Unhinged Love

Chapter 3

Conrad's POV

I unlocked the door to my apartment and thought about how much my life has changed since college graduation and even when I graduated from law school a year ago. My oldest brother is married and not to the girl he was originally engaged to, and I am so thankful for that because Ashlynn was amazing and gave him a daughter who we just celebrated turning one. Everrette was dating a girl that he seemed to really like and Max had figured things out and was in law school now. I wasn't this cocky playboy that I used to be either. Don't get me wrong, I was still a playboy, but I wasn't such an asshole about it. Well, I'll try anyway.

I grabbed a beer from my fridge and went into the living room and grabbed my phone and pulled up the pictures I had of her. She didn't know that I had taken them. God, she was so beautiful and if it hadn't been for my brother moving in on her first, she would be here with me now. I would be buried between those long tone-tanned legs of hers. I could almost taste her wet cunt on my mouth. I have yet to taste it, but I know it will be the best damn thing I've ever had. Her toned stomach was a tease as she wore crop tops because it led up to her t**s and I just wanted to take both my hands and push them together and suffocate between them and let's not forget the woman had the face of an angel with her soft blue eyes and sharp cheekbones and perfect little nose and lips that were made for sucking c**k, my c**k.

I closed her picture out and brought up her number and was tempted to text her and ask her out on a date, but I knew that she would just shoot me down. I knew what I had to do in order to get her to go out with me and I wanted nothing more than to do that. We shared one small kiss and I have been an obsessed man ever since.

I woke up the next morning and decided today was the day. I was going to talk to my brother and get this out of the way. I couldn't wait another day to ask her out, and I knew what had to be done. I got ready in my usual boots and jeans and grabbed my favorite hoodie. It was completely black. It was unusually chilly out today.

I dialed Max's number as I backed out of my parking spot.

"Hey, man, what's going on?"

"Where are you at?"

"The airport."

"s**t, you're leaving early."

"Ya, I have a test on Monday that I need to study for."

"Oh, I was going to see if you wanted to grab some breakfast."

"Sorry man. Next time," he said, and then got off the phone as he was going through security, or so he said. I wasn't sure what I was going to do today. I could go hang out with my dad, but that was kind of lame. I guess I will spend my day working from home because I have nothing better to do.

The week went by in a blur of work and watching Avery from afar. She never knew I was here, but I watched as she went on a date with someone who looked like a total dickhead. He showed up with a bunch of flowers, daisies. He couldn't even spring for roses. He had on these tight skinny jeans and this ugly plaid button-up. I'm not sure what style he was going for, but it wasn't working. He looked like some new-aged gen z douche who wasn't sure if he was going to a gay nightclub or looking for his ax to go cut up a log. Although he didn't have the body strength to swing an ax and don't even get me started on that ugly ass man bun. I never understood those. Do they think it looks good? Maybe they liked their hair pulled when taking it from behind. I thought and had to laugh out loud.

Her date flopped miserably, and I went home Friday night with a smile on my face and slept like a baby, knowing that he wouldn't be coming back. He took her to a cheap-ass burger joint. My girl deserves the finest food. She should be taken out in the nicest of cars, treated to the best food the city has to offer, and she should be spoiled with the best clothes available. In due time, she will get that. I will spoil her rotten.

I boarded my plane to New York. I hated the city, but that is where Max was going to law school and I had to talk to him. As much as I hated getting his blessing, I had to. I settled in for the long flight with earbuds and music. As soon as we were at altitude, I reclined my first-class seat and went to sleep.

The rideshare dropped me off at Max's apartment complex. He lived within walking distance of the university. He was always the saver. He didn't spend money unless he had to. We were polar opposites, but he was my brother and I loved him. He was the sweeter kinder out of all of us. He always made sure we were OK and seemed to keep his feelings buried, where you knew my feelings about things by the look on my face.

