Danny's long, interesting search for new apartment ended the day after Thanksgiving. Since Rachel was in a particularly unpleasant mood, she'd packed Gracie off to visit her parents in London for the long weekend, leaving Danny alone over the holiday.

Knowing he'd likely be depressed, Kono took it upon herself to tell Danny he was coming to dinner with her and her family. Steve received similar marching orders (Mary was off being Mary) and, of course, Chin was already going to be there.

She'd invited Lori, only to find out the other woman had already been invited to dinner with Max and his family.

Oh, how Kono wished to be a fly on the wall at that gathering.

Surrounded by throngs of her relatives, Danny didn't really have the chance to be miserable as he was bounced from one auntie to uncle to cousin all day. He was a big hit with all of Kono's older aunties, all of whom seem to think he was cute as a button. They happily plied him with plates of grilled pineapple and mustard glazed Turkey, Opu Poppers and fish stew with poi.

All day long, he refrained from making a single comment about pineapple or even the macadamia nuts and something.

After one of her aunties commented on what a nice young man he was, Kono off-handedly mentioned that he was looking for an apartment, one he wouldn't mind bringing his adorable daughter to….

Ten minutes later, auntie set all three of Kono's cousins who were in real estate to the task of finding Danny a nice place to live.

The second place he looked out on Black Friday was a keeper and the team helped to move in the next weekend.

On Christmas Eve, three weeks later, Danny had 5-0, plus Max, Kamekona and Joe, over to throw a small Christmas party for Grace. He'd even found a Santa suit that fit him this year and Gracie had a blast. Joe brought some kind of anise cookies that seemed to thrill both Danny and Grace and Kamekona made his special eggnog (a batch was set aside specifically for Gracie with no alcohol).

Everyone had a great time.

It was sad when the time came for the party to end and Danny rounded up a thoroughly tired and cookie filled Grace to take back to Rachel's. As everyone prepared to leave, Kono offered to stay behind and clean up, an idea which sent the others scrambling for the door as Danny smiled his thanks, promising to be back soon.

There wasn't really much to do and Kono had the place in order in a matter of minutes.

Taking a deep breath, she ran out to her car and retrieved a small bag. Returning to the apartment, she grinned, having a feeling that it was going to be a very Merry Christmas indeed.

When Danny returned from dropping Gracie off at Rachel's (her snarky 'Enjoy your Christmas, Daniel' had stung), he was surprised to find music still playing. The apartment was quiet, save the soft holiday song, and he called out, "Kono, you here?"

"In here!" She called and return and he blinked, wondering what she was doing in his bedroom.

Maybe she'd spilled something on her shirt and had needed to borrow one of his. Stomping down on the rush of hormones caused by the mental image of Kono in one of his button-down shirts, Danny approached the open door, saying, "Hey, thanks for helping out here. So, what are your plans for….?"

The words died in his throat as he looked around the door frame and saw Kono standing by the foot of his bed, wearing a Santa hat and what could only be described as a sexy Mrs. Clause costume.

A tiny, fur trimmed, red velvet skirt was held on her hips by a wide black leather belt. Her taut, tanned midsection was left bare and her top consisted of a red velvet halter bikini. Her legs were wrapped in black leather boots that reached above her knee and the Santa hat sat on her head at a jaunty angle.

"Plans for tomorrow?" She asked with a smile, her tone light and teasing. "Well, I was thinking about sleeping in, maybe breakfast in bed…unless you could suggest something that might be more interesting."

He gaped at her, trying to form a coherent thought as a significant amount his blood left his brain, rushing to the south. "You…I…wow…."

Kono laughed and took two steps towards him, stopping within arms reach to say, "Danny Williams, speechless? Never thought I'd see that."

"Yeah, well," he rallied, waving a hand to encompass her from Santa hat to boots, "look at you!"

Impish, she said, "My bikinis cover less, you know."

"Context, my dear, context," he replied, forcing his brain to process what was happening and only half succeeding. "So, is this a surprise or…?"

"You kind of missed out on the signs I was giving you, so I thought maybe the direct route would work," she told him with a nod. "Is it working?"

"It is so working," he breathed, reaching a hand out and stroking a thumb along her cheek bone.

Leaning into his palm, she smiled and touched the buckle that held the front of her top together. "Wanna unwrap your present?"

