Searching for Mine (Searching For #4.5) Read Free Page B

carpet with a rich blue, and his brother’s girlfriend, Kennedy, had transformed the bachelor pad into a home using a few feminine touches to brighten up the place. He’d moved from his old apartment he’d shared with Nate to save money, ignoring his brother’s protests that he’d cover his expenses until Connor finished school.
    Hell, no.
    Connor had spent his life taking care of his little brother and raising him. Though Nate was now a fancy rocket scientist who used to work for NASA, Connor refused to take his charity. But he hadn’t been able to afford the tuition so they’d struck a deal. Since Connor had worked three jobs to get Nate through college when he was young, Nate would front his tuition bill. Connor could live with that, knowing he’d pay back his brother every dime once he got into a management position. He’d quickly moved to this apartment to save on rent and was now able to live comfortably.
    He may not have fancy granite counters or stainless steel appliances, but everything worked, including the big screen TV. The furniture was secondhand, but it was solid wood mahogany, with clean, masculine lines. The extra bedroom was a nice perk, so he used it for his workout equipment and skipped the gym membership. Photos of architectural buildings and bridges filled the walls, bringing a sense of wonder and creativity to the space. His textbooks stuffed the antique bookcase, and he’d created a small workspace in the corner of the living room, saving a spot for where he’d hang his degree.
    He pulled out his sub, cracked open his beer, and ate at the sturdy pine table while he scrolled through his iPhone and updated social media. The radiator hummed and the pipes creaked in the background. The smell of sauce and meat drifted in the air. He embraced the quiet, settled in, and enjoyed the solitude. After dinner, he powered up his laptop and did a few hours of schoolwork, finally rubbing his tired eyes around nine o’clock.
    To think he once had nothing to do but hang at the pub with his friends was now laughable. Most of the time, he fell asleep with his textbooks open on the table, drooling over the pages. Other than an occasional Saturday night out or hanging with his brother, his social life had dried up to an embarrassing level. He rarely saw his old friends, who were mainly into getting drunk at the bars every Friday and Saturday night, refusing to acknowledge that forty loomed dangerously close. Hell, the saddest part of all was he didn’t even miss his old life.
    Not even the women.
    How had that happened? Not that he didn’t have steady offers, but lately his sexual drive had been humming at a low level. Something seemed lacking in all of his encounters, and he couldn’t seem to figure out the problem. He’d never been like his brother, craving some type of mythical connection with a woman that didn’t exist. No, he believed hard in the three B’s when it came to dating. They were part of his own personal Bible he’d created to keep things uncomplicated.
    Beauty.
    Body.
    Boobs.
    Marriage didn’t interest him, and neither did getting tied up with all the daily routine and messiness of a long-term relationship. He’d seen firsthand how the feeling of love could turn bad and sweep everyone in its wake into a tsunami of casualties.
    No, thanks. Keep it clean and everyone remained happy. He just needed to get his groove back.
    He got up from the table and cleaned up. Maybe he’d spend a few minutes spacing out in front of the television. Yeah, he had to be at the job site at five a.m. for his construction job, but he needed to clear his mind from the array of numbers flashing in his head.
    Dropping into the comfortable sectional, he channel surfed for a bit before he hit pay dirt. The Fast and Furious number—well, whatever. Nothing like some good car crashes and skimpily dressed women to soothe him. He put his feet on the coffee table and settled in.
     
    * * * *
     
    “How was school,