It was christmas eve, snow gently fell onto the ground. Jarod stood outside of Miss Parker's house. Through her window, he could clearly see that she was decorating her christmas tree, delicately hooking each ornament on the branches. She takes hold of one and clutches it close to her heart.

He pulls his jacket tightly around him to keep the coldness out. He hesitated a bit, counted to ten, shook snow off of his head and courageously pushed his finger to her doorbell.

Looking through the peephole, Miss Parker was stunned to see Jarod standing at her front door. She hurriedly into her bedroom and grabbed her Smith and Wesson.

Jarod waited for about a minute, when there was no answer, he knocked on her door loudly.

She abruptly opened her door wide open with her gun pointing at him.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Parker. Hope this holiday season finds you in good health and happiness." He smiled at her with a twinkle in those dark brown eyes of his.

She lowered her 9mm. How the hell could she shoot someone who seemed so sincere in his holiday greetings?

"What brings you here, Jarod? Don't you have anywhere to go? You could pretend you're one of Santa's reindeers. Ah, let's see. Rudolph," she hissed.

"Parker, Parker, Parker. It's only me. You can pull down your shield. You're not as cold-hearted as you'd want people to think.

She huffed at him. "So, what are your holiday plans? Do you have any at all? Never mind that, you're here, so I'm guessing you have none. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, but, I do have plans, Miss Parker. Let's have a truce. I was hoping you would spend christmas with me. We could toast marshmallows." He held out a bag to her. "That is, if you're not busy."

Miss Parker surprised him when she extended an invitation, in her own Parker manner, to join her for eggnog.

"Get in the house and make yourself useful. You can hang the topper on the christmas tree and if you do it properly, you can join me for a glass of eggnog."

Taking off his jacket, he headed to the fireplace. "It's nice and and warm in here."

"Don't get too comfortable, I just need you here to hang this star, way up there, have your eggnog and off you go!" She pointed to the top.

"How about our marshmallows? We can pretend we're out camping in front of a roaring fire. Just you and me."

"Jarod! You're such a child! Maybe!" She growled.

"So, why such a huge tree if you can't reach it?"

She kept quiet for a minute before she spoke. "It's a tradition. My mother loved christmas and the trees she picked would get taller each year."

"Love, M.P," Jarod read out loud grabbing hold of her most precious ornament.

"Don't touch that!" She snapped.

"Sorry." He laid it down on her table carefully.

"I gave this to mama on our last christmas together." Miss Parker walked away with it and looked out of the window, reminiscing back.

Jarod left her alone and decided to finish her decorating, every now and then, he would glance up at her. After several minutes, he walked up to Miss Parker.

"You can hang your ornament now, then I'll put the star up," his voice was soft and he stood directly behind her.

Miss Parker turned and was face to face with him. She nodded and pulled his arm gently as to have him step aside. She hung it at eye level, twirling it, she watched her keepsake spin and smiled to herself.

"You know, she's always with you, although, she's hard to see. But, if you close your eyes, you can see her right before you."

Miss Parker shut her eyes and a single tear leaked out. "Mama," she says softly.

When she opened her eyelids, Jarod stood just a few inches away from her, she was so sure he was going to kiss her, but, then suddenly, he took two steps back.

"Okay, uh, I'll put the topper on," he nervously announced. "God, what was I thinking of," he tells himself.

"Beautiful," she tells him. "Perfect."

"Yes, it is," he replied, only his eyes was on her and not the tree.

"After decorating, mama would have me turn off the lights while she plugged in the tree and our living room would glow."

"So why don't you?"

"Why don't I what?"

"You go on ahead and turn off the lights, Miss Parker, and I'll plug in the tree."

"Okay, Jar." It was unusual to hear her call him that, he was so accustomed to pez, wonderboy, labrat and her other terms of endearments.

