Oho... so the guy is a type of man, who believes, that showing emotions is weakness...(Which it is, by the way... If i hear some "modern man" or a woman telling me that it is not... Well, i got laid more being tough guy, not the whiny puppy. I did stupid shit, like picking the fight with two guys at once, then pretended, that those kicks to the ribs did not hurt- they swooned. You go figure it out.🤣)
To the topic: To be honest- i'd be on my guard around her as well,so i'd try to cover my honest reactions as well- simple matter of survival instinct kicking in. But the first, true signs of tide turning are actually pretty sweet. I honestly went "awww..."(though in my head- remember boys- no showing your feelings outside, so you can die of heart attack at the age of 55, like a true warrior... better to burn out, than fade away) when i saw her blown away by his honest laugh. She was manipulative and stupid and even despicable, but for the first time, she understood that romance and sex can go hand in hand, and finally at some level she understands herself, at least to a point.
As for him, his tough armor got chipped here or there by her more honest reactions, which he didn't expect, such as her feeling hurt over his suspicion that she might want to go after "another target", or her apology to him, when he got angry over her trying to imply he would use the "dirt" against her... Ship is sailing already, you horny toads, ahoy!
Still, she is one thirsty fooker, and his disgusted, honest reaction still make me laugh my ass off... I hope that author will make some... alternative work, where we will be able to see her finally draging him off to her lair, because i just can't wait to watch his reactions to all her ideas, and the denying part...
P. S. And i really want to see her learing, that it was him, who dragged her to the nurse, when she fainted...