Dive

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Instinct is intelligence incapable of self-consciousness." — John Sterling

Next Saturday, as agreed, Knox is waiting in front of Amanda's building when I push open the glass door and cross the street to his Mustang. I'm wearing a fitted black dress and stilettos, and I can tell he likes the outfit by the way his eyes linger first on my cleavage and then on my freshly moisturized legs when I get in the passenger seat.

"Hi," I say with a smile, leaning across the gearshift to give him a quick peck on the lips.

He grabs my nape, keeping me there and deepening the kiss. I let out a small sound of appreciation, and when he pulls back, his eyes have darkened. "Good evening."

I grin, a little excited for tonight, even though we returned from St. Augustine only days ago. "Long time no see."

He smiles, his tone teasing. "Indeed. Four days are an eternity."

"Almost five," I tease back. "Today counts as well."

He does another appreciative sweep of me before starting the engine and pulling away from the sidewalk. "Seatbelt."

I snap it on, not even attempting to argue with him when it comes to safety. I stare at his profile as he navigates the streets easily, one hand on the wheel and the other lying casually in his lap for the time being. The hint of a five o'clock shadow darkens his jaw and throat, and his hair looks soft and malleable above the collar of his dark-gray blazer. I find that I can't tear my gaze away.

"Did you go to the shelter today?" I ask after a minute to distract myself from the physical perfection this man embodies.

"I did."

"How's Charlie?"

"She's good. Her cast should be coming off in another week or so."

"I'm glad to hear it." I glance out the windshield, noticing we're heading deeper still into Manhattan. "Where are we going?"

"You like Thai food?"

"Yeah."

He stops at a red light and gives me a smile. "Good."

I roll my eyes. "You're asking me that on the way to a Thai restaurant? What if I said no?"

"It's a good thing my instincts are never wrong, then."

I laugh. "You're too full of yourself."

I don't know what I expected when he mentioned Thai, but it's definitely not the high-end restaurant Knox leads me through once we get there. It's dimly-lit and intimate, but I can tell from its location and the pretentiously-decorated space that it's expensive. He gives the hostess his name, and we are led to a small table right in front of a marble fireplace that seems to have a purely aesthetic purpose.

"So, fine dining," I say once we're seated and our waiter hands us the menus. "Good thing I dressed for the occasion."

He looks at me over the top of his open menu. "I did tell you to wear a dress," he points out.

"You said, and I quote, 'a dress should be fine'."

"And what's wrong with that? You look great."

I shake my head because he's being impossible and drop my gaze to my own menu. "Suggestions?"

Knox doesn't reply immediately, but after a moment I'm left staring at air as he swipes the menu from my hands. He places both on the table beside his empty glasses. "Let me order for you?"

It's not like I'm a connoisseur of Thai cuisine, and I'm not that picky when it comes to food, but I narrow my eyes in his direction anyway. "You don't know what I like."