The christmas lights illuminated the whole living room. Parker stood there realizing how the lights on the tree blinked to the rhythm of her pounding heartbeat. In all honesty, she knows her relationship with Jarod could not escalate any further than him being best friends. Yes, they were best friends once, but that was a very long time ago. Best friends should not go anywhere beyond just...well, just best friends.

She turned to take a look at him. "Damn! He sure looks yummy tonight. I wonder if he tastes as good as he looks. Whoa, where did that come from? This can't be happening. When did it all begin? I don't remember when it started. Did I always feel like this about him? Okay, okay, Melissa, focus, breathe in, breathe out, focus...there. Must be the drink I had earlier."

Jarod stayed at her side watching the lights. After about a minute, he stood in front of her, eyed her up and down and leaned forward to kiss her.

"Don't," she told him and laid her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Sorry. Okay. Maybe I should go. You want me to leave?"

His voice in his head spoke. "Hey, Parker, I love you, I know you have feelings for me, at least I think you do. Don't you? If you let me, maybe I should kind of hang out here until we can sort things out. Right! That would go over well with her. Uh-huh, Parker. I'm sure she'd be falling all over herself to have the chance to discuss emotional matters of the heart with me. Must be that hit on my head when I accidently bumped into the kitchen cabinet."

"What the hell did you think you were going to do?" She snarled.

He answered genuinely. "Well, Miss Parker, I was about to kiss you. An intelligent woman like you couldn't figure that out?"

"And what makes you think I want those lips of yours on mine? Don't even answer that. Just don't cross that line. All I need are those bloody sweepers taking me into custody along with you."

He thought hard. "Okay," he said to himself, "well, if we said nothing to anyone and be discreet about it, maybe we could get away with it. Good lord, Jarod, you are so stupid...okay, okay, relax, don't do anything to jeopardize what you have going with her, whatever that is...do not...do not do anything to...I repeat, do not...okay, any minute now I'm going to pull her into my arms...stop that...I'm fine...I'm fine...keep your hands to yourself...inhale deeply...exhale slowly...there...I'm fine...I'll be alright...stay calm and collected...okay, there. Whew, that was close!"

Miss Parker turned to walk away from him. "If he grabs me now, I just don't know if I could actually pull away from him. Oh, hell, it would never happen, anyway. Stop it, Melissa! Wishful thinking!"

"I'll take my chances," he told himself and gently grabbed her arm, drew her close, his arms went around her slendor body. "Why the hell did I just do that? She'll definitely throw me out for sure."

To his surprise, she returned his hug tightly. Parker caught herself and thought, "Oh great, what am I doing? What is he doing? What the hell are we doing? Okay, okay, this can't be happening. Oh God! I love this man! No, No. I've got to stop this."

She reluctantly pulled away from him and walked to the other side of the room.

"We can't, no, this is wrong, Jarod."

"Parker." She turned, looked up and their eyes met. "Come here."

She shook her head, but her heart said "yes."

Jarod held out his hands to her. "I said come here."

Miss Parker hesitated for a few seconds, then, took slow steps towards him but stopped, as he met her halfway, he too, stopped. She took the next steps, approached him slowly, falling right into his arms.

Their bodies touched and tingled with excitement. He tucked his hands under her hair and kissed her passionately. Her arms went around him, holding him as tightly as she could and followed his lead into a long hungry kiss. They eventually came up for air, after catching a few breaths, Miss Parker lightly and quickly kissed Jarod on his forehead, his chin and then his lips with opened-mouth.

Jarod held her close, her breast against him. He kissed her, tasting her as his tongue swirled with hers. They felt their kiss throughout their entire body igniting their passions and desires wanting it to last forever.

"Uhmmmmm, delicious," she murmured. Miss Parker, of course, didn't want him to stop. She's been waiting for this moment for such a long time. He kissed her again and again, stopping, gazing into her deep blue eyes, then lowered his face down to hers.

"You are so beautiful and sexy, Parker. I want to kiss you from head to toe. I want to explore your body with passionate pecks, lingering kisses."

