by Kit Kyndall
There was a flurry of fists exchanging blows, and Candace hated to see them tearing at each other like that. With more emotion than logic, she rushed forward and tried to put her body between both of them, hoping it would force them to stop hitting each other.
“Stop.” She gasped when someone hit her in the back, and someone else hit her in the shoulder. From the positioning, Lex must’ve been the one who punched her back, while Dalton hit her shoulder at the front.
That was enough to make both of them freeze, and then they were scrambling off the table. They crowded around her, seeming to only focus on her and ignore each other for the moment.
“Are you all right?” asked Lex, sounding frantic. He put his arm around her waist. “I’m sorry.” His hand went to the spot on her lower back where he’d punched her, rubbing lightly. “Are you injured?”
“Of course she’s injured. You punched her.” Dalton moved closer to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?” His gaze was full of remorse as he looked down at her shoulder. “I meant to hit him, not you.”
“I’m fine, but—”
“What’s the meaning of this? What are you doing?”
Candace whirled around at the unwelcome sound of Headmaster Hastings’s voice. He stood with the woman who was the first-floor resident advisor, though Candace didn’t know her name. She just recognized her in passing. Apparently, she’d gone to get Hastings when the fight broke out. Lucky for them, Hastings was still in his office. Oh, joy.
“Nothing,” said Dalton.
“Yeah, nothing,” said Lex.
The headmaster just shook his head at them and gestured for them to follow. Candace hung back until he turned once more. “And you too, Munroe.”
She swallowed thickly as she followed the three of them out of the rec room and across the campus to Hastings’s office. Despite having been there several times now, she still felt the same level of dread as she had the first time. Maybe even worse now, because Lex and Dalton were in trouble too. It was all her fault, because she hadn’t managed to stop Lex or fully communicate what she’d planned to tell him before he went off halfcocked for revenge.
“Fighting? Physically fighting.” Hastings shook his head, glaring at Dalton and Lex. “I expect better from both of you. You come from good families with solid backgrounds. I don’t have to guess what caused the fight.” His gaze moved to Candace, and he sneered.
“It wasn’t her fault,” said Lex. “Dalton—”
Candace hurried to speak before Lex could accuse Dalton of attacking her, which had to have been what he’d interpreted had happened. If he’d listened, he would have known the truth, but she sympathized with his rush to anger in light of his and her previous dealings with Dalton. “You’re right. It was my fault, caused by a miscommunication. I was trying to tell Lex something, and he thought I meant something else, something Dalton had done, and he was just trying to protect me.”
Dalton scowled. “Really? You need to be protected now?”
She glared at him. “You are an enormous jerk, but no, I don’t need Lex to protect me. He just misunderstood.”
Hastings let out a harsh breath. “I don’t care about the circumstances. Both of you will receive a demerit, so you’ll be in detention tomorrow afternoon. This had better be the last incident like this, young men, or you’ll both find yourselves looking for new schools. That would be a shame in your senior year.”
Dalton and Lex were smart enough not to say anything, though they both appeared disgruntled. She couldn’t blame them. The fight was her fault, and she braced herself for Hastings to finally kick her out.
His nose wrinkled as he looked at her. “I’d love nothing more than to suspend you, or even expel you, but it doesn’t appear that you are actively fighting. You were trying to break it up. You have a demerit as well, Munroe. Join them in detention tomorrow, and I suggest you stay off my radar if you want to remain at BriarEdge.”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.” It shocked her that he was only giving a demerit instead of seizing the opportunity to be rid of her. She wasn’t about to argue.
“Now all of you back to your dorm rooms and stay there for the rest of the evening. You’ll be leaving separately to ensure this doesn’t continue. You go first, Ms. Munroe.”
With a remorseful look at Lex, she handed him his backpack and stood up. She pointedly didn’t look at Dalton as she walked away, hurrying back to her room. She wanted to speak with Lex as quickly as possible, but she was afraid to venture out again that night.
She was certain the headmaster wouldn’t appreciate it if he found them talking after he’d ordered them to go separate ways and stay in their rooms. She could text him, but it didn’t feel right to explain the situation via text or email.
“What’s wrong with you?” asked Isis as she entered, dumping her bag on her bed.
“It’s a long, long story. Not important though.” She sat down at her desk and started arranging her items for homework. It was just as difficult to concentrate now, though for different reasons.
She was anxious to speak with Lex and set everything straight, though she dreaded doing so. If he thought Dalton had attacked her and reacted that way, he was sure to react even worse when she confirmed what they’d done had been consensual, though she hadn’t asked Dalton to sneak into her room to wait for her.
Chapter Three
Lex
Lex hadn’t seen Candace all day, but he’d seen Dalton a few times. Each time, he glared at the other man. He was determined that Dalton would get some justice for what he’d done to Candace. That sick piece of crap had no right to sneak in and try to force her. Lex assumed he hadn’t succeeded, since she hadn’t been a total wreck, but if he found out differently, he’d rip apart Dalton without giving a second thought to being expelled.
When he arrived at detention, Dalton was already there, but Candace hadn’t shown up yet. She still had a few more minutes, and her class was farther away than theirs. There was no teacher yet, so Lex loomed over Dalton’s desk. “You perverted piece of shit. This isn’t over.”
