Interesting and likeable.
This would give the writer a chance to make him the initiator of the relationship, if they wanted to go that way, whereas in most other writing situations I would see him waiting to see how *she* feels. If he was doing some vital, *well-guarded* steady job, he would be more inclined to take an emotional risk than when they are running around nearly getting blown up each week.
Another possibility, of course, is a telepathic link being created. He would have the assurance of being able to communicate with her in near-absolute privacy, she would have the telepathic companion she needs, leaving her less vulnerable to outside influences, and one tends to assume lies would be a bit more obvious mind-to-mind (although Cally's tricking of the Thaarn would be evidence against it)-- still, it might make Avon more inclined to trust fully. The other nice thing about a telepathic link is it would allow the author to indulge in a bit less restraint in the dialogue; the mind may be harder to censor than the mouth.