“Accurate, you say?” Reynard tilted his head skeptically, daring Valentin to continue his protest.

“Well, isn’t it?! I mean, it’s one thing to say you’re being cautious because of my condition, but your restraint is practically saintly! Even when you give me belly massages, you’re so indifferent, like a block of wood! For a while, I thought… I thought you might’ve, I don’t know, become impotent or something. You don’t even react when you see my bare chest anymore!”

Valentin felt mortified as the words left his mouth. Talking about his "bare chest" like this made him sound vain, even …