AFTER THIS NIGHT Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21420593-after-this-night?ac=1

This is the conclusion of Julia and Clay's story that began in the New York Times Bestseller Night After Night.

"Why do you like me tied up sometimes?"
"Because the way I feel for you is so out of control that this is one way for me to feel in control again."

Their world was passion, pleasure and secrets.

Far too many secrets. But Clay Nichols can't get Julia Bell out of his mind. He's so drawn to her, and to the nights they shared, that he can't focus on work or business. Only her. And she's pissing him off with her hot and cold act. She has her reasons though-she's trying to stay one step ahead of the trouble that's been chasing her for months now, thanks to the criminal world her ex dragged her into. If only she can get out of this mess, then maybe she can invite the man who ignites her back in her life, so she can have him-heart, mind and body.

He won't take less than all of her, and the full truth too. When he runs into her again at her sister's wedding, they have a second chance but she'll have to let him all the way in. And they'll learn just how much more there is to the intense sexual chemistry they share, and whether love can carry them well past the danger of her past and into a new future, after this night...

Please note: This book is intended for 18+ due to dirty talk, light bondage, and lots of sexy scenes.

*ARC provided by author for an honest review*

This book sat on my kindle for a long while before I cracked it open. Not because I didn't want to read it. Or because I wasn't interested in where things would go for Clay and Julia. No, it was because I knew once I finished it that I would have to say goodbye. And I REALLY didn't want to! I am a huge fan of Lauren's books and have loved all the couples I have met through her stories along the way. But Clay and Julia are hands down my favorite.

So, I prolonged our goodbye for as long as I could by refusing to read this book. But deadlines were a callin', so I finally had to give in and read After This Night. And even though I am sad to see Julia and Clay go, I am so happy that I got to be a witness to their journey!

When we left them in Night After Night, things were not looking so good for these two. Julia is holding tight to her secret and Clay is not playing games. I could not see how either of them could find a middle ground to overcome this HUGE obstacle standing in their path to happiness.

And I have to say, I was SO frustrated with them both at many points in this book! While I understood why things were the way they were, it didn't make me happy AT. ALL! It definitely kept me turning the page though, to find out if they were going to get their act together. And I must say, I LOVE karma! Hehe

And don't think just because there is trouble in paradise, that this book lacks the heat of the first! If there is one thing this couple has above all else is a smokin' hot chemistry that will not be put out for anything!

Overall, a great conclusion to Clay and Julia's story, even if I am sad to let them go! But I know Lauren will be giving us another couple to fall in love with soon enough, she is awesome like that!

“I wish I were there wearing your clothes right now.”

He laughed. “That’s what you want to be doing? Because I’d like to be fucking you if you were here.”

“Well, that too. But then I’d put on your shirt.”

“You like that, don’t you?”

“I know you do too,” she said.

“I do. Seeing you in my shirt and your heels is my kryptonite.”

“Oh, is that it? That’s your kryptonite?”

“Or maybe it’s just that you are,” he whispered, admitting more than he wanted to.

“I think the same could be said here.”

There was a pause, and though they were three thousand miles apart, the silence was heady. He was in a drugged-out state tonight. This woman was his pill, and closeness with her was what he craved most even as he feared she would destroy his heart. Smash it to a million tiny pieces and eat it for lunch. But he had a built-in barrier in distance, and with no trips to San Francisco on his immediate calendar he saw nothing wrong with this temporary moment of relief from the pressure inside of him from wanting her. They couldn’t be together in any meaningful way, and he couldn’t get hurt if he didn’t actually see her. Right? Right, he answered for himself.

“What are we doing, Julia?” he asked, and he was sure she could hear the longing in his tone, but he didn’t care. There was no need to hide it after they’d just broken down and pleasured themselves together.

“I wish I knew,” she said, her voice wistful and full of yearning. “I really wish I knew.”

He heaved a sigh, trying to sort out his thoughts, but his brain was a mixed-up mess and he didn’t know how to untangle all the threads. Or if he wanted to remain tangled up with her instead.

“What are you going to do when we hang up?” he asked, changing direction.

“Read a book.”

“What are you reading these days?”

“A crazy story about a guy who treks across Antarctica.”

“That does sound crazy.”

“Yeah. He’s kind of hallucinating and talking to penguins right now,” she said with a small laugh.

“Can you blame him? I have to imagine if you’re stuck in the polar ice cap that talking to penguins might be a rare source of comfort.”

“As long as he doesn’t eat the penguins I’ll keep reading it.”

“Here’s to no penguin meals in the books we read.”

“What will you do?”

“I suspect I will fall fast asleep and dream of a beautiful redhead on the other side of the country.”

“She would like that dream very much,” she said in a sweet voice, the kind that worked its way beneath all the hard edges in him, and settled deep in his heart. “Will I talk to you again soon?”

He took a fueling breath, and put his armor back on, steeling himself. “I don’t know the answer to that.”

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And don’t miss the prequel novella, FIRST NIGHT, and the first full-length novel, NIGHT AFTER NIGHT, in the Seductive Nights Series!

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Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and her books have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iBooks bestseller lists. Like the heroine in FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. Her novels include Caught Up In Us, Pretending He’s Mine, Playing With Her Heart, and Trophy Husband. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney.