All Chapters of A Hot Daddy For Christmas: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

The apartment felt smaller with him inside it.Not physically.Energetically.Mateo stood in the center of Ariana’s living room like he belonged there — like he belonged anywhere he chose to stand.She moved away first.Not dramatically.Just enough to breathe.“You can’t keep showing up like this,” she said quietly.“I can.”“That’s not what I meant.”His gaze followed her as she crossed her arms over her chest — not defensive, just grounding herself.“Tyler hearing rumors is not coincidence,” she continued. “Something slipped.”“Nothing slipped,” Mateo said evenly. “People speculate when they are bored.”“Speculation becomes suspicion.”“And suspicion without proof is noise.”His control was infuriating.She stepped closer again, frustration sharpening her tone.“I’m the one under observation, Mateo. Not you.”Silence.That landed.His jaw shifted slightly.“I am aware.”“Are you?” she challenged softly. “Because transferring me without telling me feels like damage control.”His eye

The words didn’t register at first.Against you.Ariana stared at Mateo like she hadn’t heard him properly.“Against… me?” she repeated.Mateo’s phone was still in his hand. His expression had shifted — not panicked, not emotional.Cold.Focused.“Yes.”Her pulse began to pound in her ears.“For what?”“Alleged boundary violations. Preferential access. Manipulation of reporting hierarchy.”Each phrase sounded more absurd than the last.“I didn’t manipulate anything,” she said immediately.“I know.”“That’s insane.”“Yes.”His calm wasn’t dismissive.It was controlled violence.“Who filed it?” she asked.“Anonymous.”Her stomach twisted.Anonymous was worse.Anonymous meant protection.Anonymous meant planning.She ran a hand through her hair. “This is because of the carpool.”“It is because someone is constructing a narrative.”Her head snapped up. “You think this is deliberate?”“I do not believe in coincidence.”The room felt smaller again.“They came here to test me,” she whispered

The afternoon sunlight slanted through the tall glass windows of Hospital del Sol, but it did little to warm the sterile corridors. Ariana’s movements were precise, almost mechanical, as she passed from room to room, checking vitals and updating charts. Her mind tried to stay on tasks, on professionalism, but she could feel it — that pressure in the air, the shift she had come to recognize.Mateo’s influence was invisible, yet palpable. She didn’t see him, but she felt it. Each step, each breath seemed measured against a standard only he defined. Her chest tightened, not from fear, but from anticipation.It was then she noticed him — Tyler, standing awkwardly near the end of the cardiology wing, looking out of place, out of time.His gaze swept over the nurses like he was searching for someone, his eyes locking on hers with a smug sense of purpose.“Ari…” he began, voice low, calculated. “I wasn’t sure you’d be—”She cut him off instantly, spine straight, voice calm, professional. “Ty

The morning sun barely filtered through the thin curtains of Ariana’s apartment, casting a soft, golden haze across the room. The faint hum of Madrid awakening seeped through the window — car engines, distant voices, a delivery truck rattling down the street. But Ariana didn’t feel awake yet.Her body still ached in all the familiar, satisfying ways. Every inch of her skin remembered Mateo’s hands, his teeth, his lips. The memory was both painful and delicious, a constant heat under her clothes. She had tried to sleep after he left, but the apartment felt impossibly empty, colder than the winter morning should have allowed.She stretched slowly, her muscles reminding her how thoroughly Mateo had claimed her the night before. A shiver ran down her spine. She pressed a hand to her stomach, as if grounding herself.Her morning routine was mechanical — brush teeth, shower, dress — but her mind refused to settle. Every touch from Mateo replayed vividly: the dominance, the precision, the ca

Ariana’s apartment smelled faintly of lavender and the lingering hint of Mateo’s cologne. She had tried to keep things neutral, simple, calming—her attempt to create a boundary between the outside world and the private chaos that always accompanied him. But the moment he stepped inside, every line she thought she had drawn vanished.He didn’t knock, didn’t ask permission. Mateo simply entered, the click of the door behind him sealing her in a world where she had no control. His gaze swept over her like a dark wave, slow, deliberate, devouring her completely.“You’ve been very patient today,” he murmured, voice low, vibrating in her chest. “Too patient. And I like that about you—but patience has limits.”Ariana felt the heat of his words creep under her skin. “Limits?” she asked softly, her voice barely audible.Mateo moved closer, hand reaching out to brush a loose strand of hair from her face. His thumb lingered, stroking the soft line of her jaw. “Limits of what you can bear… and li