Page 52 of Last First Date

He chuckled. “I’m sure there are, but I haven’t actually worn them. Come on. Trust me, this is the safest way to fly. Would you like a snack?”

“A snack?”

“I’m sure there is an assortment of cheese and meats. Probably some fruit.”

“I don’t think I should eat cheese,” I muttered. When I realized I actually said the words aloud and he was now grinning at me, my cheeks felt like they were going to burn right off my face. That was not meant for him to hear.

“No thank you,” I said. “The water is fine.”

“Come on, let’s sit down on the couch. Do you watch Real Housewives?”

I curled my lip, momentarily forgetting I was flying through the air on a wing and a prayer and the complete trust in modern technology. “No. Gross.”

“Ah, come on.” He grinned and got to his feet. He reached for my hand with his other hand clicking the button to release my seatbelt. I would have panicked if my body hadn’t reacted so strongly to the feel of his knuckles brushing against my belly.

“I’m sure we can find something else to watch,” he said.

I didn’t think I was going to be able to focus on TV. We sat down and Alexa brought his coffee. He looked so relaxed with his foot resting on the other knee, his arm stretched out across the back of the couch, and his coffee in hand. My mind was struggling to make it all work. I had only ever seen commercial airplanes in movies. This did not make sense.

“I’m guessing you’ve never been to New York if you’ve never flown,” he said.

“There are other modes of transportation,” I retorted. “I have been to New York. We drove when I was younger.”

“Damn. That had to be a hell of a drive.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” I said, smiling. “Back then, my mother was more, well, normal.”

“Normal?”

I shook my head. I did not want to get into that sordid, dysfunctional mess. “Yes.”

“Are you close with your mom?”

“It’s complicated.”

“I think relationships with mothers are always complicated,” he agreed. “My mom and I should have a good relationship and I suppose we do for the most part, but that’s because she thinks I’m something I’m not.”

“What aren’t you?”

“Perfect. Good. The ideal son.”

I laughed. “I think parents are supposed to think that.”

“Yeah, but I’m not good or perfect. I’m far from it. She hasn’t really known me since I was seventeen. When I left Utah to pursue modeling, my life changed. I changed. She sees me as this innocent kid. That kid never existed. Living in New York, I was able to do what I wanted without her ever really hearing about it. I think some part of her knows. She just prefers to ignore it.” He sighed, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

I glanced at him. “Is that why you avoid going back home?”

Knox shrugged, but the casualness of his body language was belied by the intensity in his eyes. “Maybe,” he admitted after a pause. “But it’s also because I really loved my life in New York. I cannot wait to get back to my old stomping grounds.”

“You don’t like Utah?”

“It’s a great place to visit when you want to get away from the city, but it’s not my cup of tea. In Utah, I feel like a shark in a fishbowl. I don’t have room to stretch out and soar. I like getting lost. I can’t get lost when everyone knows who I am. There are too few faces to blend into. No bright lights, big city vibes to forget about the day.”

“Too small for your liking?” I prodded.

He chuckled, his gaze still fixed on the distant horizon. “Something like that. Don’t get me wrong. Utah’s beautiful and all, but it’s slow. Too slow for me. In New York, everything is fast paced. You can be someone in the morning and completely different by nightfall.”

I felt a sense of wonder creep up on me as I watched him speak with such passion about the city lifestyle. It was clear that he truly loved New York. His eyes lit up as he spoke, his words enthusiastic and lively. It was endearing. He looked like a normal man, not the uptight prick I had become used to at the office.