He was confused when she started talking about cards - when did this become about cards? - but then he figured out what she was saying. His eyes briefly widened and he thought about backtracking, to clear up what he'd been trying to say, but then on the heels of that, no. He wasn't going to let her play this game with her.
"Why, do all you girls, gotta make this into one big mind game?" he snarled out. "Yeah, I get that some guys are real tyen-sah duh uh-muo, but assumin' the worst in all of us ain't given any of us a fair chance. So I'm damn sure appreciate you given me the respect've not twistin' my words around into some sort of... of insultin' statement about you, 'cause the truth is I like you. More'n I rightly should, all things considered," he'd been going somewhere with that thought, but with a sudden angry growl he doubled back, "an' by 'all things considered' I do mean that it ain't right to burden you with me, 'cause darlin', you ain't the only one around here who's damn good about putting up a front to keep emotions at bay. An' if you are fallin' for me? You're fallin' for someone that ain't..." he wasn't sure how to explain it, and he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration as though hoping that words would fall out. "That ain't real," he finally settled on, the anger abating slightly. "'least, not entirely."
"M'sorry if you mistake that for some kind of game," he said. "Like I've got some alternate meaning or reason for sayin' it hiding up my sleeve that I ain't revealing. But it'd be damn selfish for me to say nothing. It ain't a rejection, darlin'; it's a warning. I want you. Want you more'n I should. But you should know what y're gettin' into before..." he didn't have an end for that sentence. "...Well."
He recognized that her possible response to this was too take him at his word - that he wasn't the right guy for her - and he also recognized that that... was not the answer he was hoping for. But it was for the best, probably. She really did deserve better than him.