Dalton didn’t seem at all intimidated. “You’re wrong. It’s completely over with you and her. I already told her to dump your ass. I don’t share,” he said with a conceited smirk.
Lex bunched his hands into fists. “You forced yourself on her, and then you dare give her some kind of dictate?”
Dalton’s eyes widened. “Forced? What the fuck are you talking about? There was nothing forced about it. She was willing and responsive, and she came from my touch. I almost fucked her. What about you, Lex? Have you gotten that far yet?” He laughed. “I know you haven’t, since she’s still a virgin—but not for long.”
Lex drew back his hand, certain Dalton was just taunting him while trying to hide what he’d done. He was on the verge of hitting him when the door flew open, and Candace rushed in. “Don’t, Lex. I don’t want you in trouble.”
He was fuming as he turned to look at her, walking a few steps toward her. “Why are you protecting him? After what he did to you, he should be in jail.” He scowled. “An ass-kicking is the least he deserves.”
Candace exhaled softly, looking troubled. “It wasn’t like he forced me, okay? I mean, I didn’t invite him into my room, but when he kissed me, I kissed back.”
“Kissed?” Dalton laughed. “She was writhing underneath me like she couldn’t get enough. I could’ve put my cock in her if I’d wanted to.”
Candace glared at him. “Shut up.” She turned her attention back to Lex. She seemed apprehensive. “It was a big mistake, but he didn’t force me. I wanted to make sure you know about it, because I don’t want any secrets between us.”
Lex took a step back, all the anger leaving him for a moment as he felt like he was deflating. It came roaring back a moment later, and he stood up straight again. “Are you asking permission to date him too?”
She frowned. “I don’t think I need permission, but I don’t really want to date him. He�
��s an ass. It’s just a physical thing. I can’t stand him.”
“You didn’t mind me Friday night,” said Dalton with a sneer.
She glared at him again. “Why won’t you shut your mouth?”
Lex ignored Dalton, his gaze focusing on Candace. “Do you want him?”
She licked her lips, and her guilt was obvious. “I don’t want to, but yeah, I am attracted to him. It’s not a relationship with him though. He’s a jerk.”
“I don’t share,” said Dalton almost at the same time.
She glared at Dalton. “No one’s asking you to. You’re not invited into our relationship.”
Dalton just laughed. “If you want to call it that. We both know that you’re mine any time I want you.”
Lex was vaguely aware of Candace flipping her stepbrother the bird, but he was too absorbed in processing everything to respond to Dalton’s words himself. She wanted him and Jonas? He could handle that. Jonas was a good guy, and he could see Jonas would treat Candace well. Then she wanted to date Kip? That was pushing the bounds. It was too risky for her and the professor, but he could handle it. But Dalton? No way in hell could he deal with that.
“Lex, talk to me?”
He glared down at her. “I’m not doing this with you. When does it end? You’re at four guys now. What’s next? Five? Nine? A baker’s dozen?” He sneered. “I don’t know what I was thinking to agree to go along with this nonsense in the first place, but I’m out.”
Candace looked shattered, and she reached out to put a hand on his arm, wincing when he shrugged her off. “Please, Lex, don’t do this. I want to be with you.”
“Me and everyone else. Him?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, making no attempt to hide his disgust. “That’s too much, babe, and even you aren’t worth it. I’m sorry, but I’m done.”
He was saved from having to say anything else, or listen to her continued protests, by the arrival of the teacher overseeing detention. Professor Barnes took the desk at the front of the room, and she was sending openly gloating looks Candace’s direction. Lex normally would’ve been irritated on her behalf, but he was too hurt and numb to muster much energy to care that Suzanne was singling Candace out and speaking harshly to her as detention progressed.
He opened his history book and started pretending to read. The words blurred before him, and he didn’t absorb any of it, but he gave every appearance of studying hard for the hour of detention. When Suzanne rang the bell on the desk to indicate detention was over, he was the first one to the door. Candace called his name as he rushed away, but he didn’t look back.
Chapter Four
Candace
Tears streamed down her face he ran away without even looking back. She brushed at them impatiently and sniffled.
“Don’t cry over that dud,” said Dalton as he put an arm around her shoulders. “He’s one less loser to jettison.”
She glared up at him. “Lex isn’t a loser, and I’m not jettisoning him.”
Dalton smirked. “Clearly not. He jettisoned you. Either way, he’s out of the picture, so now you just have to get rid of Jonas.”
She glared at him as she jerked away from his hold. “You don’t get it. I’m not getting rid of anyone except you. You were a big mistake. I shouldn’t have done what I did or let you do what you did Friday. You wrecked everything, but I let you. I have to live with that, but I’m certainly not going to be with you.”
Rage was building up in her, and she wanted to slug him. Part of the anger was redirected pain from Lex’s rejection. She wanted to make Dalton pay, though she knew she bore the brunt of the blame.
She’d let Dalton seduce her, and then she had asked Lex to accept that while admitting she was still attracted to him. She understood why he couldn’t handle it, and she needed to make it clear she was done with Dalton, no matter how he might tempt her. That needed to be clear for Dalton and Lex.
