He's her best friend's son. Her research assistant. Fifteen years younger. Completely off-limits.Art history professor Paige Calloway has rebuilt her life around control—her career, her reputation, and especially her heart. Until Carter walks back into her life. He’s smart, driven, and far too tempting for a woman who swore she’d never risk it all again. No matter how brilliant he is or how often she catches herself watching him across the archive table. Carter's been in love with Paige since he was nineteen.Now, as her research assistant hunting for a forgotten Renaissance painter's lost work, he's finally close enough to show her the he's not some kid with a crush. He's the man who sees past every wall she's built and knows exactly what she needs. As late-night research sessions turn into stolen moments and undeniable heat, Paige faces an impossible choice. She could protect her carefully constructed life and push him away. Or she could risk everything—her friendship with his mother, her professional reputation, her certainty that love isn't worth the danger—for a chance at something real. Some discoveries change everything. What We Tried to Deny is a forbidden, emotionally charged reverse age gap romance about claiming what you want, trusting yourself again, and the kind of love that refuses to follow the rules.Perfect for readers who reverse age gap • best friend's son • forbidden romance • he falls first • slow burn with high heat • forced proximity • professor x student • protective hero who worships FMC • small town academia • dual first person POV • HEA