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

by Payton Reed

  “Did you hear the rumors?” asked Lex with a laugh.

  She scowled. “I sure did.”

  He frowned. “What’s the matter? Are you upset?”

  “Just a little. Hastings called me into his office. I think he was going to expel me, but he didn’t have any solid proof, and when I called him on it, he just sent me back to class. There’ve also been tons of comments and lots of stares.”

  Lex shook his head. “Just ignore it. You know it’s not true.”

  She smiled at his naïveté. “It’s different for you, Lex. Much as I hate it, there’s still a double standard. People hear that you and I supposedly screwed in the locker room, and you’re the big man on campus. I’m suddenly a slut. It doesn’t matter that it’s not true. It’s still a salacious rumor, and with Malone determined to keep it alive, I’ll be feeling the aftereffects for a few days, at the least.”

  He frowned. “I could talk to her.”

  Willow laughed. “It wouldn’t do any good, but thanks. Let’s not worry about it and enjoy our lunch, okay?” At his nod, she resolved to do just that as she got her tray and walked toward the table, she’d been sitting at the past two weeks, since Lex hadn’t been talking to her.

  He started toward his table with Wills, and she was okay with him sitting there, but she didn’t want to return to that table. With a frown, he followed her to where Beth and Octavia were waiting for her.

  There were a couple of other people at the table as well, and being scholarship kids, they weren’t exactly socially acceptable. That didn’t bother her, but she waited to see if Lex had any hesitation when he sat down. To her relief, he took the seat beside her without any show of reluctance and nodded at Beth. “How’re you doing, Beth?”

  Beth shrugged. “I’m fine. How are you?” The question was clearly more for Willow than Lex.

  “I’ll survive. You know how it is.” She sounded more uncaring about the situation than she felt, but she was glad about that. She didn’t want to reveal to anyone how upsetting she found it being the object of everyone’s fascination and speculation.

  “Are you two back together?” asked Octavia.

  After the briefest pause, Lex nodded. “We worked out our problems.”

  Willow leaned over and put her head on his shoulder, enjoying having the right to do so again.

  “Isn’t that precious?” asked Malone as she came up behind them. “Don’t you eskies want to move your trays though? Who knows when they’ll decide to climb on the table and go at it like they did in the locker room?”

  “Knock it off,” said Beth.

  “Stop your crap,” said Lex about the same time.

  “Aw, you have your own protective army of geeks. How sweet. Do you them screw all, or just Lex?” asked Malone in a malicious voice.

  Willow flinched at her words, knowing Malone was referring to the people the table, but unable to help thinking about Jonas and Kip. Dalton tried to appear behind them in her mind, but she quickly banished him, pretending he didn’t exist. Realizing she’d let the silence go too long, she just glared at Malone. “As I said earlier, have your fun and do your worst. This will blow over.”

  “And like I said, I’m not going to let it. You are trash who doesn’t belong here, and I’m going to make you miserable until you admit that and leave.” Malone poked her in the shoulder for emphasis.

  Willow was already at her limit, and she stood up abruptly, turning to face Malone. She was gratified to see Malone looking a little uncertain now that they were face-to-face. “Keep your filthy hands off me, Malone. I’m sick of this.”

  “I’m not the one who’s filthy. You’re the lowest garbage there is, the kind that hangs on to good people and uses them. You’re just like your slutty mom and—”

  She could handle insults against her, but not her mother. Before she could stop the impulse, Willow hurled herself in Malone’s direction. Her nails were just inches away from connecting with Malone’s cheek when a solid male body moved between them. He held Willow back, one of his hands intercepting her hand that was so desperately reaching forward to scratch Malone.

  “Don’t do it, or you’ll be expelled. It’s the excuse Hastings is looking for,” said Dalton softly against her ear as he dragged her back.

