Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 2

It was the third day of school when I spotted him. He was standing with another group of guys, leaning back lazily as he talked to them.

"Who's that?" I asked.

My friends both looked up. I was still holding my locker open so Anya had to lean around me to see. When they turned back to me, they were smiling.

"His name is Victor Thorne," Anya supplied in a confidential whisper. "He's cute, huh?"

"Cute is an understatement," I mumbled and ignored their giggling.

To be honest, Victor was the most incredibly gorgeous man I had ever seen. His features were smooth, his skin enviably flawless. His hair was a deep reddish brown with golden hints, falling around his face in sleek waves. His skin was paler than mine, yet it had a darker tinge that made it seem somehow firm. As I watched, Victor looked up and caught me staring. I looked away, leaning closer to my locker to hide my blushing. My friends noticed and giggled again.
     
"You ain't seen nothing yet," Anya promised as they left.

"Nothing is more than enough for today," I mumbled, taking my books.

I closed my locker and ran right into someone. I stepped back and looked up. All thoughts flew from my head as I looked up into that impossibly smooth face. Our eyes met.

And held.

Victor's eyes surprised me. I had never seen eyes that color before. They were a strange shade of violet, yet they seemed a mere breath away from being a deep blue.

He shifted his weight. "They interest you too."

I blinked, realizing that I had been staring again. "Huh?"

"My eyes."

"They're... different."

"They're supposed to be blue but I guess something went wrong. I'm Victor Thorne."

I smiled. "Belle Burton, but I suppose you already know." The bell rang. "I have Calculus, so..."

"That's okay, I'm headed that way myself." We walked together. "So, where did you live before you came here?"

"Denver."

"Didn't like it there?"

He was making conversation, of course, but I couldn't let the pain in again. "It got...complicated. Did you grow up here?"

He chuckled very softly. "Colorado."

"Well, here's my class." I turned to him.

"See you around."

I nodded and escaped into class. Talking to hot boys had not been on the agenda yet, and my heart was still doing flips. After lessons, as I went to collect my bag, I found Victor, Anya, Amber and a couple of other guys clustered around our lockers.
     
"Ah, there she is!" one guy grinned.

I recognised him as the redhead who'd spoken to Anya on the first day. As usual his red hair was wavy and his smile was wide.

"What's going on?" I asked, exchanging my books for my bag.

"We're all going out to catch a movie," Anya said. "Coming?"

I deliberately arranged my books in my bag, hiding the fact that my heart was in my throat, cutting off my oxygen supply. Fact was, I was still deathly scared of crowds. I had to take a steadying breath every time I stepped into class, the cafeteria or even the school grounds. Going to the movies was definitely not a good idea.

I looked up and forced a smile. "Sorry, can't come. Dane's picking me up."

"But this is the only weather we can all do it together," Anya complained and I raised a brow.