Cake: A Spicy Romance

By Lauren Dane

From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane

She won't be satisfied with just one bite.... Art student-slash-bike messenger Wren Davis pursues what she wants. And what she wants now is Gregori Ivanov, rock star of the Seattle art scene. With his tattoos, piercings, and sensual sneer, Gregori is the ultimate bad boy. Wren's gotten to know the man beneath the body art, too - and it only makes her crave him more.

But Gregori loves women like he loves cake and champagne - intensely, but only for the moment. And after Wren experiences just how scorching sex with Gregori is, she's determined to show him that just one taste won't be enough....

• Language: English
• Publisher: Harlequin Special Releases
• Release date: Sep 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9780369750761

Lauren Dane

Lauren Dane is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas across several genres. She lives in the Northwest with her patient husband and three wild children. Visit Lauren on the web at www.laurendane.com E-mail [e-mail] Twitter: @laurendane You can write to her at: PO BOX 45175, Seattle, WA 98145

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

She heard the music as she ascended the stairs and knew he’d be working. Her heart sped as she hastened her pace. Watching Gregori Ivanov work was a sensual treat. He tended to fall deeply into his work. The building could fall down around him and he wouldn’t notice.

There was something incredibly sexy about that. His intensity was a little overwhelming, but in the best sort of way.

Once she got to his floor, she didn’t bother ringing the bell—Gary Clark, Jr. was playing so loud Gregori wouldn’t have heard it anyway.

She let herself into the front entry of the massive space Gregori occupied. Three stories of windows washed the place in light. He took up a corner of the old building in Pioneer Square. Depending on where you stood, you could see Puget Sound or the redbrick buildings lining First Avenue.

She dropped the envelopes and the box she’d been delivering on the counter and wandered into his studio, leaning against one of his worktables to watch him.

Pale winter sun gleamed against his bare back. Ink trailed along his spine, over lean muscle. Lines of poetry, mainly in Cyrillic, wrapped around his forearms. Barbed wire marked his ribs, interspersed with more words. When he went shirtless, she’d discovered both his nipples bore silver hoops. He wore fingerless leather gloves, one hand grasping some sort of tool as he prowled around a large metal sculpture he’d been creating for the better part of the past three weeks.

His hair, currently scarlet red, stood up in liberty spikes, but other days he didn’t bother with the full Mohawk effect and he put it in a ponytail to keep it from his eyes. On many it would have looked ridiculous. But on Gregori? It worked. Like really, really worked.

He wore eye protection, but she knew beneath the goggles his eyes were hazel, fringed with sooty lashes usually at half-mast like he was thinking of something particularly dirty.

He worked in jeans so old they bore threadbare spots in all the right places and, though he often went barefoot around the loft, today he wore work boots.

In short, he was a visual buffet. And she was really hungry.

He stalked and paused. Bending to tug on something. Or to grab more tools and sharpen a piece. Wren just watched. Fascinated by the way he created.

It went on this way for another twenty minutes until he finally looked up and noticed her there.

He slid the goggles up, a smile marking his mouth. Wren. How long have you been here?

His accent was jagged. Like he was. He spoke in staccato bursts, the sharp twists of his words sliding through the air between them.

I don’t know. Twenty minutes maybe. Half an hour? I brought some paperwork by and a box. Kelsey says you need to sign the papers in the red envelope and get them back to her. Kelsey was Wren’s cousin and Gregori’s personal assistant.

He often proclaimed to hate signing things and attending to the business side of his art so she wasn’t surprised when he sighed, taking the goggles and gloves off.

Ignoring the sigh, she stepped closer. Can I? Wren tipped her chin toward the sculpture.

He shrugged, pleasure mixing through his annoyance. Sure.

She took it in. A man, crouched in the grip of briars and something else she couldn’t make out. The metal was polished in some places, hammered in others. Sharp edges fanned out here and there. Like flames, she murmured.

Yes. Exactly. He moved closer and his scent caught her attention. Sweat, soap, the product he used in his hair. The fuel from the welding stuff he used. It all married together and became essentially Gregori.

This is brilliant. Wren wasn’t flattering. It wasn’t a lie. He was a genius. One of those rare few who not only made a living at what he did, but had ascended to art celebrity.

