Despised: A Reverse Harem Academy Bully Romance (Dukes of Dunwich Book 1)

by Payton Reed

  Which meant she had to talk to Lex too. They had their usual meeting time at the library, and she was the first one there. She squeezed into the corner of the carousel after dragging over a second chair. Then she fidgeted with her homework, finding it almost impossible to concentrate as she waited for him to arrive. She was excited to see him, as always, but she was also dreading it deeply.

  She couldn’t guess how he would take the news about Kip, but she was certain he was going to be extremely unhappy about what had happened with Dalton. He considered Dalton a jerk which was justified. They were rivals in many things, and she hadn’t planned to be one of them.

  But what could she do after she had gotten so close to sleeping with Dalton over the weekend? She didn’t feel like she could hide it from him, and she wasn’t confident that she could stick to her decision to avoid Dalton in the future. She wanted him as much as she hated him.

  Lex finally arrived, looking relaxed, with freshly washed hair. “Hey, I’m sorry I’m a little late. I went for a run after dinner and needed a quick shower. It just took longer than expected.”

  She shrugged. “It’s fine.”

  He sat down beside her and opened his backpack to start pulling out his books. “What are we studying tonight?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  He frowned. “Don’t get overconfident. Just because you’re caught up now doesn’t mean everything will come easily, does it?”

  She shook her head as she lifted her pencil. Rather than put it to the paper, she started flipping it through her fingers randomly. “I can’t focus on homework right now.”

  Lex laughed, low in his throat. “It’s like that?” As he spoke, he put his hand on her thigh, slipping it higher up under her skirt. When he reached mid-thigh, he frowned as her hand dropped to block him. “Or not like that?”

  She bit her lip. “I have to tell you something.”

  Lex groaned. “What is it? Or should I say what now?” The words were a little bitter, which wasn’t entirely unwarranted.

  “I.…” She trailed off into silence, trying to find the right words. “Look, I had a talk with Kip after the dance, and we admitted we’re attracted to each other.” She was whispering it low, hoping Lex could still hear while no one else could overhear.

  “Kip? You mean our literature professor?” He shook his head. “That’s crazy. Jonas is one thing, but even he can lose his job if you’re caught. But a teacher? You’ll both be kicked out.”

  She bent her head. “Yeah, I know. I still can’t help how I feel, and I wanted to make sure you knew about him. I don’t want to hide anything else or keep any secrets.”

  Lex seemed to be struggling with her words, but he finally exhaled. “I guess what’s one more, right?” His tone made it difficult to tell if he was being resentful, or if he was trying to force optimism. Either way, it was clear he wasn’t thrilled. His grudging acceptance boded ill for them.

  “Please don’t be like that.”

  He frowned. “I’ll try not to be, but this is a lot to ask of me. There’s only so much I can accept, you know?”

  She nodded. “I know. I understand that, but I don’t want to have any secrets. That means I have to tell you one more thing too.”

  Lex was holding himself taut in preparation. “What? Another one?” he said gruffly.

  Willow winced. “While we were at the dance, Dalton sneaked into my room and was waiting for me when I got back.” She paused to lick her lips.

  Lex stiffened, and his anger was obvious. “I’ll kill him.” He pushed back from the carousel, moving so abruptly that his chair tipped over backward.

  “Where are you going, Lex?” Panic spread through her as she hurried to gather their things from the carousel, grabbing his backpack along with hers before running after him. He’d gotten quite a head start, and her legs were shorter than his. By the time she caught up with him, he’d already reached Dorm A.

  She braced herself as she entered the building, hearing raised voices from the main floor rec room. She rushed in just in time to see Dalton and Lex squaring off.

  “What’s your problem?” Dalton was asking as he lifted his hands to block Lex trying to punch him.

  “You’re a sick piece of work. How could you?” Lex slipped around and managed to jab Dalton in the stomach. “You should be in jail.”

  Dalton had quickly recovered, and he stood up again, lashing out and hitting Lex in the shoulder. “I don’t even know what the hell you’re talking about.”

  “Stop this,” said Willow as she approached. “You guys don’t need to do this. Lex, please stop.”

  Lex looked away from Dalton long enough to look at her. “After what he did? No way.”

  She winced. “Watch out, Lex.”

  He ducked, receiving only a glancing blow from Dalton’s fist.

  Lex moved quickly, bending forward and lunging at Dalton’s stomach with all his weight. There was enough momentum to hurl him back and onto the billiard table, and Lex climbed up, continuing to hit Dalton.

  There was a flurry of fists exchanging blows, and Willow 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?”

  Willow whirled around at the unwelcome sound of Headmaster Hastings’s voice. He stood with the woman who was the first-floor resident advisor, though Willow 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. Willow 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 half-cocked 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 Willow, and he sneered.

  “It wasn’t her fault,” said Lex. “Dalton—”

  Willow 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 Dunwich.”

  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 Twenty-Seven

  Lex

  Lex hadn’t seen Willow 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 Willow. 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 Willow 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 Willow 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.”

  Willow 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 have put my cock in her if I’d wanted to.”

  Willow 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 Willow. “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 Willow 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 Willow 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.”

  Willow 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 Willow’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 Willow 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. Willow called his name as he rushed away, but he didn’t look back.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Willow

  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 jet
tisoning 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.”