““Is that a promise?” Kian asked, licking his lips as seductively as he could get away with. Truthfully, he didn’t know what the limit even was; or even what they were really doing here. He’d set the most basic of boundaries: sex in this house, work at Terroir. That had felt like the most Bastian was able to tolerate. Kian could tell he was trying, but him pulling down even those boundaries had unmoored the man he loved.
Probably because Bastian fucking adored boundaries.”
Chef Bastian Aquino is a notorious control freak. For two very long years, Kian Reynolds has worked for Bastian as his special assistant, doing whatever he and his restaurant needs. The toughest part isn’t even all the impossible tasks he expects Kian to complete flawlessly—it’s the hopeless, endless love he feels for his older boss.
Falling for someone so far above him might be agonizing, but at least his feelings aren’t unrequited. Bastian fell in love right alongside him, but at the very beginning, they made the choice to abstain for logical, smart, professional reasons.
But love isn’t logical, it isn’t smart, and it definitely isn’t professional. It defies containment, even by Bastian. While he watches Bastian struggle with their attraction, Kian finally comes to the conclusion that he’s done.
He’s done standing off the side, done not getting any of the credit, done letting Bastian define the boundaries of their relationship. Most of all, he’s done waiting.