It was good to have a wall to lean against; it gave Romeo something to do while he thought. "He's not a monster, anyhow," he said. "Doing monstrous things doesn't make you a monster. Enjoying them is the terrible thing." And if she didn't know what he meant, he'd claim he was speaking hypothetically.

He reached up to run a finger down her spine. "You never give yourself enough credit, but somehow I suspect Reno appreciates the healing power of a dirty joke."