic in front of the fire, shall we?”

  He brought the tray over and put it in front of the fire. He found two glasses on the shelves camouflaged behind carved ebony doors. He brought the champagne and bourbon over next to the food. Taking an embroidered quilt from the back of the sofa, he laid it on the plush rug in front of the fireplace, throwing four decorative pillows on top of the quilt. He moved from lamp to lamp adjusting the level of light. Soon, the flickering fire provided most of the light in the room.

  Grinning at her, he waved a careless hand at the spread before them. “How is this for a picnic? Now all we need is ants and dirt in our food.”

  She smiled again, a more relaxed, genuine smile.

  “Did you say you have a bathroom in there? Yes?”

  He went in the other room and took off his vest. Taking the two guns from his back holster and the one from his boot, he discreetly put them along with the holsters in a drawer. He had three knives secreted in various places and put those in the drawer, as well.

  There were four armed Caballeros stationed outside the front door. For Lei’s sake, he decided he didn’t need a weapon next to him, although she must be plenty accustomed to men with weapons, he thought with a grimace.

  Lei gave him a shy glance when he came back in. She saw he left his boots and vest in the bathroom. His feet were bare. His shirt was unbuttoned, hanging loose from his trousers. He was wearing black pants that fit snug across his ass and powerful thighs. She felt the same wild rush of heat that she felt when she first saw him in the dojo without a shirt. She knew her face must have flushed because he winked at her with a knowing half smile, confirming he knew what she was thinking -- and that he would be pleased to oblige.

  He poured them each a glass of champagne then raised his glass to her.

  “To the dojo champion and the most beautiful gi
rl in the class. Oh, that’s right, to the only girl in the class!”

  She laughed, a luscious peal of genuine mirth. Wyatt speared several pieces of meat, a slice of bread and handed the plate to Lei, then helped himself to a much larger serving. After a glass of champagne, Lei began to relax. Soon she was eagerly telling him about a move she had tried on Ri, ecstatic that he couldn’t defend himself. She was excited to show it to Wyatt, knowing he liked her initiative. They ate, laughed, and talked for nearly an hour.

  Lei was still sipping on champagne, but Wyatt moved on to bourbon. He was smoking a cigarette. Lying on his side, propped up on one elbow, he studied her with the half smile that he knew drove her crazy.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  She shrugged.

  “How many men have you fucked?”

  Lei gasped. Her cheeks glowed pink. She hesitated, then looked away as if she was thinking, trying to remember.

  “I…I don’t know. I’m not…really…not actually sure. But…um… quite a few.”

  “Can you be a little more specific?” he asked with a quizzical smile.

  She blushed and looked down, then shook her head.

  “No? Well how about a round number? Say somewhere between ten and a hundred?” he asked with a grin.

  She looked up at him shocked.

  “No? That’s too round? Okay. How about between zero and two? That closer?”

  She nodded, looking down again, her face flushed with embarrassment.

  She was sitting up on the floor resting against the base of the sofa. He sat up and moved over next to her.

  Holding her face between his hands, he kissed her gently on the lips.

  “What I really want to know, Princess, is this your first time? No?

  “Okay, let’s assume you had one lover.”

  He saw from her expression he was correct.

  “Let’s also assume that he had about as much experience as you did. Is that right?”

  She nodded again.

  “Okay, one more question. How many times did he make you come before he came?”

  She gaped at him, stunned at the question.

  He sat up against the sofa and used his fingers to tick off the points he was making. “Hmm, let’s see. If my investigative powers are on target, we can conclude the following. One, you’ve been fucked once by an inexperienced asshole. Two, he came the moment he shoved his dick inside of you. And, three, you wouldn’t know what it felt like to come because neither one of you had a clue what to do. Is that about right?”

  She pursed her lips and nodded confirming he was correct. Before he could reach out to her, her eyes filled with tears and a troubled frown clouded her face. As though she needed him to understand, she confessed in a tearful, embarrassed voice, “I…I didn’t like it that other time. It wasn’t good, Wyatt.” She added in a rush, “And…I…well…I was glad it only lasted for a couple minutes. It…it hurt.”

  She flushed and buried her face in his shoulder. He pulled her next to him, blowing gently in her ear, tickling the soft skin on that sensitive spot beneath her ear.

  He whispered, “Oh, honey, is this your lucky night or what.”

  He picked up the glasses and bottles and put them back on the table.

  As he walked toward her, he took off his shirt, tossing it on the chair. With a wicked grin, he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his trousers, revealing a line of dark hair that trailed from his hard belly down to his groin below.

  She gasped, her eyes widening.

  The fire was burning low, throwing soft shadows across the room. Wyatt picked up two of the pillows he had put on the floor and tossed one down in front of the fire. He knelt down and put the other pillow three feet away.

  Reaching out, he took her hand, tugging her toward him. He pointed to the top pillow. “This is for your head, and this one,” he said, pointing at the other with a twinkle in his eye, “is for your beautiful ass.”

