About That Night
“Julie James rocks!”
—Sandra Hill,
USA Today
bestselling author
Praise for
A Lot Like Love
“Julie James writes books I can’t put down.
A Lot Like Love
kept me up way past midnight!”
—Nalini Singh,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Sexy fun, romance fans will pop their corks over this one.”
—
Library Journal
“Fueled by equal measures of seductive wit, edge-of-the-seat suspense, and scorching-hot sexual chemistry, James’s latest scintillating novel of romantic suspense is a rare treat.”
—
Chicago Tribune
“[James] exhibits her trademark sizzle and wit.”
—
Booklist
“You’ll fall head over heels for
A Lot Like Love
.”
—
USA Today
“Julie James…is mastering the genre of romantic suspense.”
—
The News-Gazette
(East Central Illinois)
“James writes characters so real you can almost reach out and touch them. A delicious blend of romance and suspense.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“Just the right balance of charm, love, action, and touches of humor and suspense.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“There’s a whole lot to love about
A Lot Like Love
from Julie James. This is a superb read, plain and simple.”
—
Babbling About Books, and More
Something About You
“Smart, snappy, funny yet realistic. I can’t count the number of times I laughed while reading the book…This is one book I can totally recommend.”
—
Dear Author
“From first impressions to the last page, it’s worth shaking your tail feather over…This is a contemporary romance well worth savoring, and laughing over, and reading all over again.”
—
Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Just plain fun! James is a master of witty repartee.”
—
RT Book Reviews
Practice Makes Perfect
“A tantalizing dessert—a delicious, delightful read that all hopeless romantics will enjoy.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
“A fast-paced romantic comedy, packed with hilarious situations and sharp dialogue…A talented writer…Expect a lot of sparks to fly.”
—
San Francisco Book Review
“A sophisticated contemporary romance…proves that [James] is a master at conveying both courtroom and behind-the-scenes maneuvering.”
—
Booklist
(starred review)
Just the Sexiest Man Alive
“Fantastic, frolicking fun…Read
Just the Sexiest Man Alive
, and you will be adding Julie James to your automatic-buy list!”
—Janet Chapman,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Witty banter and an amazing chemistry…bring this delightful story to life.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
“Remind[s] me of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies: they have that funny edge.”
—Eloisa James,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Witty and romantic.”
—
Publishers Weekly
Berkley Sensation Titles by Julie James
JUST THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU
A LOT LIKE LOVE
ABOUT THAT NIGHT
That Night
JULIE JAMES
BERKLEY SENSATION, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive,
Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
ABOUT THAT NIGHT
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / April 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Julie James.
Excerpt from
A Lot Like Love
by Julie James copyright © 2011 by Julie James.
Cover art by Claudio Marinesco. Cover design by Rita Frangie.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of
copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-56137-9
BERKLEY SENSATION
®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION
®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is
stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the
author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ALWAYS LEARNING
PEARSON
For Charlene—
I know you’re watching,
and I’m keeping that promise.
First and foremost, I owe tremendous thanks to John and Chris, two assistant U.S. attorneys who were unbelievably generous with their time in answering my many,
many
questions about federal criminal procedure and life as an AUSA. Since my days as a federal appellate clerk, I’ve had the utmost respect for the talented prosecutors who serve in those positions.
Special thanks as well to Special Agent Ross Rice and Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell Samborn, who opened the doors to their offices and gave me glimpses of day-to-day life at both the Chicago division of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. I’m grateful also to Dave Scalzo for sharing his business expertise and to Jen Laudadio for, well, you know what.
To Elyssa Papa and Kati Dancy—thank you so much for your wonderful feedback and insights, and for working with some really tight deadlines. Simply put, you ladies rock.
Thanks as well to my editor, Wendy McCurdy, and my agent, Susan Crawford, for their understanding, helpfulness, and patience during what turned out to be a very eventful year for me. I also want to express my gratitude to the entire team at Berkley—all of whom do such a fantastic job—including my incredible publicist, Erin Galloway, and Christine Masters, copy editor extraordinaire.
Finally, to my husband: I know I always thank you in my books, but—wow—I think I may actually owe you my first-born child after this one. Good thing he’s already yours, or I’d probably be in a lot of trouble with DCFS for that arrangement.
May 2003
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
SHE HAD SURVIVED.
Pressed against the wood-paneled wall of the bar, her chin resting on her hand, Rylann Pierce listened as her friends chatted on around her, quite content for the first time in a month to think about nothing whatsoever.
Along with five of her law school classmates, she sat at a crowded table on the second floor of the Clybourne, one of the few campus bars frequented by highbrow graduate students who demanded that their watered-down, four-dollar drinks be served in actual glasses instead of plastic. Everyone in the group was in the same section as Rylann, which meant they’d all completed their last final exam, Criminal Procedure, late that afternoon. Spirits were high and boisterous—at least boisterous by law-student standards—punctuated only by occasional lows when someone realized a point they’d missed during the obligatory post-exam recap.
Someone nudged her elbow, interrupting her reverie. “Hello? Anyone there?”
The question came from Rylann’s roommate, Rae Mendoza, who was seated at her right.
“I’m here. Just…picturing myself at the pool.” Rylann tried to hold on to the mirage for a few moments longer. “It’s sunny and seventy-five degrees. I’ve got some kind of tropical drink with one of those little umbrellas in it, and I’m
reading a book—one I don’t have to highlight or outline in the margins.”
“They make those kinds of books?”
“If memory serves.” Rylann exchanged a conspiratorial smile with Rae. Like many of their classmates, they’d both spent nearly every waking hour of the last four weeks outlining class notes and textbooks, taking practice exams, staring bleary-eyed at
Emanuel
Law Outlines
into the wee hours of the night, and meeting with study groups—all in preparation for four three-hour tests that would help determine the course of their future legal careers. No pressure there.
The rumor was that the second and third years got progressively easier, which would be nice—there was this interesting activity called
sleep
Rylann had heard of, and she was thinking about trying it out. Perfect timing, too. She had a week off before her summer job started, during which she planned to do nothing more strenuous than roll herself out of bed every day by noon and mosey over to the university’s outdoor pool, which was open to students.