The scruffy thing was also because I didn't trust a man with sharp things at my neck.

[ Five hundred dollars is a lot of reasons why things didn't happen, like haircuts and spending nights with women or going into towns. None of it had been worth his life. That's not so much of a problem here, he's discovering. ]

You're making me want to not enjoy a lot of conversations, B. This is a dangerous thing, you know.

[ He's been thinking about more than just a kiss since that night with the drinks and the dancing. He had restrained himself then, but he's not sure he could do it again. ]