He made a sound. A growl of sorts. It’s missing something. They both looked at it for some time longer until he sighed. Come have tea with me.

He issued the invitation like a command. He tended to be imperious at times. But she rarely took him seriously, so she let it wash over her and perhaps might even have liked it. A little bit.

While the water is boiling, sign that stuff or Kelsey will only send me back here.

They’d known each other for a year or so by that point, she having met him by bringing things to his loft several times a week. Over that time they’d developed a flirty back-and-forth and the more often she came to his place, the deeper the sexual undertones began to dig.

He looked up from where he’d been spooning the loose tea into a pot. Do you have other things to do instead?

Are you asking if I have anything else but bringing papers, checks and doodads to Gregori Ivanov in my life?

He laughed. Do you?

I do. Shocking, I know, to imagine a world outside running errands for an eccentric artist, but there it is.

He sniffed, his lids falling as he took in the scent of the tea. Bergamot. I love it. His eyes snapped open, gaze homing in on Wren, who’d perched at the nearby table. What’s a doodad?

Little bits of this and that. At his puzzled look, she got up and moved into the main room. He had a collection of what looked like gears scattered across a shelf. She pointed. Like this. A generic term for bits of stuff. One of my moms says doohickey or thingamabob.

Hmm. I like those terms. I do suppose you bring me all manner of little bits on a regular basis. The teapot whistled and he turned to deal with it. There may be something to eat in the fridge.

She moved to the sleek, stainless-steel work of art that filled her with refrigerator envy every time she saw it, peeking inside. For a supposed wild bachelor, he had a lot of really good things to eat. Cheese, honey and nuts?

Hmm, yes. There are crackers in the cabinet.

She began to pull things out, pouring nuts into small bowls, hunting down the honey.

How’s school?

Wren was going to art school at Palomar, an arts college. Her messenger job paid part of her bills and had the benefit of being flexible around her classes. She was also working on her newest graphic novel and a few digital side projects. It kept her ridiculously busy, but she was never bored.

Fine. I’m really digging my autobiographical comics course. I’ve got a digital-imaging class I’m learning a lot from. She shrugged.

You should bring more for me to look at. You haven’t in a while.

It made her uncomfortable. Not to seek his opinion. She respected him as an artist. But she knew others took advantage and she never wanted him to think of her that way.

He had a hot button about it. Being used. It was part of the reason he always wore his reputation as the chain-smoking, hard-drinking, inked-up wild man in bed to keep people back. He shared part of himself with others, but he controlled just how much. She’d rather have this connection, sitting, drinking tea and eating cheese and crackers, than the bored celebrity with the big dick.

Maybe next time.

He took the tea to the breakfast nook and sat. She joined him, nibbling on the cheese and crackers while her tea cooled.

What’s this piece for anyway?

A commissioned piece. Rich guy wants it for the front of his office building. He shrugged.

He always acted like it wasn’t a big deal.

Nice. That piece will absolutely make the front of any building look amazing.

He ducked his head a moment, sipping his tea until he looked up again, gaze locking on hers. "Tell me about your work. You don’t only do what you’re told to in class. You had a graphic novel. What’s the status with that?" His tone, to an outsider, would have been imperious. An order given to an underling. Even a slight emphasis on the what you’re told to that made it clear what he thought of her need for school. It was partly the Russian in him, partly the artist thing and partly because he was one of the most supremely self-assured people she’d ever met.

At first, when she’d started delivering things to him and he’d addressed her in such a way she’d thought he hated her. Or that he was a rude asshole. Or both. But after a while she realized it was just his delivery.

When it came to his perception of art school he was most definitely abrupt. He was old school and in his opinion you had it or you didn’t so why waste

Reviews for Cake

[payday1999-430350 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read all of the Stephanie Plum novels so far and I just love these books. They are a very easy read and are something to read when you just wanna relax after a long day. They are just so humorous and I love all the characters, especially Grandma Mazur. It has a little bit of everything thrown in, while still being lighthearted.

I would recommend these books to anybody.

