The Grandmaster’s Legacy: Masters of Love and War (A Taylor Lee HOT Historical Romantic Suspense Collection) (The Grandmaster's Legacy)

by Taylor Lee

  Wan nodded, his expression grim.

  Wyatt led the way to his office. Within minutes, Wan was intrigued in spite of himself. He looked at the maps of Wyatt’s extensive holdings and asked in a stern voice, “Why are you buying oil?”

  Wyatt smiled. “You’ve asked for it now, Wan.”

  He launched into a ten minute discussion of how he saw oil changing the face of business and industry, why he was convinced it would make America the entrepreneurial leader of the world in the twentieth century. He was interrupted by one astute question after another from his stony faced guest.

  After they had exhausted oil for the moment, Wyatt took Wan by the arm and showed him his telegraph communication system. The system was Wyatt’s joy. It opened the world to him. Within minutes, Wan was eagerly asking detailed questions about how he could put the same sophisticated system in his San Francisco center. Given the way the technology had changed in the last five years and the base already up and running close to Wan’s California complex, Wyatt assured him it would be a simple task.

  Joey, Lei, and Chief stood back and let Wyatt take control. Occasionally, they exchanged admiring glances, but for the most part stood to the side and let the two powerful men stake each other out.

  At that moment, the Apache woman who would serve them announced that dinner was ready. They moved back to the dining room. Wyatt pointed to the opposite end of the table, motioning for Wan to sit.

  He said with an easy smile, “Please sit there, Wan. That way we can keep our eyes on each other.”

  He pulled out the chair beside him and nodded to Lei. “I will be honored to have you sit next to me, Lei.”

  Wan’s face darkened, but he didn’t speak. Joey and Chief sat on either side of Wan.

  When the maid poured everyone a glass of wine, Wyatt raised his glass. He welcomed Wan to his home, saying he hoped that they would have a productive and cordial conversation.

  Wan studied him for a moment, as if deciding how he wanted to respond. He finally said with a slight smile, “Well, Wyatt, you have demonstrated the formidable charm you are famous for. Apparently, it has garnered you the favors of countless women, if my sources are correct.”

  Wyatt smiled, ignoring the taunt. “I’ve found I am thought charming by those worthy of my charm, Wan. Whether they are men or women.”

  Wan flashed a grim smile. “I also understand from my sources that your charm is but one step away from a bullet or a knife or a killing strike in your adversary’s gut.”

  “My, my, Wan. I think your sources may have been having a bit of fun with you. Seems to me they were holding up a mirror to you.”

  Wan laughed out loud and the tension eased.

  Wan leaned back in his chair.

  “Tell me, Wyatt? Why should I let my daughter stay at this ranch with you?”

  Wyatt sipped thoughtfully on his wine and gave a slight shrug. “Well, Wan, that is an easy question to answer. It isn’t your decision to make.”

  There was an ominous silence at this affront. Everyone except Wan and Wyatt looked down at the table.

  Wan’s body stiffened. He glared at Wyatt. His expression was hard as stone.

  Wyatt held his gaze. “Thanks to you, Wan, Lei is an intelligent, astonishingly talented young woman. With the right training, she will be the first woman kung fu master in this country. She is more than capable of deciding who should be her sensei and in whose dojo she will practice. Joey and I are hopeful that she will choose to stay with us.”

  Wyatt took a sip of his wine, indicating in Apache to the serving woman to bring in the food.

  No one spoke as dinner was served. When she finished, Wyatt excused the maid, then walked around the table refilling everyone’s glass.

  When he returned to his seat, he turned to Lei. “Have you decided who you will give the honor of becoming your sensei and where you will learn your master level skills?”

  When she continued to gaze at the table, he added, “You can know with confidence that whatever your decision, the men around this table will honor it — as we all honor you.”

  Lei sat quietly for a moment, her lovely face relaxed, serene. She glanced around the table, smiling at each of them.

  “As you said, Wyatt, that is an easy question to answer. I have chosen my sensei. Joey has honored me by agreeing to teach me. Because Joey is sensei at your dojo, Wyatt, I will train here. As for you two powerful roosters, you can circle each other endlessly as long as you don’t interfere with my practice or with my sensei. You may make suggestions and practice with me if you have permission from my sensei. Please know we won’t let either of you interfere with my becoming a kung fu master.”

  There was a dead silence as Joey and Lei shared a satisfied look. Almost simultaneously, Wyatt and Wan burst out laughing. Wyatt threw back his head and roared. Wan laughed almost as openly.

  Wyatt got control of his laughter with an effort. He leered at her with naked admiration. A wolfish grin kicked up the corner of his mouth. “Roosters, huh? Why you little minx. That is worth at least two full on strikes! I suppose by the time I have the permission of your sensei, you will have learned how to block them!”

  Lei smiled demurely. For the first time, she looked at her father to see his reaction. He returned her gaze with such adoration that everyone at the table was moved.

