So Damn Beautiful (A New Adult Romance) Read Free Page B

was so embarrassed. From the way the
boy glared at us, I didn’t know if he could tell we were talking
about him, but the disdain in his eyes definitely made it loud and
clear: we were not wanted.
    “Let’s go, Kendra; he doesn’t look happy to
see us . . .” I said, and turned around, ready to sprint out of
there before I could sink into the ground. I became painfully aware
of what I was wearing: an NYU hoodie and long, black yoga pants. My
hair was pulled back in a ponytail—I hadn’t washed it in a couple
days, since I’d been so busy with schoolwork. I wasn’t wearing any
makeup, so I was sure I looked plain and pasty. Great. This was the
perfect day to come face-to-face with the most beautiful boy I was
likely to ever lock eyes with. I silently swore at myself. So much
for kismet.
    “Are you kidding? Chase is, like, the most
famous street artist around here. I’m sure he’s used to people
coming by and checking out his work,” Kendra hissed. “These guys
get off on all the gawkers. Besides, we’re two hot college girls.
How can he not want to talk to us?” Kendra combed her
fingers through her long, flowy black hair. “Come on, let’s
go.”
    “You want to talk to him? Why?” I cringed
when I heard my voice, strained just below a whine. My heart
started to beat harder and harder. Stupid, he’s just some
boy , I told myself. Why should I care what he thinks of
me?
    “You don’t understand, Annie. This guy is the
most up-and-coming street artist in the city! I should show you the New York magazine profile from a few weeks ago. He was a
complete asshole in the interview, talking down to the guy and
making it seem like nobody knows anything about art anymore. But if
you knew some of the stories I’ve heard about his life, you’d
probably understand why he’s such a dick.” A heartfelt look came
over Kendra’s face.
    “What do you mean? What stories have you
heard?” I was suddenly curious.
    “They say he had a troubled childhood,”
Kendra responded excitedly, happy to share any gossip,
substantiated or not. “I hear he killed his stepdad with his bare
hands when he was, like, fourteen or something. Apparently the last
straw was when his brother died of a drug overdose.” Kendra’s eyes
widened, and I knew she was going to say something she found even
more scandalous, but suddenly we heard something that stopped us
both in our tracks.
    “Hey, you!”
    It was him.
    Both Kendra and I whipped our heads around.
Jesus Christ—he was standing now, and he was every bit as perfect
as I had imagined he would be. Now that he was looking at us
head-on, I could see that while his hair was jet black, his eyes
were a striking bottle green, framed by long, dark lashes. His
cheekbones were high, and his lips were full and soft-looking. He
was probably just a little older than I was, around twenty or so.
His skin was tanned, and he had just a bit of a five o’clock
shadow. He looked like he could be a model.
    Kendra and I were so struck by the fact that
Chase was actually addressing us that neither of us could talk for
a while.
    “Who, us?” Kendra finally offered.
    Chase gave a grin that would have been
captivating if it wasn’t so filled with disdain. I didn’t know if I
was scared or turned on.
    “No, not you. NYU Goldilocks over there,” he
said, turning his gaze squarely on me, then looking me up and down.
I couldn’t tell if it was out of desire, curiosity, or contempt,
but it made my entire body feel like it was being pricked by hot
needles. My knees were mush.
    “Uh, what do you want?” I said in a shaky
voice, immediately regretting the stupidity of my question.
    Chase cocked his head to one side and took
the cigarette between two fingers. “Come over here. I wanna talk to
you,” he said.
    “What are you waiting for? He wants to talk
to you! Go!” Kendra whispered heatedly and gave me a push that
practically sent me hurtling into Chase’s arms.
    I could barely look him in the eye; he