"Don't you mean that I should stop talking?" Elliot retorted.

"Was that what I meant?" Avery asked.

"It was," Elliot said without question.

"I think you came over just to pick a fight with me." Avery lifted her leg and kicked his side. "Don't stick so close to me."

"I'm about to fall off the bed," Elliot protested in a muffled voice.

Avery sat up and reached out to feel around the space next to him.

Elliot pulled her into his arms and said, "I'll give you everything you want, Avery. What else do you want? Tell me…"

"I don't want anything else." Avery felt the heat from his body. She struggled to escape his clutches, but Elliot hugged her tightly and refused to let go.

"I want to hug you to sleep." He gently lay her down on the bed, then said, "Avery, as long as you and the baby are healthy, I won't ask for anything else."

"Is that so?" Avery's body heated up as her heart began to race. "Did you become more thick-skinned after you turned the lights off?"

Elliot turned the ligh