Novels by Kate Ray

Sage POV The sun was already streaming through the blinds, painting stripes across the duvet. I woke up feeling pleasantly wrecked, every muscle vibrating with the memory of the night before. Mark had been ferocious, desperate, like he was trying to exorcise every demon in the room, and I loved every chaotic second of it. I smiled, reaching across the cool sheets for his solid body, eager for a round two. But the space beside me was empty. My eyes snapped open. Not just empty, but cold. I frowned, sitting up. He never left before me. He was always there, usually scowling at his phone while I stole his body heat. That’s when I saw the note. It was propped against my glass of water, held down by his heavy, silver wristwatch. My stomach tightened, a cold little knot forming. I snatched the note up. It was Mark's messy scrawl, quick and rushed. "Love you. Went to Egypt. Back soon. Don't worry. M." I stared at the paper, then burst out laughing. It wasn't a happy sound; it was hyste

The silence in the bar was thick and sticky, broken only by the whimpering of the attacker beneath my knee. But I pressed harder, demanding a name, demanding an organization. I could feel the adrenaline fading, leaving behind the cold reality of my exposed vulnerability."Who. Sent. You," I ground out, my forearm tight against his throat.The guy just shook his head, a desperate, strangled sound escaping his lips. His face was a mess of blood and pain, but his eyes held something I didn't like—a chilling professionalism, even in defeat. He was ready to break, but he wasn't ready to talk.Suddenly, his body went rigid. I felt a quick, subtle shift of weight, a muscle twitch, and before I could compensate, his hand shot out. Not toward the dropped gun, but toward the small, sharp edge of his broken stool leg lying on the floor.He slashed it upward, aiming for my leg.I reacted instinctively, rolling off him to avoid the strike, the movement burning across my bruised ribs. That single s

Mark POVThe scallops were bland. The bourbon felt like water. Every sound in the decadent restaurant grated on my nerves, but I kept the performance going for Sage. I laughed at her jokes, kissed her hand over the tablecloth, and watched her eyes with enough intensity to convince a film director. All while the coordinates to my personal hell burned a hole in my pocket.She was vibrant, relaxed, and finally happy. I had to shatter that peace in forty-eight hours, and the lie was already choking me. We got home late. I let her go ahead to the bathroom, that innocent sound of the running water a painful soundtrack to my treason. I slipped into my office, pulled out the burner phone I hadn't used in months, and texted Hector: Operation Clean Slate is now Operation Inferno. Prep Cairo. ETA 24 hrs. Tell no one.The flight was too soon. Too public. I had to create a gap—a controlled moment of vulnerability that would draw out the rat watching the penthouse. The note hadn't been specific a

Mark POVThe victory felt heavy, and somehow incomplete. I watched Alistair Vance get hauled out by security, yelling obscenities that no one cared about. I’d won the battle, securing my position and exposing the corporate rat, but standing there in the boardroom, the silence wasn’t celebratory. It felt like a warning.I ignored the sycophantic praise of the board members and walked straight out. I needed Sage. I needed the messy, undeniable reality of her to clean the corporate grime off me.I found her waiting outside the door, her emerald dress vibrant against the sterile gray of the hallway. She looked triumphant, a true queen.“You were magnificent, Mark,” she murmured, her hand immediately going to my chest.“He was a small problem, easily dispatched,” I said, pulling her into my side. “Thorne is still the loose thread, and your vultures still have my resources tied up.”“We celebrate the small victories,” she countered, tipping her head back. “Vance is gone. That’s a win.”We

The apartment buzzed with activity, not from press or bodyguards, but from Hector's covert tech crew. They looked less like spies and more like exhausted IT professionals, running cables and whispering into headsets while Mark gave orders from the kitchen counter."I want the digital footprint of Alistair Vance erased and rebuilt with a massive, glaring vulnerability," Mark commanded into his phone, his voice a low, focused rumble. "Give me something undeniable. Something that links him directly to a hostile takeover attempt."I watched him, nursing a cold cup of tea. He was back in his element now, not fighting bullets, but fighting spreadsheets. It was just as brutal."You look beautiful when you're committing corporate espionage," I commented, sliding a hand up his arm.He glanced down, a flash of appreciation in his eyes. "You look beautiful when you're getting me fired." He kissed my forehead, then pulled his focus back to the war map. "Hector, what do we have on Thorne's liquid

"Alistair Vance is playing a dangerous game," Mark finally announced, running a hand over the back of his neck. "He's banking on the scandal forcing my hand. He thinks he can buy the necessary votes by Friday.""So, we give him a distraction," I said, hopping off the desk. My own adrenaline was high. This corporate warfare was almost as fun as dodging bullets. "We flood the airwaves with something shiny and undeniable, proving you're exactly where you want to be."Mark paused, a dangerous glimmer in his green eyes. "Go on, little bird.""We go public, Mark. Really public." I walked toward the closet, already planning the visual. "They want to attack your personal judgment? We prove your personal judgment is sound—and stable. No hiding, no denying. We lean into the story.""And the company?""The company needs a stable face," I countered, pulling out a sleek, black dress I hadn't dared wear yet. "And right now, that face is you, choosing happiness. We go out, Mark. We give them th