  She wanted to shrug off his wise words of advice to go after Malone, ending this shit for good, but she doubted it would actually do that. Attacking her would just feed the other girl’s hatred, even if Malone managed to get her expelled. There would still be years’ worth of torture ahead of her since they were linked by their parents’ marriage, though she refused to completely back down. “Get her to shut her mouth right now.” She said that loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.

  “What are you doing, Dalton?” asked Malone, sounding angry.

  “Saving your ass,” said Dalton, who finally dropped his arms away from Willow, apparently satisfied she’d regained control.

  “You should’ve let her attack me. I can take the bitch, but that would’ve given us what we want. She would’ve been out of here, just like we planned.”

  Willow flinched, though it wasn’t exactly news that Dalton had conspired with Malone to have her expelled. She’d been able to tell that right from the start. Hearing confirmation that Dalton had been working against her while also trying to get her in bed made her feel queasy, and she couldn’t deny there was a sharp pang of hurt shooting through her.

  Either Lex noticed, or he just wanted to support her, because he stepped closer to put his arm around her waist. “Just leave her alone, both of you.”

  Dalton turned to look at Lex, and he seemed to be vibrating with anger. “I’m not the one doing anything to her right now. I’m trying to help.”

  “Why would you do that?” asked Malone with a hint of suspicion.

  “Because I don’t want anybody to get in trouble right now. We’ll be going home for Thanksgiving break in a few days, and you can torture her all you want then. For now, just drop it, Malone.” Dalton sounded exhausted.

  With a glare at her brother and then a deeper glare for Willow, she said, “This isn’t over.”

  Willow rolled her eyes. “It never is with you, Malone.”

  After Malone turned and walked away, she looked down when Dalton touched her hand.

  “Can we talk for a few minutes?” asked Dalton.

  She had no trouble pulling away from his hand and pressing closer to Lex. “Why would I want to talk to you? You’ve been conspiring against me with Malone from the start. Thanks for stopping me from going after her, but I know that was concern for her, not me.” Without another word to him, and ignoring his shattered expression, she turned to Lex and asked, “Do you mind if we get out of here?”

  Lex, whose arm was still around her, squeezed lightly. “Not at all.”

  She tried to ignore the niggle of guilt assailing her as she turned and left the dining hall with Lex. She was certain she could feel Dalton’s gaze burning into her as she walked away, and she reminded herself she owed him nothing.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Dalton

  Despite being hurt that she wouldn’t talk to him, Dalton spent the next few days calming the rumors whenever he had a chance. By the time they were due to leave for Thanksgiving break, most people had gotten all the mileage out of speculating about Willow and Lex’s activities in the locker room. He dared hope that by the time they all returned, most of it would have died down.

  He just wished she would talk to him. She was going to be trapped with him in the limousine for the next two-and-a-half hours as they returned to his dad’s house, but Malone was going to be there too. The best he could hope for was a cold silence, but he doubted he was that lucky.

  He stood with Malone, waiting for their car and driver. Willow was nearby, sitting on the curb talking to one of the eskies. He couldn’t remember her name, but he thought it started with a B. He’d never paid attention to her before, because he was far above the eskies, but now he s
tarted to wonder if he’d been too quick to judge and assume those kids without money weren’t as good as he was.

  Dalton didn’t particularly like the self-examination, content as he had been with his views before Willow came into his life. Her arrival was forcing him to reconsider everything, including what he’d always taken for granted. It’d be better for his peace of mind if he could just forget she was alive, but that wasn’t going to happen with the burning ache of desire he felt every time she was close to him.

  Hell, she didn’t even have to be near him for him to feel it. He thought about her most of the day, and sometimes, he dreamed about her. He no longer believed all he had to do was have sex with her to get her out of his system, but he clung to the pale hope it would work. He intended to pursue that goal while they were home for the next week.

  As another limousine arrived, he recognized Clouse, their driver, when he got out and came around to open to door for them. Dalton looked to make sure Willow was coming before he slipped inside.

