Joanna Yeates was cheery and happy before Vincent Tabak strangled her to death, he has told a jury.
Tabak, 33, denied claims that the attack was sexually motived - but said he was attracted to his 25-year-old victim.
Under cross-examination, Tabak was questioned about the "flirty" comment he said Miss Yeates made about her cat "getting everywhere".
"She was cheery, happy," Tabak told Bristol Crown Court. "She made the comment (about the cat)."
During a second day of questioning from prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC, Tabak - who denies murder but admits manslaughter - claimed he believed she was attracted to him.
"We were standing close to each other, she invited me in for a drink. She made a flirty comment. I thought she was flirtatious."
Tabak showed no emotion as he was shown an image of Miss Yeates's body in a foetal position at Flax Bourton mortuary, in Somerset.
He said he "cannot remember" how his arms were scarred as he denied claims there had been a struggle with Miss Yeates as he strangled her. "There was no fight," he told the court. "There was no struggle."
Tabak admitted he had misled police as a search was launched for her body and apologised for raising suspicions about landlord Christopher Jefferies. "I am sorry I dragged him into this," he told the jury.
Mr Lickley told Tabak he would have known as a child that holding Miss Yeates's throat would stop her breathing. Tabak - wearing the same suit and tie as Thursday - replied: "I didn't learn that as a child." He added: "It was not my intention to harm her. I just wanted to calm her down and stop her from screaming."