While he was thinking, Corbie moved her thumb quietly over the back of his hand, a soft little stroke back and forth. She didn't try to prompt him or rush him.

The question was unexpected, but not one that threw her. A lot of men came to her specifically to escape the reality of their bitchy wives or girls who had rejected them, but sometimes after doing what they'd paid her for, they asked her questions like this. Corbie was sure she'd heard as many confessions as most any intended with the same amount of experience.

She didn't rush to answer, either, turning the question over in her mind. "I dunno. Why's that third person so complicated?"