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“What?”

“Flashbacks,” he clarified.

“No. Not after a few years of counseling. That was a one-off. Maybe I should have dated him longer before anything intimate happened. I think it happened because of the situation. I was literally paralyzed by the images that bombarded me because he was really rough. It’s never happened again, and I had a relationship after that one.”

“Thank fuck!” he grumbled. “Are there any other bad memories you’d like to banish?”

“None,” I told him playfully. “But if I think of any, I’ll let you know.”

“I’m always available,” he said in a sinfully sexy baritone.

God, I adored this man.

Brock never made me feel weird or defective because I had some quirks and issues left over from my past.

He made me feel safe.

He made me feel normal.

He made me feel like someone special, and being with him was addictive.

There were times when I wanted to crawl inside him and never come out.

I craved this man in every possible way.

“Why haven’t you tried to get me naked?” I asked curiously. “You must know that I want you.”

I’d been wondering about that for a while now, but I hadn’t been comfortable asking him that question before tonight.

Brock and I had combustible chemistry, and most men would have acted on that kind of lust.

“It’s a little complicated, sweetheart,” he said evasively as he stroked a hand through my hair.

“I’m a scientist,” I pushed. “I like complicated things. Tell me.”

“Before that happens, I’m gonna need some kind of commitment, Stargazer,” he said gruffly.

I swallowed hard. “Commitments scare the hell out of me. I’ve never made a hard commitment to a relationship. Do you always want that before you have sex with a woman?”

“Nope,” he answered. “This is a first for me. That’s never been a prerequisite for me before.”

“Why now? Why with me?” I whispered as my finger absently traced the outline of his tattoo.

“Something different is going on with me in this relationship, Jenna,” he said in a deep, frustrated voice. “I feel possessive as hell when it comes to you. It’s unusual for me, but I can’t do anything to change it. I have to know that you’ll be with me and only me. I can’t just fuck you and not have some kind of understanding between the two of us before you go back to California. I know that doesn’t make sense, but for the first time in my life, I need to know that someone is mine and not interested in anyone else.”

My heart ached as I thought over his words.

I had to wonder how much it had cost him mentally to admit the way that he felt about me. He wasn’t in Delta Force anymore, but he was still a big, bad rescuer who probably didn’t talk about his feelings often.

Brock had accepted every one of my quirks and my issues.

Honestly, I couldn’t say that I’d be okay with him wanting another woman, either.

And I sure as hell didn’t want to run away from him.

In fact, I felt like the luckiest woman in the world that he wanted me that damn much.

It also made me feel more comfortable talking about my own feelings.