  Wan studied her silently for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was gruff with emotion. “As always and forever, Lei, I am proud of you. I love you with all my heart. I will never do anything to stand in the way of your happiness.”

  He hesitated, then turned to the three men at the table, but looked directly at Wyatt.

  “It is important as the leader of the Sing Leon I speak to each of you powerful men. I am entrusting to you what is most precious to me in the world. Please treat her and me accordingly.”

  Wyatt, Joey, and Chief bowed in respect to him. Wyatt stood and bowed to Lei. The other three men rose and did the same.

  Flushed with pleasure, Lei said simply, “Thank you.”

  The dinner was punctuated with laughter, charming stories, and tales of great exploits and stirring battles. The wine flowed freely. To shouts of hearty laughter, Wan rose to make a final toast to Wyatt, pledging he would continue to circle him — one rooster to another.

  The dinner ended with each of them relieved, impressed that Lei had risen to the occasion and asserted herself as the leader she was destined to be. Wyatt thought with admiration if she could handle Joey, Chief, Wan, and him, this was one formidable woman.

  They said good night on the cottage porch. Wan and his entourage planned to leave after the dinner. Lei and her father embraced with promises to see one another soon. Wan mounted his horse and joined his Sing Leon force surrounding the front of the cottage. Wyatt signaled to his Caballeros mounted discreetly in the shadows that they could stand down. Hell of a dinner party we were having that required the services of a small militia, he thought with a wry grin.

  ~~~

  After Wan left, Joey and Chief said good night, heading back to their homes. Wyatt held Lei’s arm, indicating he would walk her to her quarters.

  They walked in silence for several minutes when Wyatt laughed out loud.

  “Roosters, huh? Honey, that is going to earn you a hell of a lot more than two full force kicks.”

  Lei tossed her head with a dismissive smile. “Really, like what? And please remember, my name is Lei. I am not one of your honeys.”

  “Hmm, you’re not, huh? Then you won’t like this.”

  He grabbed her, yanking her roughly up close to him. She remembered her promise to herself that she would not let Wyatt overwhelm her like he had before. ‘Remember Jesse’, she scolded herself, putting both hands against his chest to push him away.

  But the damage was done. He was different, more determined, more demanding. Before he had teased her, taunted her, but now he was hot, fierce — not to be denied. With a low growl, he pushed her back against a tree. Grasping both of he
r hands in one of his, he clamped them above her head hard against the trunk. With his other hand, he wrenched her face up to his and kissed her. With bruising pressure, he forced her lips apart, thrusting his tongue deeper and deeper, exploring her mouth. At first, she was startled. But his demanding urgency triggered a hot torrent of desire within her. To her surprise, she arched up against him and began to kiss him back – as fiercely as he was kissing her. She pressed her tongue against his teeth, wanting to go as deep in his mouth as he was in hers.

  He groaned, milking her mouth with his tongue. “Yeah, honey, come in deep. That’s the way, baby. Now, you’re showing me what you want, aren’t you? How about this? Do you want this?”

  She was shocked when he put his hand between her legs and rubbed against the silky crotch of her trousers. She felt his fingers pushing the silkiness roughly up against her dampening crotch. She surprised herself by lifting her hips to him, urging his fingers higher and harder. She didn’t want him to stop. She longed to touch him, feel him the way he was ravaging her, but she was too shy.

  He groaned again and pinned her to the tree. Spreading her legs wider with his strong thighs, he pumped his hard swollen cock against her crotch.

  To her shock, she heard herself moaning, whispering, “Yes, yes, yes.”

  He growled, “Yeah, honey, you like that don’t you? You like to feel my fingers touching you here? Mm hmm, you like to feel my prick pressing up against you, don’t you? You like to feel how hard I am? You wanna feel more? Yeah, baby, more and more? “

  Holding her legs apart with his strong thighs, he rode her up on his knee. He began nipping, taking soft tickling bites along her neck and throat. Just when she thought it was impossible to feel any hotter, any wilder, Wyatt opened the top buttons of her shirt and cupped her breasts in his big hands. His expert fingers pressed against her camisole, seeking first one nipple, then the other. He twisted them gently, then harder and harder, rubbing the beaded tips through the silky fabric of her camisole. Dear God, no one had ever touched her breasts before, much less pulled on her nipples. It felt incredible – everywhere. Lei was shaking so hard she could barely stand. She had no idea how they had come to this point. All she knew was that her body was on fire and she didn’t want him to stop. He pulled on her nipples, one then the other, then dragged her crotch against his strong muscled thigh. She gasped, panting deep hard breaths as hot sensations raged from her breasts to the pounding urgency between her legs. Her crotch felt wet. She didn’t know why.

  “Oh, my God, oh, my God, Wyatt. What is happening to me? What are we doing?”

  Wyatt groaned and thought with a shudder, “I’ll be damned if I know!” Christ, what was he doing? Not only did he damn near attack her, he was touching her all over, her ass, her thighs. God, he even rubbed her pussy. And now like some fucking magnet was attached to her nipples dragging him in, he was starting to work his devious fingers under her camisole. What the hell was he going to do next? Rip off her clothes, throw her down on the ground and fuck her? He drew in a hard raspy breath, grappling for control. Christ, what the hell was happening to him?

  Then he knew. He had to have her. He needed her. Needed to touch her, to smell her, taste her. It didn’t matter how many fucking resolutions he made, how many times and ways he told himself it wouldn’t work. He had to have her. Yeah — hell, yeah! But not like this.

  Taking a deep breath, Wyatt stepped back and let go of her. His voice was hoarse, harsh, not nearly as controlled as he intended.

  “Goddamn it, Lei. This isn’t going to work. I need to fuck you. But not here, not now.”

  She gasped, her eyes wide, a mix of desire and dismay on her face.

  He reached out to straighten the top of her shirt, smoothing away the wrinkles on her trousers. He felt the dampness between her legs. With a soft groan, he pushed her farther away from him.

  “Sorry to be blunt. It may not seem like it, but I’ve held off as long as I can. Jesus, God, Lei, I am crazy wanting you. But this isn’t how I first want to take you. Uh, uh, Princess. I want to take you long and slow. I want to kiss and taste every bit of you before I come in you.”

  Lei paled and stepped back, clearly shocked at his blunt words.

  Wyatt reached in his pocket, grabbing a cigarette. His hands shook as he lit it and took a deep drag. He put his arm around her shoulders and leaned back against the tree.

  He smoked quietly for several minutes, then bent down and chucked her under her chin. He said with a soft smile, “We’re going to have to finish this. You know that don’t you, Lei?”

  “What… what do you mean “finish” this?”

  She was embarrassed. She knew her voice was shaking with both desire and fear, but she needed to understand what he was saying.

  “I mean I am going to make long, slow, hard love to you and you are going to go crazy. That’s what I mean.’’

  Stunned, Lei tried to regain her composure and some control of her pounding heart and trembling body.

  She said as calmly as she could, “Do women always let you “finish” it with them, Wyatt?”

  He chuckled at the question. “Yeah, honey, they do.”

  She stammered, “Hmm. I… I see.”

  He pulled her close to him. “C’mon, Princess, I’m through assaulting you for tonight.”

  With a grin, he added, “In the morning, we’ll talk about what’s gonna happen tomorrow night.”

  He walked her to the dojo, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  “I was proud of you tonight, Lei. You acted like a kung fu master. Impressive.”

  As he walked away she saw him shake his head and heard him chuckle. “Roosters, huh?”

