Tony was nowhere near asleep when he'd heard her voice. He'd just begun to doze and the sweet sound of her voice brought him right back into consciousness. He didn't dare open his eyes because he was afraid she'd stop talking, stop confessing all of this to him, so he lay there, only making the smallest movements as she spoke and rubbed his belly.
Then she stopped and he felt her weight disappear from the bed. Now he had time to try and culminate a response to some of that in his head, but he was so sick and exhausted, this was probably going to ramble off the handle, some of it probably not making any sense at all.
When she finally came back, that's when he spoke. "Scared, too, Pepper. So scared of losing you. I didn't think you'd want me to have you like that. To do those things I did to her. Just think...you would just think I wanted sex." Then he paused and licked his lips, but he didn't open his eyes. It was easier to say things when he didn't have to stare her down in the eyes. "But I should have waited for you. Waited for you to be ready."
By now, he was swiping his hand at his forehead, wiping away a little sweat that had formed in the absence of the cool washcloth. And he seemed more lucid than moments ago. "Don't leave me. I won't leave you ever again."