  Lei stared at both pillows then stepped back, clenching her fists at her sides. Her face was no longer flushed. Instead, she paled dramatically. A sheen of tears threatened to fall at any minute.

  Wyatt scooped her up in his arms. He held her close to his bare chest. He nuzzled against her ear and whispered, “Here, darlin’. Let me hold you in my arms for a minute. I wanna see if I can melt that look of terror on your face. What do you think, Lei? Is that possible?”

  She put her arms around his neck, nestling against his shoulder. Even though she was frightened, she loved his closeness. With an involuntary shudder, she thought she might go crazy from his smell alone. He smelled like tobacco and bourbon. And an earthy, sexy, male smell that sent shivers between her thighs.

  Sucking up her courage, she whispered, “I…I love the way you smell, Wyatt.”

  He stroked her cheek. “That’s good, Princess. Did you know that smell is your most powerful sense? It’s the way animals find their mates, how they know who they want to mate. And, Lei, that spicy exotic smell of yours has held me prisoner since that first day I held you in the dojo. Even though I was mad as hell at you, your smell drove me crazy.”

  She looked up at him, surprised at his confession. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if he had been as attracted to her that day as she had been to him. She didn’t have time to question him, because before she could resist he knelt down and pointed to the pillows on the floor.

  “Here, baby, let’s put your head here. Mm hmm, let’s put this gorgeous ass of yours right here.”

  He held her for another moment, then laid her down so that her head was on one pillow and her bottom was on the other one. The lower pillow raised her hips, lifted them up higher. With a slight shiver, she understood why he wanted her like that. Her heart was pounding so hard she didn’t know how she could breathe. Just looking up at his sexy grin sent waves of heat surging between her legs.

  He lay down alongside her and leaned up on one arm, pushing her hair back off her face.

  “God, Princess, you are a beautiful woman.”

  He kissed her gently, softly, nuzzling the corner of her mouth. He ran his tongue across her lips then began biting them softly, then harder and harder. Her whispery gasps told him that experienced or not, Lei was aching to be loved. He pressed her lips open. Driving his tongue deeper, he probed more insistently. At her first soft moan, he pressed her arms up over her head and held them against the floor.

  When she arched up against him, he whispered, “Let’s see if this ribbon does what it is supposed to, darlin’.”

  With one hand, he untied the ribbon on her camisole. With the other, he found the hook buried inside, releasing the top of the bodice. Kissing and nipping the skin he uncovered, he loosened the camisole, hook by hook. When he had carefully, slowly undone all of the hooks, he planted soft nuzzling nips from the top of her chest down the narrow path of soft bare skin. He smiled knowingly at her shivery moans.

  He whispered, “I think I’ve got them all, Princess. What do you say we uncover some of the treasures you have been hiding from me? Will that be okay? Can I assume that gasp you just made is a yes?”

  Without waiting for an answer, with a quick flick, he undid the final hook. Spreading the camisole open, he bared her to her waist. She gasped and tried to cover herself with her hands. He pushed them away. “No, no, darlin’. Let me look at you.”

  He shook his head in wonder. “Holy Christ, Princess, look at you.”

  Her breasts were beautiful, much larger than he had appreciated, given the tight bindings she wore under her sparring clothes. He could easily span her slender waist with his hands and was unprepared for her voluptuous breasts. They were lush, full, firm. With an appreciative groan he lifted them, intoxicated by their spicy fragrance. She was shaking, moaning softly. Tentatively, she tried to push his hands away.

  Wyatt paused. He saw the mix of fear and desire on her face. “Lei, darlin’, listen to me. You are beautiful, extraordinary. I want you, honey. I want to make love
to you. Let me love you, Lei. Okay? Okay, baby?”

  Her voice was a tremulous whisper, soft, frightened. “What…what if I don’t know what to do? If…I don’t know how?”

  “Trust me, baby, you’ll know what to do. Do you remember how you felt last night? When I touched you here?” He laid his hand flat across her naked breasts. She flushed and nodded.

  “And you liked that, didn’t you, baby? When I touched your breasts, pulled on your nipples?”

  She squirmed, wriggling beneath his probing fingers, then nodded yes.

  “And what about here, Princess? Did you like it when I touched you here?”

  He ran his hand across her mound and lightly stroked along the inside of her thighs, then rested his hand between her legs.

  Lei moaned and raised her hips up against his probing fingers, nodding breathlessly.

  Wyatt leaned down and ran his tongue around the shell of her ear, then blew gently against the damp sensitive skin, eliciting a gasp and wild tremor from Lei.

  He whispered in her ear, “Just think, baby, how good it’s gonna feel when we get rid of all these clothes. When I kiss you and touch you here, here, and here – everywhere, Princess? Places you didn’t even know you had!”

  “Oh, God, Wyatt. Oh, my God.”

  Lei’s cheeks were bright pink, her eyes wide with desire. And what he hoped was excitement.

  “Oh, yeah, Princess, trust me. Your beautiful, hot body knows what to do. It knows what you want. Let me show you. Let me love you, Lei.”