"Of course I care," he countered. "I'm still tryin' to do this right, y'know. Knowin' what's good an' bad helps me keep from pissin' off my girl with the crazy kung fu skills."

It was just smart living, really! Besides that, though, his real and true motivation was still doing what he could not to screw things up between them.

"Do you now?" he asked right before his breath caught with the run of her tongue.