He shrinks for a second, but visibly shoves down the jangled feelings and allows her to take his hand. She's surprisingly warm for a non-human. As long as she does not ask, he figures, they might be able to talk. Or even spend time together.
"I would not deny you," he says, "in that case." Falling back on gallantry usually works to make women think he's cuddlier than he is, though he has the mildly uncomfortable feeling that this Ash is more observant than that.