[tamara.fowler23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stephanie is takes on a job with Ranger protecting a 61 year old singer named Brenda from her fans and stalker cousin Gary. Meanwhile a bondee (forgot her name) is missing after promising to watch her kid (Mario) until she is re-bonded. A hunt for 9 million dollars is at the root of all the drama. The search is out for the missing mom and the 9 million. In the process of tracking down the money with Lula and Brenda in tow, Stephanie turns blue (literally). Lula has concocted an engagement to Tank which leaves for many raucous and over-the-top moments. Never a dull moment with Lula around. Mooner is back and is a video gamer competitor against the kid for which Stephanie is now responsible.

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Once more, into the screwball world of Stephanie Plum I go.Stephanie's relationship with Joe Morelli seems to be the pivot point of this madcap plot...or rather the house he lives in. He inherited it from his Aunt Rose. It seems to be a place that is being frequented by visitors to his basement at odd hours. Why?Dom Rizzi is recently out of jail from serving his time for the nine million dollar robbery he did. The money is still out there and people are looking for it.Stephanie is given the job of picking up Loretta Rizzi, Dom's sister, for a no-so on a court date. As a side assignment, Stephanie has to figure out where Loretta's son, Mario, can stay until Loretta can make bail...again. Mario is "sensitive and artistic" and is in high school. He goes by the name of "Zook" and is heavy into "Minionfire," a role playing on line game.There is also a monkey named Carl, a sexy hot security guy named Ranger who is a big temptation for Stephanie, a stoner and 'inventor' named Walter "Mooner" Dumphy and Stephanie's work partner Lula, who used to be a 'ho before she got into the bail business. With this mixed cast of characters things are quite lively and unpredictable.Will Morelli figure out why strangers are in his basement? Will Stephanie find out where Dom hid the nine million he stole? Will Loretta get bonded? Where does Carl disappear to?The Stephanie Plum series are fun and fast reads. They make a good break when I find I'm reading a couple of more serious books at the same time. Sort of lightens things up!

[bragan_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Book fourteen (ish) in Janet Evanovich's series about Stephanie Plum, bumbling bounty hunter. This time, Stephanie takes a side job as security for an aging singer, she and her sometimes-boyfriend Joe Morelli end up babysitting a teenager who's obsessed with an online RPG, and it turns out there may be nine million dollars hidden somewhere in Morelli's house.Really, what is there to say after fourteen-plus of these? It's quick-reading and mildly diverting but instantly forgettable. Or, basically: it's another Stephanie Plum novel.

[polywogg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

BOTTOM-LINE:Good story, not the most compelling.PLOT OR PREMISE:Morelli's cousin committed a robbery years ago and the money was never found. Now people think it is hidden in Morelli's house, and everybody wants some of it..WHAT I LIKED:The story generally revolves around providing security for an aging country star, and it's an interesting diversion. In addition, Stephanie is looking after a teenager that may or may not be Morelli's illegitimate son..WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:There's a stalker running around the story, which everyone thinks is funny, not sure why..DISCLOSURE:I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent installment of the Stephanie Plum series. The introduction of a couple of delightful teenagers, and Lula's impending nuptials add lots of zing to the story. Great series!

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I always enjoy this series. It's not intense, but it's fun. Usually I listen for the antics of Grandma Mazur. This was no disappointment as Grandma gets involved in an online gaming site and goes hunting for buried treasure. However, this time, Lula stole the show for me. Her wedding planning antics and Tank's reaction were priceless!

[stembie3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm so glad Stephanie's car didn't blow up in this story, however, there was an Econoline van explosion...

[mlake_22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stephanie Plum is at it again! In Fearless Fourteen she teams up with some of the old gang (Morelli, Ranger, Lula and Grandma Mazur) and some new characters (and they are characters!!) Zook, Mooner and Gary to name a few.

[mlg11031112 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After the movie, One for the Money (I loved it), I wanted to read the books. I was half happy and half disappointed (to be fair the first few books were better than the rest - I've read 17 or 18). The writing isn't anything special but there is banter and wit (which is waning). I love her grandma, the ex-hooker, and some other random side characters - that and the witty moments kept me coming back for more.By the time of the 5th book (or at least by the 10th) you would think she would start to get the hang of her job or get a new one - nope. At a certain point she is just a pretty woman of 30ish who can't pick from 2 men (or choose to move on from both), who is bad at her job, and relies on luck and the men in her life to save her (to be fair I think of one time she was saved by a woman).So why do I keep reading? In spite of how annoying she is, and how she is hopelessly in love with 2 mildly mentally abusive men? Despite all the half attractive or good guys being over 6 ft tall for some reason and all the other men are taken or ugly? The reason is the supporting crazy characters, and the fading wit.