  Malone had taken the bench seat across from him, so he kept the one he was on. When Willow slid in a moment later, he got a nice glimpse of her shapely legs in tight leggings when her long coat fell open. She looked at the seating options and sat by him, though as far away as she could. She didn’t speak to either one of them as she took off her coat and opened her backpack to remove her tablet.

  He was pleasantly surprised, and more than a little shocked, when Malone buried her face in her phone, seeming intent on ignoring Willow. That was the best they could hope for, and he let himself relax slightly. He’d imagined having to play verbal referee all the way back to Portland, so it was a relief to escape that fate.

  None of them spoke for the entire drive, and it made for tense, unhappy silence, but he figured that was better than the acrimonious words his sister and Willow would’ve exchanged if they’d spoken.

  Willow. His sweet Will, which was anything but a weeping willow tree—though she’d probably kill him for thinking about her like that, since she hated the nickname. He couldn’t bring himself to think of her as his stepsister. It wasn’t because he was as resistant to the idea of Hannah and Willow being part of their lives now as he’d been in the beginning. It was just the idea of calling her any kind of sister didn’t sit well with him. His feelings for her weren’t brotherly, and he knew she wasn’t feeling sisterly toward him.

  He’d much rather call her his lover than his stepsister, and he hoped to accomplish that goal by the end of Thanksgiving break. He hoped after a few times with her, they’d have each other out of their systems, and then they could go back to ignoring each other, or maybe even pretending to be a family at some point in the future.

  When they reached the Westerly home almost three hours later, due to traffic, Willow was the first one out. She rushed to her mom and hugged her tightly, and Dalton was right behind her in exiting the vehicle, with Malone coming out last. He was surprised to find his dad waiting there too.

  He knew Ashton loved them, but it wasn’t his usual habit to be waiting at the door to greet them the moment they got back from school. He hadn’t expected to see his dad or Hannah until dinnertime, and he realized Hannah must be the reason his father had changed his pattern.

  He was unexpectedly grateful, since he’d missed his dad, and it was good to have a hug from the other man. When he stepped back to allow Malone a hug, he found Hannah in front of him. He braced himself for her to hug him, but all she did was smile.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Dalton.”

  He was mostly relieved that she hadn’t inflicted a hug on him, but he was also startled to feel a little slighted as well. Hannah and Willow had hugged with such abandon, and he realized he missed having that maternal connection. He’d been extremely close to his mother, but she’d often been busy with her charity work and other things that kept her occupied. He didn’t know if she would’ve been waiting for them to come back from school so she could hug them right away, but he suspected she would’ve done so, just as Hannah did for Willow.

  “Are you going to say anything to Hannah?” asked Ashton when Malone stepped back from his arms and grasped her purse, looking like she was heading upstairs.

  Malone sneered. “Hello, Hannah,” she said in a saccharine-sweet tone. “Are you enjoying spending all my dad’s money?”

  “Malone, that’s enough,” snapped Ashton.

  Malone flinched at their father’s angry tone, but she didn’t apologize.

  Dalton waited to see what Hannah would do, half-expecting her to yell at his sister. That raised his protective instincts, but he was surprised when all she did was say, “Hello, Malone.”

  Then she turned away from Malone and Dalton to put her arm around Willow’s shoulders to lead her up the stairs. They were busy talking quietly to each other, but he heard both women laugh by the time they reached the top of the grand staircase and headed to the left side for the left wing.

  “That was incredibly disrespectful. I expect your attitude to improve a great deal, Malone, or you might find your allowance account for next semester remains unfunded.” Ashton scowled at his daughter as he said those words.

  Malone stomped her foot. “You’re so unfair. I hate you.” She turned and ran up the stairs, deliberately going to the right, though that wouldn’t take her to any of the family bedrooms.

  Dalton stiffened slightly when Ashton turned to him, still bearing a faint scowl. “What?”

  “How’s your attitude?”

  “I know how to get along,” said Dalton. “I watched you during summer internships. I can schmooze and say the right things.”

  Ashton let out a heavy sigh. “I suppose that’ll have to do if you can’t muster a genuine response. I don’t want anything upsetting Hannah right now.”

  The words sounded ominous to Dalton, though he couldn’t decide why. Instead, he just nodded and picked up his bag. He’d only packed for the week, and he had a lot of duplicates of his things here at home, so he didn’t need the driver to carry up his luggage like Malone would require the rest of hers ferried to her room. “It’s good to be home and to see you, Dad.” He was being genuine when he said that, though he was a little hurt by his father’s warning.

  Ashton clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s good to see you too, son. We’ll catch up later tonight. Right now, I have some work to see to.”

  Dalton sighed softly. Of course he did. All he said was, “I’ll see you tonight then.” With that, he rushed to his room.

  Dinner had been an uncomfortable affair, followed by an equally uncomfortable breakfast the next morning. If Malone wasn’t silently sulking, she was making snide remarks. That set the pattern for the next two days as Malone alternated between silent pouting and outright bitchiness to Hannah and Willow. Even the threat of losing her allowance for the next term didn’t seem to be able to hold her in check.

  Feeling concerned about the consequences for Malone, along with protective of Willow, he waited until Malone was in the movie room a couple of afternoons after they’d gotten back from school before cornering her. “You have to ease off.”

  She didn’t even look up from the movie screen, and she continued munching popcorn.

  “Did you hear me? You’re going to lose your allowance, and who knows what else.” He knew better than to try to appeal to Malone’s better nature. She might have one, but she was determined to bury it behind cattiness at the moment, and she obviously felt compelled to make sure no one forgot she rejected Hannah and Willow being part of their lives.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I have some jewelry I can sell.”

  “Do you really want to damage your relationship with Dad?” Dalton sat beside her as he asked the question.

  She glanced at him. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Dalton snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a daddy’s girl. You were always Mom’s favorite too. You know it matters to you, and you’re risking destroying your relationship with him just because you’re an
gry.”

  “If my disapproval of his new wife and her slut daughter can destroy our relationship, he never much cared about me, anyway.”

  Dalton found that difficult to argue with, but he really could see his dad’s side of it too. Ashton likely felt like he was split in two, though from what Dalton had observed, Malone was the one feeding the conflict. Hannah seemed to try to defuse it, and she often ignored his sister’s more insensitive comments. Willow did the same unless they were directed toward her mom, and then she was likely to lose her cool as well. “I’m just saying, it would be nice to try to accept what’s changed.”

  “Sorry, but I haven’t fallen for Willow’s charms,” she said in a snotty tone. “You might be panting after her and anxious to get in her pants, but I’m not. You know she’s fucking Lex, right?”

  He stiffened. “That’s an ugly rumor that you started.”

  Malone snorted. “They were alone in the locker room for who knows how long? Rob witnessed them kissing, and you know it could’ve led to something more. You’re hung up on your stepsister, which is pervy to start with, and she’s completely into another guy. That’s pretty pathetic, Dalton.”

  He glared at her. “You’re full of crap, Malone. Stop spinning these dramas in your head, and when you face the consequences of your actions, don’t say you weren’t warned.” With those words, he stood up and left the movie room.

  He rushed to his room, angry at her words. He’d thought it was all just a fabrication. He hadn’t realized Willow had really been in the locker room alone with Lex. What had she been doing in there? He’d been trying to be patient and give her time to realize she was the one he should be with, but if she was escalating to physical intimacy, it was going to be with him, not those other losers.

  When he went down for dinner, he was dismayed to learn Willow wasn’t there. Her mother wasn’t entirely forthcoming on where she’d gone, leading him to believe she was on a date. With yet another guy, perhaps an old boyfriend from Springfield, or had one of the losers on her string decided to come visit her to take her out?