Nestore's POV "Aurora," I called, standing by the staircase as I waited for her to step out of the room"A minute more, Cavarallo," Nina yelled from across the room, her voice drowning out the small groan from Nevio.He was impatient, I was as well, we both needed him, more like the bane of our existence, except that he just happened to know something we needed."Aur..." I barely completed it when the door was pushed open, and she stepped out, donned the black dress Nevio had picked out, and whatever name it was of the makeup Nina had done on her."Bellissima," I muttered, the word slipping past my lips before I could stop it.Aurora didn’t look at me. Her gaze was fixed ahead, distant—lost.The transformation was remarkable. That black dress clung to her like sin itself, silk and shadows wrapped around her curves. Her hair was pinned up, soft curls framing her face, and her lips were painted the color of spilled wine. Nina had done a damn good job. Too good.Nevio let out a low whis

Aurora's POV I watched wordlessly as Nevio walked out of the room and back at my naked frame.My back was filled with the scars from last night, and my wrists still hurt from the leather cuffs— red belts that branded my skin like a cruel reminder of what I'd been reduced to.I sat on the edge of the bed, numb, My body ached in places I hadn’t known could hurt.But it wasn’t the pain alone that stole my breath—it was the cold, gnawing realization that a part of me no longer belonged to me.Not since Diego—Not since them.I wrapped the silk sheet tighter around myself, shivering even though the room wasn’t cold. I felt… hollow. Used. Wanted. Controlled.And maybe that’s what scared me the most.The way a part of me responded to them. To their hands. Their voices. Their fucking presence.I stood, my legs wobbling as I made my way to the bathroom. The mirror was unkind. My lips were swollen. My hair is a mess. My skin, blotched with marks of dominance. I should’ve felt shame. I should’

Nevio's POV "I found something out," I said with my voice low as I stepped out of the room to Nestore, standing there, half-naked, the tension from last night still lingering in the air around us.His eyes flicked to me, sharp and alert. "What?"I didn’t say a word. I just turned the phone in my hand and held it out to him.The image on the screen was blurry but unmistakable. Him. The bastard we’d been chasing for months—no, years.1Nestore’s brows furrowed together as he took the phone, staring at the face as if he were etching it into his memory. “Where did you get this?”“Anonymous,” I replied, folding my arms. “But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we’ve finally got a trail.”He swore under his breath, jaw tightening. “Where was this taken?”“Southern Tuscany. Two days ago. Which means if we move now, we might still catch him before he disappears again.”A dangerous smirk curved on Nestore’s lips. “Then what the hell are we still doing standing here?”My jaw clenched. “I

Nevio’s POVNext DayI woke up to the sharp trill of my phone ringing. My eyes squinted at the screen, still groggy from sleep. A string of unfamiliar numbers flashed back at me — no name, no saved contact. Just numbers.I hesitated.Who the hell calls this early from a number like that?I placed the phone on my ears, as I swiped the green button."Mr Cavarallo," A voice responded from over the phone, panicky."Who is this?" I asked, getting down from the bed."It doesn't matter who I'm, what you need to know is that, I've the information of the man you've been looking for, and I'm sending it to you now," the voice replied, cutting me before I could say anything and hanging up the call.A second later, my phone buzzed again.I looked down at a photo.It was blurry, taken from a distance — but my stomach dropped the second I saw the face.Him.Same jacket. Same walk. Same damn ghost I’d been chasing for months.The message came with a timestamp — last night. The location wasn’t far.I

Aurora's POVThe air in the room was thick with the scent of leather and something darker — humiliation, unwanted desire and the slow slip of the control I had on myself.Nestore's finger lingered just above my sweaty skin, his smirk mocking as he ran his eyes through my body."Liar," He murmured, dragging a single fingertip down my stomach, lower until his fingers reached the tip of my buds that was already slick with arousal."Your body doesn't lie, little girl, even if your mouth does," I rolled my eyes and clenched my thighs together, but Nevio was already there, his palms pressing against my inner thighs, forcing them apart."You don't get to do that Aurora," He spoke, his voice velvety as he leaned closer, forcing his hands closer."You don't get to hide from us," I wriggled hard, a small whimper escaping my lips, the leather cuffs tearing into my wrist."You can fight it all you want Aurora but the truth is evident, your body, your thighs, they're dripping wet like the slut th

Aurora's POV"W—what are you both doing?" I asked, my lips trembling."You'll find out soon enough," Nestor said, slamming the door behind me while Nevio moved closer to unbuckle the cuffs from my wrist.My body shuddered at the sound of the door closing.m, the sound reverberated like a death sentence, making me flinch."Strip," Nestore ordered, shrugging off his jacket with a calmness that made my skin crawl."You—you cannot make me..." I backed away, my bare feet grazing the cold floor.He raised a brow, unbothered. "I said strip, Aurora.""My heart pounded. I stood frozen, every part of me screaming to resist, to fight back. But there was no space left to run, and no one was coming to save me.Nevio stepped forward, his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall like he had all the time in the world to watch me break. "The longer you hesitate, the worse it’ll be.""I—I won’t be your toy," I spat, voice shaking. "I’m not one of your little puppets to dress up and play with."Nestor