Page 104 of Her Older Sheikh

She loved him just as he loved her, and it was this thought that Adam held close to his fucking heart even as he reluctantly forced himself to get moving.

Adam kissed the top of her head one last time before leaving, and while he had intended to talk to her again after his unscheduled operation, life was never what one planned in his line of work.

He had thought they would only be apart for a few hours.

But he was wrong.

JOELLE RETRIEVED Aparty horn blower from under the counter when her cousin walked inside his clinic.

"Congratulations, boss!"

The fact that all Adam could do was nod spoke volumes, and she quickly went around her desk to hand him his decaf. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Adam drank everything down in one gulp.

"You need to rest. You've worked nonstop for seventy-two hours."

"Didn't really have a choice with that one," Adam reminded the younger girl while massaging the muscles at the back of his neck. A colleague's bachelor's party had ended up severely cripplingthe hospital's surgical unit, and Adam had ended up handling other doctor's case loads when both groom-to-be and four invited surgeons went down with a viral infection the following day.

"Well, you have a choice now," Joelle told him. "You have until next Friday off, so go home and get some sleep."

Adam frowned. "What about my meeting with the board?"

"Canceled by the CEO himself."

Adam only looked at her, but Joelle by now was well used to such a reaction. It was only when he was dead tired that her cousin's brain cells tended to work just a tad slower than usual.

"Yes, you heard me right," she said patiently. "You really do have that many days off, and we also havefoursurgeons in reserve for emergencies. You've earned this vacation, so..." Joelle smiled slyly. "Go and enjoy it with your mysterious girlfriend!"

Adam's shoulders finally relaxed. "I will, thanks."

Joelle's eyes widened. "I was just joking!"

"I wasn't."

"Oh my God, so you really do have a girlfriend? Who is it—-"

Adam walked out of the clinic, and Joelle was left talking to an empty room.

Bliss.

It was a struggle not to grin like a fucking fool as he walked to the nurses' station. He could finally see Temptation again, and hopefully, once she learned how crazy the past few days hadbeen, she would understand why he hadn't been able to send her even a single text.

It took about half an hour before Adam was done giving last-minute instructions to the nurses handling his patients, and it was upon walking back that he saw a girl stepping out of his clinic.

What the hell?

Adam froze in his tracks.

He would know those lovely dark eyes of hers anywhere.

What the hell was Temptation doing coming out of his clinic?

How the fuck had she found him, and had he just caught her doing the same thing as Ilona had done?

Twenty-One

It's far from my first time to come to Stanhope, but I think this is the first time ever that my stomach isn't curdling in fear as I cross its doors, and of course I havehimto thank for this.

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