“You’re full of it. There’s only one way to get this out of our system, and until you accept that, you’ll be susceptible every time I make a move.”
“I will–”
Before she could finish the sentence, he jerked her into his arms and kissed her. It was a rough kiss, but the underlying need coaxed her to respond even though she didn’t want to. It was like he made every brain cell in her head short-circuit each time he touched her. She was incapable of making good decisions with him nearby.
As much as she wanted to fight, she ended up surrendering, putting her arms around his neck and burying her hand in his hair for a moment as his mouth ravaged hers while she made every effort to do the same. She was beyond thinking and simply wanted more of him.
A shout across the quad brought her back to her senses, and she pulled back hard from him. She looked around, and fortunately, there was no one too close to them that could have seen the illicit kiss. At least he’d kissed her after detention instead of in the middle of a busy school day. “Don’t do that again. Not publicly or any other time.”
Dalton curled his lip slightly. “I’m not making any promises.” He stepped closer, putting his arm around her waist again. “I want you, and you want me. Why don’t you just admit that, and we can get it out of our systems? Or if it doesn’t get it out of our systems, then maybe we end up doing something crazy, like being happy together.”
“I’m not giving up Lex or Jonas or…” She trailed off, thinking better of mentioning Kip. She didn’t want Dalton to report him for inappropriate behavior, though they’d hardly done anything. She wasn’t certain she could trust him, though she felt she could trust Lex and Jonas, even with Lex having rejected her.
Wrenching away from him, she shook her head and started running. Dalton didn’t call her back, but she could imagine he was wearing a triumphant expression. He must feel like he was on the verge of winning. The scary thing was, she couldn’t pretend there wasn’t truth to that.
She tried to push him from her mind as she went to Dorm A and up to Lex’s floor. She saw a few familiar faces in the fourth-floor rec room, including Wills. She approached him, struggling to hide her distaste, since she’d never warmed up to him and vice versa. “Is Lex in your room?”
Wills shook his head. He was looking at his phone and didn’t bother to look up.
With a sigh of impatience, she put her hand in front of the screen.
“Hey, what’s your problem?” he snapped as he looked up.
“I’m trying to get your attention. Is Lex in your room?”
“No, and he doesn’t want to see anyone anyway.” Wills managed to glance up just long enough to meet her gaze and tell her that. He was back to looking at his phone a millisecond later.
She was certain he was lying, especially with the part at the end about Lex not wanting to see anyone, but she couldn’t force him to tell her the truth, and she wasn’t going to try to sneak past the resident advisor’s room to see if she could get Lex to come out and talk to her.
She was going to have to accept defeat for the day, but she wasn’t giving up. She just needed Lex to listen to her, to keep an open mind, and maybe she could fix this before it was irreparably broken. She clung to that hope as she returned to her dorm, struggling not to cry.
Chapter Five
Candace
Candace tried several times the next day to get Lex alone, but he was obviously and pointedly ignoring her. The one time she was almost successful outside the dining hall, he put up a hand and turned the opposite direction. She could’ve chased after him, but what was the use? He clearly wasn’t ready to talk to her. He might never want to speak to her again.
The thought left her breathless, but not in a good way. Her chest ached, and she rubbed the spot where it hurt. Seeing Dalton and Malone, along with their friends, coming toward her, she turned and went the opposite direction. She decided she had no appetite for lunch, and while she briefly toyed with the idea of joining Jonas, she was afraid to two days in a row. Instead, she went for a walk.
Her thoughts were on
anything but the lovely scenery around her as she walked from the school. She made her way past the lake and down a path she hadn’t explored yet. After going through an overgrowth of trees that shaded the walkway, she emerged into a clearing. Immediately, she realized these must be the cottages used by the staff.
They were all small and quaint, built from stone with gabled roofs. They would’ve been perfect for any time period between the 1700s and the early 1900s. She hesitated for a moment before starting to turn around. As she did so, a flash at the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she turned back. She grimaced when she saw Suzanne exiting one of the cottages, but then she got a little tingle of excitement.
Kip had said his cottage was near Suzanne’s, and there were only three possibilities around hers. She was still depressed about Lex, but she couldn’t help a little blip of excitement now that she roughly knew where Kip lived.
She turned and rushed away, telling herself she wouldn’t actually use her newfound knowledge. She didn’t want to get Kip in trouble, and he had pointedly not told her where he lived. She told herself she would respect that, even as she started wondering if she could sneak out of her dorm later that night.
When she returned to school, she went to Suzanne’s math class, being the first to arrive. Fortunately, other students trickled in before Suzanne arrived, sparing her from being stuck with the professor alone.
Dalton took the seat behind her, and she groaned when he picked up her braid, gently tugging. It wasn’t the same kind of hairpulling he’d done the first time he sat behind her in math, and it was making hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She shivered slightly, especially when his hand moved from her braid to her neck, his fingers stroking lightly.
With a concentrated effort, she shook her head and scooted forward a couple of inches as Suzanne entered the classroom. Dalton didn’t have a chance to follow, to her relief.
