Length: 30,000 words
Series:standalone
Genre: contemporary
Tropes: Best friends/rivals to lovers
Trigger/Content Warnings: no warnings, but note that this is not a spicy romance
Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell. Don’t Fall In Love.
Luis and Rafael are spies with a rivalry as old as their bond. Both have spent years competing to climb the ranks through sheer determination and a relentless drive to one-up each other at every turn. Beneath their playful jabs is a simmering undeniable attraction neither can ignore.
When Monica, a brilliant and equally closeted UN negotiator, steps into their world, everything changes. She’s everything they should want—ambitious, smart, and effortlessly captivating. As Luis and Rafael start working together to protect her, their rivalry begins to shift, uncovering deeper feelings that risk exposing their carefully guarded secrets.
Caught in a tangled web of desire and rivalry, Luis and Rafael must confront the lines between love, and loyalty. With every glance, every touch, the lines between them blur.
In this spy romance, loyalty, love, and truth are put to the ultimate test.
The black jacket and sneakers of the figure tumbled out of the elevator, arms flailing, legs twisting mid-fall as if they had no idea where they were going. The gun-yes, a gun-clattered across the floor with a ridiculous clink before sliding to another elevator door like it was trying to make a cleaner escape.
Once the man was on the ground. He rolled over like a flipped turtle, reaching for the weapon that was no longer attached to him.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or shove him into a broom closet and wait for someone with cuffs. But I didn’t have time for either.
The noise from earlier made sense now-it wasn’t a scuffle or a struggle. It was a whole ass scene as Rafael walked out of the elevator with an air of confidence that made me want to groan in frustration.
The dark tones of his military camo clinging to his frame like he built his body around them. The jagged angles of the pattern only emphasized the broadness of his shoulders, the taper of his waist, and the way his every movement contained a muscle group only he could name.
His boots thudded softly against the floor, the polished leather catching just enough light to make it clear he knew exactly how to make an entrance. Damn it. Why did he have to look like he’d just walked off the set of some over-the-top recruitment ad?
The cocky tilt of his head and the faint smirk tugging at his lips didn’t help either. And I hated how my stomach tightened at the sight-two parts jealousy and one part the weak urge to drop to my knees.
He strolled forward with his usual nonchalance, his expres- sion calm but full of purpose. His eyes flicked over to the tan- gled mess of a man and me, his gaze not quite surprised, but amused in that infuriatingly easy way he had.
Rafael reached forward and yanked the stranger upright, his grip firm as he steadied him, one hand wrapping around his wrist while the other grabbed his jacket and pushed him back against the wall of the elevator hallway.
“Who sent you?” Raf growled, his patience thinning.
The man’s face was twisted in panic, his breath coming in quick, sharp bursts. “You don’t know what you’re involved in,” he rasped, eyes darting around like he was searching for an escape route.
“Try me,” he shot back, twisting the man’s wrist until he grunted in pain.
“The fuck did you find out?” I said voice tinged with some- thing playfully confused. “I thought you said you had security all yourself.”
“Maybe I just wanted an audience,” he muttered, his tone low and teasing.
Kai Phoenix is the author This Means War that explores the tangled web of love, rivalry, and self-discovery. Inspired by spy thrillers and heartfelt romantic comedies, they craft stories brimming with beauty, danger, and unforgettable banter. With a knack for blending tension and desire, Kai delivers emotionally rich romances where laughter and longing collide in ways that leave readers swooning.
