For rescue pilot Gil, hiding his feelings for commanding officer Nate behind teasing jokes and sly winks is the only way to keep his heart safe while balancing his job with caring for his aging father.

But when seal shifter Nate proposes a sexy bargain that shatters every workplace boundary, Gil must decide if he’s brave enough to risk everything he’s been protecting — including the fragile hope that Nate might want him back.

📖 Read it FREE on AO3

📚 Get it in ebook or print

Tropes

workplace romance, boss/employee romance, military romance, forbidden romance, friends to lovers, unrequited love (that’s actually requited), slow burn, secret relationship, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, competence kink, found family, caregiver hero, touch-starved, mutual pining, workplace boundaries crossed, sexual bargain, wooing

Content Notes

one hero’s parent is living with cognitive decline; depictions of sea rescues; missing person situation

Tags

m/m romance, shifter romance, seal shifter, coast guard, search and rescue, military romance, workplace romance, contemporary romance, lgbtq+ romance, gay romance, paranormal romance, rescue swimmer, helicopter pilot, California setting, found family, caregiver hero, Latinx main character, slow burn, emotional romance, low angst, HEA (happily ever after)