  ~~~

  The next morning, Wyatt caught up with Lei and Joey on their way to the dojo. He joined in the conversation, discussing when they could get together to practice. They made some tentative plans, but when Joey and Lei turned to go in the dojo, Wyatt took hold of her arm, tugging her back. Her heart began to beat faster, the wave of heat that hit her every time Wyatt came near rushed through her.

  He held her in his gaze. “In addition to finding a time when we can work on your practice, we have some unfinished business that we need to finish.”

  She blushed and looked down, then gave him a shy nod.

  He grinned. “I never asked you this, Lei. What kind of sleeping arrangements did they make for the one woman in a class of forty students? Are you stuck in a dorm room with thirty-nine smelly post-teen boys?”

  She laughed. “No, that is one advantage of a hovering, over-protective father. He arranged with Joey to create a private room for me with my own bathroom and shower. It even has a little flower garden – and a back door entrance.”

  “I see. I need to go to Cheyenne today for business, but I’ll be back later tonight.”

  A group of students burst out the door of the dojo. They almost knocked Lei over, but quickly stopped when they saw Wyatt. They bowed respectfully. Wyatt nodded and turned to go. He leaned over and said to Lei as he walked away, “Ten o’clock, Princess.”

  ~~~

  Wyatt walked over to the barn to meet with his men before they left for Cheyenne. He was relieved Lei had her own room. It was too chilly outside at night for what he had in mind with her. Even though his cottage featured one of the most beautiful and romantic bedrooms one could envision, the idea of sharing it with anyone but Vivian was unimaginable.

  He was certain Lei had little sexual experience. She was eager enough, but he could tell by her hesitation and lack of finesse that she’d had few lovers. He thought to himself with a smile that she was coming to the right man – one who could teach her about sex the way she should be taught. He thought for a moment about Jesse, but it wasn’t a comparison he was willing to make. Jesse hadn’t had much experience either, but she wasn’t innocent, fresh like Lei. And, of course, with Jesse came Martin.

  No, as painful as it was, Lei reminded him more of Vivian. With a flood of tenderness, he remembere
d 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.