Free Dirty Dix (Hard Love Romance #1) by Monica James Page A

also torn on what the right protocol here is by the way she’s biting her bottom lip, and subtly looking at me to make the first move. But the fact I can still smell Juliet on me has me shying away from hugging her. There’s no way I can kiss her for obvious reasons, and shaking hands or waving just feels so detached, like we’re strangers. So like an utter moron, I raise my fist and watch as Madison looks at it confused.
    I too look at it, cursing my stupidity, but now that I’ve put it out there, I have no other choice but to follow through before I look like a complete douche.
    However, Madison stuns me as she slowly dodges my raised fist, not interested in fist bumping with me, and stands on tippy toes to kiss my stubbled cheek. The minute she invades my personal space, my body sings, drowning in her vanilla scent.
    “I’ll catch ya later, Dixon,” she says, pulling away way too quickly, and I nod, dropping my fist.
    “Bye, Madison,” I reply, and watch as the most amazing girl walks away from me, hoping it’s not my last image of her.
----
    T hank Christ I somehow managed to not lose my key, and the moment I get home, I have a long shower and fall face first onto my bed, not even bothering to dress. The only thing that wakes me is a loud, unrelenting knock on my door. Moaning and attempting to clear the fog from my brain, I turn to my right and see that my bedside clock reads 6:27 p.m.
    Once the perpetrator makes it clear they’re not going away, and their knocking gets louder, I give in and throw on a pair of sweats. I don’t even bother with a T-shirt because whoever this person is, they’re most definitely not staying.
    “What?” I bark as I open the door, but nearly fall flat on my face when I see Juliet standing before me.
    It takes me a moment to fire on all four cylinders, but once I do, I coolly question, “What are you doing here?”
    Juliet simply grins and holds up my wallet and phone, not needing to explain anything further.
    The fact she went through my wallet to find my address feels like a slight invasion of privacy, but I really should be a little more grateful that she made the trip down here. But this feels too personal, too close to home—literally. A woman hasn’t set foot inside my home since Lily, but the way Juliet is currently looking at me, she wants to change that.
    “So, are you going to invite me in? Or am I going to have to blow you in the hallway?”
    If not for my acute hearing, I would say I misheard her, but I know there’s no mistaking her intentions as her eyes rake down my body, stopping at my ribs and focusing on my tattoo.
    “‘We are never so defenseless against suffering as when we love,’” she says, reading my Freud-and Lily-inspired tattoo. “Well, well, Dr. Mathews, I would have never thought.”
    I forgot Juliet never saw me fully unclothed, as due to our animalistic fucking, only the bare essentials were removed and we worked with whatever was left. That thought has me feeling like a complete bastard, so I open the door wider, permitting Juliet into my home.
    The moment she steps into my abode, however, every pore in my body demands I kick her out because this feels so wrong. I have no other choice, so I close the exit behind me, feeling like I’m locking my own prison door.
    I stand back as Juliet takes in my apartment.
    “So,” she says, turning around to face me after a minute of scrutinizing my home.
    “So,” I parrot, placing my hands into my pockets.
    I have nothing I want to say to her because after this morning, I’m a little shocked to see her here. I made peace with the fact I’d probably never see her again. But here she is, standing in front of me, looking deliciously mouth-watering.
    “Sorry about this morning, Dixon,” she says. “I had somewhere I had to be.”
    I nod, trying my best to appear unaffected. “Thanks for bringing my things over. You can leave them there.” I gesture with my chin toward the kitchen