Well, there's a silence. It ain't like he was expectin' approval or disapproval or nothin' any more than he expected to find an over-the-counter male pill. No, he was gonna ask her opinion on rubbers, see if she had a preference for one kind or another, but this... hell, it's easy and it lasts a whole month, and if they ain't had sex again in that month he can forget about 'em for good. No big deal.

"Tell you what, Freckles." Decisively, he tucks those reading glasses away. "I'm gonna get these. Then if we need 'em, it's all taken care of. And if we don't, all it cost was the swallow of one little pill. No harm, no foul." Now his shrug is casual as can be. "And no pressure either."

That's somethin' he wants her to know. Sure, if it was up to him they'd be buck naked together right now, but it ain't just up to him. He could ask, he could cajole, he could plead. He could con her into it if he wanted; he's got enough experience doin' that.

None of those things are what he wants. What he wants -- besides a repeat performance -- is for the next time to be just as mutual as the first time. That disturbs him a little, that thought, not that he goes around takin' that kind of advantage of women just for the hell of it. Sex should always have some mutual benefit, even if it's just the sheer physical thrill of it.

With Kate, he feels a little different. Mutual benefit, sure, but damn if there ain't this tiny little seed of emotional component to it. Looks like Freckles really is the new sheriff in town, whether or not she knows it.

"Easy peasy. Anything else you want at this place, Freckles?" Today only, it's on him.