"And lusty licks," she says breathlessly.

"Lusty licks," he repeated as his hands roamed through her body.

"Jarod."

"What?"

Parker wasn't sure she could look at him without bursting into tears. She struggled to find something to say. She led him to the sofa and crouched in front of him, taking his hands in hers.

"Jarod." She spoke to him in a tender whisper.

"What?" He repeated.

"I want to go to bed tonight with your face being the last thing I see. I want to wake up tomorrow on christmas morning with you by my side."

Miss Parker pushed him onto the back rest of the sofa. What she did surprised Jarod. She straddled him, caressing the back of his neck and running her fingers through his hair. It astonished him, for Parker was not one who would release any emotions to anyone whatsoever, which was why she was nicknamed "Ice Queen." He smiled, bringing his hands on her hips, then he slid it under her top.

She drew her face down to his and tenderly kissed him.

"I'll be the best christmas present you'll ever have." She laughed wickedly, kissing him again, this time so out of control.

Jarod responded to her kisses and her touches. She let out soft moans each time she felt his hands touch a different part of her body.

"Parker," he panted, "merry christmas."

"You do remember my first name, don't you? Say it. Whisper it in my ears."

"Melissa." She could feel his warm breath as he nuzzled her ears.

"Again. Say it again."

"Melis," he paused and nibbled her neck, "sa!"

"Ummmmm," she murmured, she closed her eyes, enjoying every bit of their moment together.

"So, have you been a good girl this year?"

She nodded shyly.

"What do you want Santa to bring you? What do you want for christmas?" Jarod asked, remembering the repeated questions he asked little boys and girls when he once played Santa in a department store.

"You," she answered, as her tongue moistened her lips.

"Are you going to be naughty or nice to Santa?"

"Naughty, Santa." To Jarod's surprise, Miss Parker got off of him and started a little dance and a rendition of "Santa Baby".

Making eye contact with him, she held it momentarily, then looked away. She focused her eyes on him again. Jarod sat with his mouth wide open with a blinkless doe-eyed look.

"Santa honey..."

Miss Parker continued her song and dance like she was some sort of professional club entertainer "pole" dancer only without the pole and with a combination of lap dancing. She could tell by the look on his face how her movements enticed Jarod as she swayed her hips to the figure eight. She turned her back to him, looked over her left shoulder and bent down forward for him to get a clear view of her derriere. She could clearly see his hands clutching tightly into a fist and heard a low-toned grunt.

"Santa cutie..."

Miss Parker raised her arms above her head, turned back to face Jarod, bent forward and jiggled her front to him. Her dance was so seductive and sensual that Jarod bit his lower lip lighty enjoying her erotic moves. Their eye contact met with a smile and she continued dancing and singing. She playfully grabbed his head placing his face between her breast. A tingle shot went through his body as he felt her firmness. Moving gracefully away from him, spreading her legs apart, she rested her foot between his thighs as she ended her song.

"Santa Baby, hurry down the chimney tonight. Hurry down the chimney tonight. Hurry down the chimney tonight."

Speechless, he runs his hands up her thighs and down her long silky legs as he kissed her knees.

She unbuttoned his shirt, ran her hand lightly across his chest, pulled him off of the sofa and onto his feet and headed towards the bedroom.

Miss Parker turned to see Jarod frozen in place, still mesmerized by her entertainment.

"You coming?" She gestured her finger to summon him.

Lifting her off of the floor and into his arms, he led the way into her bedroom. She clung on tightly, slobbering wet kisses all over his face.

Jarod genty laid Miss Parker onto her bed. They stripped each other slowly, with every piece of clothing thrown on the floor. Completely nude, he kissed every inch of her body as he crawled atop of her.

"Merry christmas, Melissa. I'll be making love to you like there's no tomorrow," he growled animal-like as he entered her.

She purred at first, then, let out a loud moan.

"Merry christmas, Jarod," she whispered breathlessly arching her back.

The End