[vincentdarlage · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this one. It was fast paced, fun, and light-hearted. It was exactly what I needed right now. I do think some of the crazies attached to Stephanie are a bit much (Zook and Mooner come to mind), but they were both fun and light-hearted so it was okay. Part of me is still waiting for Stephanie to learn how to be a bounty hunter, and maybe meet some realistic side-characters, but right now I kind of liked the fun. The mystery was good.

[judithdcollins · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny as the Stephanie Plum series continues - loved the audio as the characters come alive!

Personal vendettas, hidden treasure, and a monkey named Carl will send bounty hunter Stephanie Plum on her most explosive adventure yet as Dom Rizzi robbed a bank, stashed the money and did the time.
Joe Morelli, Dom Rizzi and Dom’s sister Loretta are cousins. Morelli is a cop, Rizzi robs banks, and Loretta is a single mother waiting tables at the firehouse. Less than a week after Dom’s release from prison, Joe Morelli has shadowy figures breaking into his house and dying in his basement. He’s getting threatening messages, Loretta is kidnapped, and Dom is missing.

Morelli hires Walter “Mooner” Dunphy, stoner and “inventor” turned crime-fighter to protect his house. Morelli can’t afford a lot on a cop’s salary, and Mooner will work for potatoes.

[trishaj-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as funny as the previous 13, but enjoyable all the same. The scene with the monkey had me laughing pretty hard.

[lushrain · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorites of the series. Super funny and good amount of suspense and sexiness.

[blatherlikeme · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have a theory. I think someone else has been writing Janet Evanovich’s books since book 14, possibly since 13. But 14 definitely reads like someone trying to write in her style and failing. I think that’s why she lost so many fans. I just re-read the first 11. All of them good.

12 is still her, but she’s losing interest. 13 is too loose, but she is still there, she still makes me laugh. 14 is someone else entirely. Its someone trying to write like Evanovich (possibly her daughter). Its in the little things, that I notice it. Evanovich likes to tell us about Stephanie's daily minutae. What she ate, what she sleeps in, etc. She doesn't miss a change to describe an inappropriate kiss from Ranger. Those things are almost there in this book, but not quite. And then there is just the fact that the book is a huge swing and miss.

Every book after 14 has that stale, not quite right feeling. I didn’t even finish 17, it was too pointless. I attributed it to Evanovich being sick of the characters. But now I think she's not writing much of the book at all. Although, I think 18 might be her again. But I’m not sure.

Her next book is another in a separate Diesel series she started. I don’t mind them and I will probably buy it. I am interested in seeing if I think she wrote it or someone is ghosting it.

[cynical_ames · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another laugh out loud book from Janet Evanovich. It was interesting to see Stephanie and Joe as stand-in parents of a teenage boy whose mother was in jail for armed robbery of a liquour store and was subsequently bailed and taken hostage. Lula was hilarious - any woman who wants to get engaged badly enough should follow Lula's example! After finishing the book I was left to wonder whose toes were amputated if they were not from the feet of the hostage - now that was a head scratcher.

[amandafite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this one, It was a quick read and MOONER came back!! I had really missed him.. Now just to figure out where the toes came from.

[indygo88 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I tend to skip around with the Stephanie Plum books.....I pick up one of the audios here & there when I'm in the mood for light reading. For the most part you can do that with these....read them in any particular order & not feel like you missed much with any of the previous ones. This one was just so-so....it didn't have the relationship tension between Stephanie & Morelli & Ranger that I like with this series, but that may well have been because this was the abridged version. However, at this point, I prefer Evanovich's books as abridgements, as the full books are just too much for me. Too silly, too frivolous. I like reader Lorelei King's voice as narrator/Stephanie, but her attempts at the other characters just annoys me.

[dpappas_25 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this one, it was definitely better than some of the previous ones. I liked that Moonman was back, he always adds some humor. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series and I look forward to seeing whether Lula will have her wedding.

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While there are aspects of this one that are incredibly far-fetched...I enjoyed. Mooner is one of my favorite characters so happy to see him again. And Lula...I wish I had a Lula.

