Free Love On My Mind by Tracey Livesay Page B

word.
    “The HPC is almost done.” Mike took over the argument. “After the launch you’re going to be even more famous than you are now. Your presence will satisfy stockholders. You are Computronix. Confidence in you is confidence in the company.”
    Mike made a valid point and yet Adam still believed the problem could be solved without his permanent relocation.
    “Fine. I’ll increase the frequency and duration of my visits to the campus.”
    “Is this about Birgitta?”
    “Mike . . .” Jonathan’s tone contained a clear warning.
    Adam’s face heated. “No.”
    And it wasn’t, not in the way Mike meant. Adam’s anger wasn’t misplaced grief about their breakup. It stemmed from his failure to prevent his experience with her from affecting his work and his company.
    “I’m just saying, you’re better off without her.”
    “Speaking of women we’re involved with,” Jonathan loudly declared, “Mike’s been spending a lot of time with Skylar Thompson.”
    Mike blew out a noisy breath and shook his head.
    Adam turned to Jonathan. “Who?”
    “Skylar Thompson. Daughter of Franklin Thompson, the media mogul.” Jonathan’s knife rhythmically struck his cutting board. “How’d you hook up with her?”
    “We met at a charity fundraiser.”
    “Saw pictures of you both at the opening of the San Francisco Ballet. You looked like the classic golden couple. Is it getting serious?”
    Mike shrugged. “Maybe. I’ve surpassed every goal I set in my ten-year plan. The company is doing well, I’m financially able to provide for someone else—”
    “That’s an understatement,” Jonathan muttered.
    Mike glared at him but continued. “It may be time to think about settling down and starting a family. By the time my dad was my age, he and Mom were already married and pregnant with me.”
    That reasoning sounded faulty to Adam. “You honestly believe that you’re bound to the same choices your father made?”
    Jonathan nodded. “You do have a tendency to treat your father’s life and words as gospel.”
    Adam settled onto a bar stool, his leg bouncing slightly, interested to see if Mike enjoyed having his wounds dissected and discussed.
    Mike blinked. “There’s nothing wrong with following in my father’s footsteps. He’s a great man.”
    “What worked for your father may not work for you. Men become great when they forge their own path,” Adam argued.
    Mike pointed a finger at him, his nostrils flaring. “Fuck you. I could’ve gone to work for my father, but I started Computronix with you.” His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket, stalking over to the windows and grumbling, “Gonna talk to me about forging my own path.”
    Jonathan raised both brows and extended his fist for a bump. “That was Machiavellian.”
    Adam shook his head. “My behavior wasn’t dishonest. Nothing I said was a lie. If he wants to examine me, he should be prepared for it to be reciprocated.”
    “He’s worried about you.”
    “I don’t require his concern. Not in that way. I’m not the kid he rescued back at Stanford.”
    “Of course not,” Jonathan said, his face devoid of emotion. “You’re one of People ’s Sexiest Men Alive.”
    The laugh started low in Adam’s belly. He laughed so hard his cheeks hurt. He pressed a fist to his lips and attempted to catch his breath. “Will you ever let that go?”
    “Not as long as there’s air in my lungs.”
    “If I get you running a couple of these mountain trails, we can take care of that.” Adam shifted on the stool and let his arm fall behind its back. “What are you doing here?”
    “I believe Mike already explained that,” Jonathan said, chopping tomatoes with a surgical precision Adam couldn’t help but admire.
    “Not here in my house. Here in California?” Adam reached in and deftly grabbed one of the chopped tomato pieces, popping it into his mouth. “You said you were researching opening a new restaurant in DC. I thought you were