She's capable of foreplay, of making things last, he's sure of it. The passion is there, if not the patience, and the more he thinks about it, the more confusing it gets. She knows how to flirt and tease; the suicidal little striptease in Gomorrah has proved that. That night and the quiet aftermath of their first time, lying an arm's reach apart under the stars and talking until the sun broke into the morning sky, makes him believe that there's more there for him; for the both of them. The sweet things that could prove it seem to be lost, though, or rushed through, and when he does try to slow things down, she gets cranky in short order. Even so, the whole affair was starting to feel too shallow to keep on going without saying anything.

Decision made, Raul zips up and stands up, then walks over to where she's resumed gathering leaves. "There's ways to make all that nicer, you know."

She glances up, her brow furrowed. "Like how?"

"It was different back when I was still in one piece, boss. People would take hours going at it. Even take off all of their clothes, not just wiggle them out of the way."

"Oh. Thought you meant the tobacco. But it's fine and fun that way." She bites her lip, avoids meeting his eyes, and the next leaf tears in half from being pulled on too hard. "Why waste the time? You end up in the same place."

He crosses his arms and shrugs, starting to feel a touch of unease. Her reaction isn't even remotely in character. "Hey, it's not a waste. Even if it is, it's a fun waste. Get yourself out all free and breezy, dangling in the wind."

"Sounds like a good way to get your breezy dangling bits shot the heck off. I tell you, it'd just be a waste of time. We do good the way we are."

She sounds like she's getting more annoyed with each word, both his and hers, but Raul presses on regardless. There's something there that wants to be soft and sweet, he just knows there is, and if he wants to keep what's between them, it's going to need to come out. He's too old and tired and empty to carry aother meaningless weight on his shoulders, no matter how good it feels at the start. "Then why take the time to do that little dance for me, boss? I know you were planning on something like it anyway, loco troopers crashing your party or no."

"I saw how you looked at the strippers whenever we went into Gomorrah, and I'd tried everything else to try and get your attention, short of grabbing you by the handle." This admission is news to him, and her black mood seems to lift for a moment at the surprised look on his face. She sidles up, bumps her hip to his and smiles. "Crabby old coot, making me go out of my way. Lucky I like you."

If he wanted to, that sly little grin means he could dump her in the sand again right now. For the first time, he finds he doesn't want to. "Taking things slow can be better."

Charlie finally snaps at him. "The only time people want to take things slow is when they want to make things hurt. Now let me alone, Gods damn you!"

Raul stares at her, and all of a sudden the whole situation turns on a dime, and it's not about him being the piece of meat anymore. He gives her a hard, searching look before walking away to another patch of plants, gathering what she wants and keeping his fool mouth shut.

Eventually, she sidles on up again, colour high in her cheeks.

"Sorry."

"You think I'd do something like that?"

Her head dips enough for her hat brim to hide her face. "I don't know. No."

He goes quiet for a long moment, braces himself, then asks another question. "Your husband?"

"No." The brim drops even lower. "He did things the proper way, nice, like you do."

"Then humour an old man." Raul reaches out and carefully lifts the faded black felt just high enough to peek under it, to look into a pair of wide brown eyes, so like the colour his own used to be. "I can make it nicer, Charlie."

She fidgets as he waits, until the words fairly burst out of her. "Okay. No. I don't know."

He gently tugs on the brim and presses just a little a bit more. "We'll go somewhere safe. Promise. Cross my raggedy rotten heart."