[jaguar897 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the side characters more than anything. Zook, Mooner, Gary the stalker, Grandma Lula aka Scorch, Lula and Tank were all pretty damn hilarious and really made the story.

[jenj5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

More of the same kooky fun from Stephanie Plum, Fearless Fourteen doesn't advance her relationships with Joe or Ranger at all but there's plenty of hijinks and sort-of crime solving. Lula gets a lot of attention this time as she's planning her wedding to Tank and Grandma Mazur is as over-the-top as usual. If I remember correctly, there is a small departure from formula as Stephanie's car does not get blown up - I think it only gets spray-painted. Overall, I enjoyed this latest installment in the series and look forward to the next, but I'm wondering how long Evanovich can keep Stephanie balanced between the two men in her life even with the minimal expectations of realism that the series has.

[scote23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's like comfort food or a comfortable chair. You pretty much know what you're getting, you enjoy it but it's nothing shocking.

[terribooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

More of the same -- but it's always laugh-out-loud funny.

[annesanse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Buried treasure! Always fun, right? Not for poor Morelli. I kinda liked that something crazy was going on his life that wasn't because of Stephanie, lol. Not enough Ranger in this one. :( Although, we did get to see him in a tux. :) I dunno, I just felt that Ranger wasn't quite himself in this one. I really liked some of the new characters though: Gary the stalker was good, and I loved Loretta's son Zook! I was kinda hoping that he really was Joe's son. Also, poor Tank!

[parkermazk · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While it is hard to say that this is an amazing book I seem to keep reading them. I took some time off for a while and now have quite a few to read to catch up. What keeps drawing me back to this series is that I can be in a waiting room reading away and then all the sudden break out into laughter. She never fails to amuse and make me crack up. Oh and who can forget the lovely Ranger. I can never get enough of him!!! I will continue to read for now and hope that the humor and tension will not die out, because without them there would be nothing left.

[monicalynn-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again another great addition to the series. Morelli is back in her life for most of this book. Ranger not so much this time around. Taking on a kid and acting like a family for a bit. she keeps the story moving and interesting. Loving this series.

[drebbles · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Stephanie Plum's latest bounty hunter adventure involves a relative of her boyfriend Joe Morelli. Loretta Rizzi has disappeared leaving Stephanie and Joe in charge of her teenage son Mario, a/k/a Zook. While Stephanie is trying to find Loretta she is also trying to find Joe's cousin Dom who robbed a bank and stashed the money someplace. As if that wasn't enough, Stephanie is working for Ranger for a few days as bodyguard for spoiled rotten singer Brenda. Suddenly Stephanie finds herself involved in the world of online video games, people looking for buried treasure, kidnapping, and more. No wonder she is feeling blue! "Fearless Fourteen" is a typical Stephanie Plum book. It is one of the funnier books in the series, especially with the online gaming scenes and there are some laugh out loud moments involving Lula and Tank. As usual, author Janet Evanovich fills the book with over the top characters including the familiar ones - Stephanie, Lula, Connie, Joe, Ranger and Grandma Mazur - and some new or not so familiar characters like Zook, Brenda, Dom, Mooner, Gary the Stalker, and Loretta. There is not a lot of Ranger in this book and Stephanie's sister and kids are MIA. All of the action in the book is over the top as always and nothing is believable. If you've read one Stephanie Plum book, you've basically read them all. There is not much character development and Evanovich tends to rely on the same plot points in each book - bungled bounty hunter attempts; Grandma Mazur refusing to act her age; cars getting blown up; visitations at funeral homes. None of this is deep reading but it did make for mindless reading on a sunny summer afternoon.

[readafew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is another book starring Stephanie Plum. This time she gets to baby-sit the teenager of a skip, first while she's in jail awaiting bail, then later after she disappears. Not only is Stephanie supposed to find out where $9 Million has been hiding for the last 10 years but she also has a washed up country singer trying to capture the whole thing as 'news' to give her career another kickstart. It's one thing after another and Stephanie is just trying to keep her head above water.Overall, it's a Stephanie Plum novel. If you read one, you have a pretty good idea about what happens in all the rest. However, that does not prevent them from continuing to be laugh out loud funny. As long as I don't read them too close together, I find them to be great fun.

[aleene_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one as well. Again a very weird combination of events ending in a bombshell.