Sunder by Tara Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

of guys were hot in Chicago, and I never offered them my first born like I had nearly done with him.
     
    I was losing my sanity in this small town.
     
    I decided to try to be more like my mom. I gave him a ballsy look and turned on my heel and walked away from him. I didn’t look back. My mom wouldn’t have. I walked back to my table and tried to fight off the feelings of let down, but I couldn’t. I also couldn’t describe the peculiarity of meeting him. It was intense and yet stupid. Who sees someone and instantly wants them ?
     
    No one who is sane. I clearly wasn’t. The isolation of the dumpy little crap hole was getting to me. No Starbucks. No drive thru. No malls. No fashion whatsoever. And one hot guy who was actually kind of a dick.
     
    Frig.
     
    I tried to force myself to suck up my destroyed pride, but it felt like my windpipes were crushed. I sat back down with my dad and Judith and looked out at the dance floor. The only good thing that had come of humiliating myself was that at least the idiot had gotten the picture and left my table.
     
    Judith leaned over and asked, “Who is that boy?”
     
    “Briton Thorlackson.”
     
    “He’s a Thorlackson? That’s what he said—Thorlackson?” Judith’s tone changed slightly.
     
    I looked at Judith frowning. “Yeah, who is he?”
     
    She smiled, looking at the same group Briton had been looking at. “Oh, his family comes and goes. They are one of the founding families that started Wolfville, back in the day.”
     
    I shrugged. “He must have been gone for a long time. That suit is tailored and his shoes are croc. Who wears that here? Let’s be real. Not to mention, he seemed to be missing your small-town manners. He’s a jerk!”
     
    Judith reached over and took one of my hands and squeezed it. “His family is known for being rude and snooty. Thank God he doesn’t like you. You won’t have to talk to him and be polite. This way you can avoid him, you should anyway.”
     
    I sighed. “Small-town boys aren’t really my thing .”
     
    My father laughed. “She’s a city girl through and through, she doesn’t do polite.”
     
    I stuck my tongue out, making them both laugh. I stole one last glance at Briton. I would have liked to watch him like a hawk, even if he suddenly seemed to be ignoring me, but I had to regain some semblance of self-respect. I needed to avoid him altogether.
     
    A voice interrupted my avoiding stalking him with my stare. “Would you like to dance?”
     
    I looked up to see someone who looked like a guy I knew back home—a hot one. Yay, dumpy town had two hot guys. It was a miracle. And this one seemed polite—also a miracle. He was dressed nicely, wearing dress pants and a blue shirt with a navy-colored tie. I smiled. “Sure, why not?” I took one of his hands and let him lead me onto the dance floor.
     
    “I’m Josh Michaels.” His voice was uneven, like he was nervous. I suspected he was. His hands stayed stiff like a board against my back, afraid to move. I liked that he was more like me, less confident, not asshole-ish like Mr. King of the World over there. “Judith is actually my distant cousin.”
     
    “Liv Daniels.”
     
    He grinned, revealing a very handsome smile. “Nice to meet you, Liv. I actually heard all about you. We knew you were coming. I had heard you’d be here by the first week of September when school started. I didn’t know you’d be so pretty though.” His cheeks reddened, like he didn’t mean to say it. Against his dark hair and dark-green eyes, the blush of his cheeks gave him an adorable look. He really was handsome but in a normal guy sort of way.
     
    I laughed nervously. It felt like an eighth-grade dance, but it made me completely comfortable. Regardless of the fact I was still fighting the urge to stare at Briton.
     
    The whole night was starting to feel like an eighth-grade dance.
     
    I’d already been asked to dance by the mouth breather and turned him down.