All Chapters of A Hot Daddy For Christmas: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

The rest of the shift passed in fragments.Beeping monitors.Soft-soled shoes against polished floors.Muted conversations at the nurses’ station.Ariana functioned flawlessly.If anyone watched her, they would see nothing but competence — steady hands, calm voice, precise documentation.But underneath that polished surface, something had shifted.The stairwell kiss hadn’t been desperate.It hadn’t been rushed.It had been intentional.And intention was always more dangerous.By the time her shift ended, the sky outside had softened into late afternoon haze. Warm light filtered through the hospital’s tall glass panels, stretching long shadows across the lobby floor.She didn’t text him.She didn’t need to.Her phone buzzed just as she stepped outside.Mateo: Car. Five minutes.Her pulse fluttered.Simple.Direct.She swallowed and walked toward the curb.The black car was already waiting.Engine running.Windows tinted.Controlled.Like him.The driver’s door opened.He stepped out in

The morning light slipped through Mateo’s bedroom in quiet silver streaks.Not harsh.Not loud.Just soft enough to trace the outline of Ariana’s bare shoulder where the sheet had fallen away.Mateo was already awake.He always woke before the sun fully claimed the skyline.But today he didn’t move.He watched.Her breathing was slow. Even. One hand tucked beneath her cheek. Hair spilled across the white pillow in dark waves.Peaceful.Too peaceful for the world she had stepped into.His jaw tightened slightly.She had chosen this.He reminded himself of that.Chosen him.Chosen the risk.Chosen the fall.Still… the instinct to shield her from the consequences coiled tight in his chest.She stirred.Brows knitting faintly before her lashes fluttered open.For a second, confusion flickered there.Then memory settled in.Her eyes found him.“You’re staring,” she murmured, voice husky from sleep.“Yes.”“How long?”“Long enough.”A faint smile curved her lips. “That’s unsettling.”“It sh

The hospital felt colder the next morning.Not physically.Emotionally.Ariana sensed it the moment she stepped through the revolving doors. The air carried the same sterile scent, the floors shone the same polished white — but beneath the surface, something had tightened.Observation had shifted into assessment.She moved through the lobby with quiet confidence, her reflection gliding beside her in the glass panels.Head high. Spine straight. No hesitation.If they were watching, she would give them nothing.At the nurses’ station, Lucas leaned against the counter, unusually subdued.“You feel that?” he muttered as she approached.“Feel what?”“Like we’re in a documentary about corporate corruption.”She almost smiled. “You’re dramatic.”“I’m intuitive.”Elena stepped in before the exchange could continue.“Conference Room C at noon,” she said to Ariana without preamble.Her pulse remained steady. “Compliance?”“Yes.”Lucas straightened. “Again?”Elena shot him a look.He raised his

Morning arrived quietly.Not with alarms or rushing footsteps like Ariana’s usual workdays — but with soft light sliding slowly across the floor-to-ceiling windows.The city below was already awake.Traffic crawled through the wide Madrid streets, tiny cars gliding between tall stone buildings. A bakery across the street had opened its doors, and even from this height Ariana could see people gathering outside with paper bags and steaming coffee cups.Normal life.Ordinary.Which made the room behind her feel even more surreal.She lay still for a moment.Mateo’s arm rested heavily across her waist, anchoring her against his chest. His breathing was slow, deep, steady.Sleeping.The realization startled her slightly.She had never seen him like this.At the hospital he was always composed. Controlled. Alert. Every movement intentional.But here, in the quiet morning light, he looked… human.His dark hair was slightly disordered, his jaw relaxed, the tension usually carved into his face

The afternoon moved slower after the call with Cami.Ariana tried to focus on charts, medication schedules, patient rounds — the quiet rhythm of the hospital that usually steadied her mind.But every time she finished a task, the same thought returned.Tonight.Cami.The club.And Mateo.Because sooner or later he was going to find out.He always did.The cardiology wing hummed with its usual activity. Monitors beeped softly, nurses moved between rooms, and somewhere down the corridor a patient laughed at something Lucas said.Ariana stood at the medication cart reviewing dosages when she felt it again.That shift.That awareness.She looked up.Mateo stood at the far end of the hall speaking with Elena. His posture was relaxed but attentive, his hands resting lightly in the pockets of his white coat.From a distance, he looked untouchable.Respected.Controlled.But the moment his eyes lifted and found hers, the air between them tightened.He held her gaze for exactly two seconds.Th