I was going to pound on his door and cover his peephole, hoping to scare the s**t out of him, but his security wouldn't let me up and called him down. He stepped off the elevator with no shirt and a pair of sweats and looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. I had to do a double take because he had a tattoo across his chest that I had never seen before. I watched as he wiped his hair out of his face.

"What in the f**k are you doing here?"

"What in the f**k is up with that tattoo?" I countered. I stared at it, trying to figure out what it was, but it just looked like a bunch of symbols.

"Don't worry about that. I could ask the same about yours. Now why are you here?"

"I can't come visit my baby brother," I said, and smiled at him, hoping he wouldn't see through my s**t.

"Come on," he said, and turned around and went to the elevator. When it dinged open, a girl walked off, and she was totally doing the walk of shame and I saw the way she looked Max up and down and also had wet hair like him. I had a feeling it was his girl and he didn't want any of us to know about her.

I threw my bag on his couch and flopped down. He went and sat down in the chair and kicked the feet back. "It's the ass crack of dawn on a Saturday morning, and you are standing in my apartment, so either someone has died, been arrested or you want something really important to me, and I'm going with the latter of them because all I got was a phone a call when Ashlynn was supposedly dead so tell me what you want."

Damn it, he was seeing right through me. Maybe it was easier to just rip the band-aid off and tell him.

"I uh um, I damn it, this is harder than I thought."

"SPIT IT OUT," he gritted out, annoyed with me.

"I want to ask Avery out," I finally said, and watched him for any type of reaction, but he gave nothing away. Damn him watching all of us at a young age. Lawyer's faces shouldn't give anything away, they need a poker face at all times and his was on point.

"Why are you here asking me?"

"Because I know that you two dated for a bit, and it's something I wouldn't do unless I talked to you first."

"Don't f*****g lie to me. I'm not stupid. You might lie by profession, but don't do it to me," he snapped, and I ran my hands over my face. I don't know who he has been talking to, but someone has a big mouth. "Stop trying to figure it the f**k out. I saw you kissing her one night, after Ashlynn was taken." He said, putting me out of my misery. I have also asked her out more than once, and she has shot me down each and every single time.

"That was the only time, I swear." I tried telling him, but the look on his face said otherwise.

"Look man, I could make you feel guilty and make you take me out and spend your money, but I'm not in the mood. I don't care. I thought I did. I was hurt when I saw you two kissing. Not that we were together anymore. We were never really together, but I did fall for her hard."

"I won't do it."

"No, I really don't care anymore. I will warn you; I think she is crazy."

"Aren't we all?" I asked and laughed to myself because I had a feeling I might take after my mom more than my dad, like my brothers. When I make Avery mine, I will kill anyone who even looks at her. My brothers are too nice, but me, I have a darker streak in me. I just keep it hidden well.

"No, we are. Like she got pissed at me and showed up at my door when she thought I was talking to another girl. I was but not like she was thinking. It was a girl from my study group."

"So, she gets jealous easily, I can understand."

"Well, you can date her, but first your ass is taking me to breakfast, and then you are going to help me study for my test on my Monday, and then you are going to pay for our night on the town, just so you know I'm not a cheap date."

"I think I can handle it brother. Go put some f*****g clothes on. I'm tired of looking at the ugly ass tattoo you have."

The second he was out of the room, I grabbed my phone and pulled up her phone number and sent her a text.

"Angel, let me take you out next Saturday night. Don't worry, I got little brother's permission. I know that you wanted that. I will pick you up at seven." I typed out and hit send and then pulled up the pictures I had of her again. God, I could stare at her all-damn day long and not get tired of looking at her.

I heard Max's footsteps coming, and so I closed out of my phone and put it on silent so he wouldn't hear her text me back.

"You do know that you are taking me to the nicest place that we can go in jeans."

"You think I care, so long as they have bacon and hash browns, I don't care and they better not have any of that fake crap bacon that is heated in the microwave either."

"I forget, only the best for you. Tell me, have you gone through your trust fund yet?"

"No asshole, haven't touched it." I said smugly and got up from the couch, and we headed to breakfast.