Cormac smiled. "You should feel special. You are special," he told her, meaning it. He blinked at her next words, taken a bit off guard. "I give myself enough credit most of the time," he said after a second with a smile. He was flattered by her words in his own way, in the idea that she had to add the words really. Again his hand went up as if to thread his fingers through her hair, but instead, only found its way to his own, running his hand through his hair for something to do with his hand.
He had no idea what her expression was about. What was wrong with being amused that he had surprised her? She was a woman who was on guard, who spoke her mind, and who was happy to tell him exactly where to go when he deserved it if history was any indication. It wasn't like her being surprised was wrong. It delighted him, let him know that it was one-sided. It wasn't just that she surprised him now and then, but he had the power to surprise her too. Didn't that mean something? That, at the very least, he wasn't completely predictable? "I take it as a compliment," he said, a little defensively, "I'm not used to actually surprising you. I think it's a compliment. I can't be boring all the time." He glanced around them, a bit unsure of how to respond now. Turning his eyes back to her, he smiled a little. "Well, good, because it's not something I can change. I'm not sure I could turn into a quiet, shy, reserved man if I wanted to."