As Danny shook off his stupor, Kono let her arms wrap loosely around his broad shoulders. His hands fell to her hips, drawing her closer and inviting a kiss, not their first, but the first done solely for them.

Undercover kisses didn't count.

Considering the way Danny threw himself into things, the reckless way he kissed her undercover, it was something of a surprise when he started out slowly here. But the gentle pressure, pursed lips brushing hers, was nice in a different way, warm and sweet. When he finally slipped the tip of his tongue along her lower lip, she opened them happily.

The kiss was slow and sure, tasting faintly of the peppermint candy he'd eaten earlier and the slow build promised only good things to come. Sliding a hand up to cup the back of his neck, Kono hummed as Danny's hands slid down to her thighs, gripping them and lifting her slightly. Encouraged, she wrapped her legs around his waist, grinning at the groan the action drew from him.

Danny walked them the few steps to the bed and set her down on the comfortable mattress. She made short work of his T-shirt, yanking it up over his head to allow her access to his torso. She always enjoyed the opportunity to see him shirtless, it was one of the perks of their surfing lessons. Now she had free reign to let her hands explore the strong muscles, to tug gently at the curly hair that littered his chest.

He was regarding her with equal appreciation and jumped in surprise when she tweaked one of his nipples. He moved toward her again, kissing her hungrily before letting his teeth and tongue trace a downward path. Through her top, he massaged her breasts, avoiding the aching peaks as his lips brushed against the soft flesh visible above the cup of the top. When he dipped his fingers into the fabric, his calluses tickled, but she was glad when her breasts were freed from the confining fabric.

This time, she was the one who groaned as Danny latched onto one nipple, drawing it into his mouth and nibbling gently, fingers working the other. She let out a breathy sigh and carded her fingers through his blond hair and down his back. When she reached the waist of his pants, still the red Santa pants from earlier, she simply slid her hands into them, under his boxers and squeezed his ass, enjoying the contrast of soft skin over hard muscle.

Danny seemed to like it as much as she did and let out a choked little growl against her skin, the vibrations making her moan happily. Then he glanced up at her devilishly and released her, planting a soft kiss on the breast he was abandoning before dropping to his knees beside the bed.

Now eager, the two of them made quick work of the remains of their clothes, shedding them rapidly, though Kono left the Santa hat on, at least for the moment. As she kicked her panties and skirt aside, Danny caught her ankle and bent to kiss the inside of her knee before draping it over his shoulder and tracing a path with his tongue toward her center. Kono felt her thighs quiver as he gently cupped her bottom and she ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stand in disarray.

The smile he shot her was sweet, but turned impish as he nipped her inner thigh, moments before applying his very nimble tongue to the bundle of nerves aching for his attention. She yelped, steadying herself by gripping his hair and shoulder as he worked, alternating nibbling on her clit with long, slow licks and a finger dipping into her.

Her body continued to tremble as he upped the pace, and she groaned his name is Danny plunged his tongue into her, nudging her now throbbing button with his nose. When he replaced his tongue with two fingers and used both his teeth and tongue on her clit, Kono cried out, back arching away from the mattress as her muscles spasmed in release. She shuddered through the aftershocks and he continued to lap at her quivering, moist flesh.

When her brain functions returned, Kono tugged gently on his hair, urging Danny to climb up on the bed beside her. He complied, smiling and licking his lips, cleaning the evidence of orgasm from them. Her stomach clenched pleasantly at the sight and Kono kissed him, pressing him back into the mattress and reaching down to wrap hand around the base of his cock.

Her first upward stroke had him tossing his head back, moaning, strong tendons bulging out in his neck. For a moment Kono enjoyed power she had over him, then she bent down letting her tongue tickle delicately over the head. Danny panted out her name and gazed at her as she took him into her mouth slowly, locking eyes until she swirled her tongue around the head.

Then his eyes literally rolled back in his head. He choked out a groan when he hit the back of her throat, but, wanting to prolong things just a little, Kono pulled off completely to lick him from base to tip, circling her tongue around him, fingernails grazing his thighs.

"Kono," he gasped, then made a strangled noise when she took all of him in again and hummed before swallowing around him. "Stop… You have to stop...Oh God…."

