...Was it something he said? She was getting awfully bright for him only saying he liked her. Perhaps it made him cruel to be too amused by it to correct whatever incorrect assumptions she must have made.

He blinked at her question, though. Did she really think her abrasiveness would disguise her true nature so effectively? "You...are honest. You are a genuine and warm girl, and kind enough to humor a man who dreams of things he cannot have. No matter what you may feel on the matter, you've gone out of your way to protect the pride and feelings of someone you know nothing about...and that makes you kind and considerate, as well as warm and genuine." So, again. The smile. "I see nothing not to like."