“T hanks ,” I murmured shyly, taking the steaming mug from him. “It really is freezing out there!”

He smiled at me, a warming, charming and disarming flash of teeth and a twinkle in his eye. The dimples in his cheeks, his smile lines creasing as he winked at me.

“Sure thing, kid”

He'd always called me that, ever since I was a little girl, and it brought a smile and a flash of warmth to me today just as much as it had years ago.

I took a sip of the hot, steaming chocolate and gasped at the heat across my tongue, and also at the hot, lingering taste beneath the cocoa.

“Is there - is there alcohol in this?” I flushed as I swallowed the chocolate. The added burn of something much more adult warmed my throat on the way down.

He winked at me again as he took a sip of his own mug. “Of course”. That grin, so disarming and heart stopping.

“I- I’m not sure if I should.”

He leaned a little closer, the smell of his aftershave -woodsy and rich - mingling with the crackling smoke of the fireplace and the pine of the Christmas tree lit up with lights, and winked at me. “Oh, like you’ve never had a drink at college?”

I swallowed dryly in the heat and soft fire-light of the room. Quickly, I took another, larger, sip of my spiked cocoa.

“So first semester was good?” He grinned at me conspiratorially. “Any boys?”

I blushed furiously. “N-no.” The word stumbled awkwardly out of my mouth. It was half true. I'd been too shy, and too busy with my freshman year at college for boys, though there had been attempts made.

I tried to change the subject. “No dates for the holidays this year?”

“What do you call this?” he said, winking at me.

I blushed furiously.

“Hey, it’s not every day a cute college girl brings me cookies on Christmas Eve.” He looked at me purposefully then, his eyes boring into mine.

“You’ve really grown up, Rachel.” I let out a small gasp as his hand dropped to my knee, fingers lightly stroking my stockings there, and I felt myself tense slightly.

“Hey, I’m serious you know,” His fingers stroked lightly at the crook of my knee, bringing a hitch to my breath and a flutter to my pulse.

Part of me thrilled at his hand there. I mean he was so handsome after all, and charming and I’d secretly crushed on him for years .

But the stupid, shy, nervous part of me somehow felt it necessary, appropriate maybe, to shyly move my knee back.

It was the part of me that knew the fantasy probably couldn’t, or shouldn’t , became a reality.

His hand lingered though, and the room suddenly felt hotter than it had when I’d first entered, arms full of cookies from my mother for him. It was silly, and I was embarrassed to think that I’d preened before arriving at Jon’s front door.

Jon, who I dressed up for, even if only to bring cookies to.

His grip tightened on my knee, his fingers stroking more purposefully now. My stomach flipped and I could feel a slow burning heat in my cheeks.

Again, I was split. There was one part of me that thrilled that this man was showing an interest in me. But there was another part that felt like this was wrong .

This was naughty.

“I-I really should go,” I looked at him shyly, my heart hammering as he flashed that gorgeous, totally disarming smile at me.

“It's cold out there.”

I laughed nervously. “No, I know, but it's getting late.”

I was forcing myself to say no here, I knew that. But staying would be a mistake. I wasn't ready for staying and all the implications that brought. Besides, it felt like things had begun to move quite, quite fast all of a sudden.

I drained the last of my cocoa and made to stand up.

“Why don't you stay and have just one more drink?”

I could feel the effects of the first drink well enough. Heat coursed through my veins, warming my core and bringing an almost giggly flirtation to my words.

I looked at him, biting my lip as his sparkling eyes bore into mine.

“I really can't.” Something dark lingered in those eyes, a flash of need, a small sliver of something much more adult than a mug of cocoa. In a way, it scared me.

“Thanks for having me over, and for the drink.”

“I was hoping I'd get to see you while you were back.”

That smile again, and suddenly my moment of apprehension was disappearing, melting with the heat of the fireplace.

I stood, and began to move towards the door. “Well, it really was nice.” The moment of uncertainty was passing, and I was already wondering why I’d been so eager to leave.

“Thanks for stopping by, Rachel,” He said, his voice like honey and temptation. I blushed again, for no real reason, as I pulled my boots by the door and stood to look at him again.

“You sure I can’t get you to stay for another drink?”

I smiled shyly. “Next time.”

“What if I said I had a present for you?”

My grin widened at his sparkling eyes and that smooth voice of his. “Do you?”

Jon shrugged. “Maybe? ” He winked at me. “Guess you’ll have to stay and find out.”

God he was hard to say no to.

“And Merry Christmas, kid.”

“Merry Christmas, Jon.”