His hands found purchase in her hair and pulled lightly so that she released him with the wet pop. His eyes were bit crossed, but she was impressed with his self-control. Scrambling back up to lay beside him, she was pleased when his eager hands were quick to find their way back to her.

The touches might have seemed innocuous compared to their earlier contact, but each brush of fingers over her arm, the curve of her hip, the taut skin of her tummy, sent little sparks directly to the core of her body. After few minutes of these gentle caresses, he grew bolder, leaning over to kiss her breasts as one hand delved between her thighs.

When he tilted his head up to catch her mouth again, she decided enough was enough and planted a hand on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. She straddled his waist and proceeded to draw moans from both of them by rolling her hips against his length. Even the more clinical aspect of rolling condom onto him didn't detract from the sensations coursing through both of them.

It was a pleasant torture, but Kono decided to end it, taking hold of Danny and sinking down onto him slowly, feeling her inner muscles stretch to accommodate. When he was finally completely buried inside her, he skimmed his hands up her thighs to take hold of her hips, wanting to urge her into motion, but waiting for her to act.

Bracing her hands on his chest, Kono rolled her hips in a swiveling motion and they both groaned. She leaned down to kiss him, one hand finding purchase on the comforter by his head and the other catching one of his hands in her own. "Danny," she gasped, grinding her hips down into his. She sat back up, smiling when he slid his hand up from her hip, up her stomach and between her breasts, pausing to tease one nipple.

When his hips bucked up into her, she fell forward again, hands on either side of his head. Danny buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply before licking the soft skin below her ear and murmuring, "I want to see you come, Kono. Come for me."

One of his hands was at her hip, guiding their thrusts as the other thumb found its way to her clit and she saw stars. It seemed like every muscle in her body pulled taut before exploding and she slumped onto his chest, shuddering through the aftershocks, still feeling him moving inside her.

She kissed him hard and nipped at his bottom lip. "We should have done this months ago."

He chuckled but the sound was strained and she clenched herself around him when he flipped them, rolling atop her and thrusting forward hard. Kono moaned as the friction stimulated over sensitized skin and grasped his shoulders tightly. He drew back, almost leaving her completely, then pushed in again, groaning, "Kono…Kono…."

Danny, who normally couldn't stop talking even during a firefight or a high-speed chase, was reduced to murmuring her name, but his eyes got the point across. He was careening headlong towards his own orgasm and seemed determined to pull another from her. He rocked his hips into hers, pulling back to hold himself up to hover over her, looking down at her with lust darkened eyes. One strong hand hitched her leg up around his hip and he gave a few shallow thrusts before slamming home once again.

It took a moment for her to realize the keening sound she heard was coming from her own throat and she demanded, in a clearer tone, "Harder."

Kono knew she was close and almost whimpered when Danny slowed his pace, leaning down to kiss her. She brought her other leg up, wrapping her limbs more firmly around him as he murmured, "Look at me, babe."

When she met his gaze, his hips snapped forward and she gasped, clutching at him and urging him to repeat the action.

This time he complied and she moaned when his hand slipped between them, grazing her clit with shaking fingers. She was so sensitive that it was enough and, gasping his name, she shuddered. His eyes were wide and cheeks flushed and Kono could feel Danny given of a few strokes before coming hard inside her. As he relaxed, his head tipped forward, brow resting against hers as he nuzzled her nose.

Kono trailed her fingers up and down his back for several minutes until they rolled onto their sides. She could feel Danny softening inside her, but she hooked a leg over his hip, pressing their bodies together, not ready to let him go quite yet.

Fingers tracing patterns over her bare skin, Danny kissed her and blinked at her, sleepy and sated. The room was a comfortable temperature and neither felt the need to cover up, simply allowing the sweat to evaporate off their skin.

Eventually, he did slip from her and had to rise and deal with the used condom. Watching him pad off to the bathroom, still naked, Kono grinned and rolled onto her stomach, kicking her feet in the air.

When he returned, she pointed at the clock. "It still Christmas Eve," she said happily, propping her chin upon her hand. "How do you want to spend the rest of the holiday?"

He climbed back onto the bed beside her and smiled. "I like the sound spending the day in bed tomorrow… But I'm thinking, French toast in the morning."

French toast sound delicious. "Just so you know, I tend to burn water."

"That's okay," Danny laughed, "I can cook it."

A very Merry Christmas indeed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Comments, pretty please?