"Of course I would... you asked me to, remember? And I am, after all, at your service..." His reply was low and the tone darkly sweet, gravity pulling every syllable from his lips like drop of honey.
But then he reached out and lightly brushed a finger against the tip of her nose-the first touch he had initiated and it was a gesture of playful, friendliness. Safety was written all over his movements as he rose to his feet and went back to shelving books. "Perhaps my charm is actually just a highly refined form of cruelty? What would that suggest about my character?" He didn't comment on the topic of tragedy--he wasn't sure he wanted to know just how tragic she perceived him as being.