In the Nightrunner series of books, I really liked how Seregil didn’t allow himself to initiate a relationship with Alec despite his student’s clear interest. He wanted to make sure that Alec had freedom and was worried about the messed up power dynamic that might be created. Also all his previous lovers had either died because of him or betrayed him. It created a dynamic where Seregil always had Alec’s best interest but was also flipping between being distant and intimate. When Alec ultimatley initiates the relationship, it was the happiest I’ve ever been when reading a book.

So I guess my favorite is internal conflict preventing romance for justifiable reasons.