Claiming the Curvy Chef: An Age Gap, Forbidden Workplace Romance

He built a kitchen where nothing soft survives. She walks in smelling like cinnamon—and sets it on fire.

Dominic Cross runs Ember House like a temple to control: no dessert, no distractions, no exceptions. Lena Bennett arrives with lemon-thyme tartlets, a notebook full of ideas, and a laugh that warms the steel. She's curvy, brilliant, ten years younger, and absolutely off-limits. Yet every service tightens the pull between ruthless chef and rule-breaking pastry prodigy until one stolen kiss threatens the empire he's built.

Keeping their hands to themselves is hard enough; keeping their secret from a watchful staff, a hungry press, and a critic who can make or break them is a high-heat hazard. When crisis hits the line and old ghosts flare, Dominic must choose between the safety of his walls and the woman who reminds him why he ever loved food at all.

A slow-burn, boss/employee, age-gap romance full of kitchen fire, midnight tastings, grumpy-meets-sunshine banter, and the promise of a decadent happily-ever-after.