Wrapped Up: A Steamy Holiday Romance

It's Christmas time at MetroGen, and the social event of the season is the New Year's Firefighter Ball. Secrets are coming to light, and soon everyone will know who's been naughty or nice.

And trust me, your favorite couples have been melting the snow with their heat.

If that weren't enough, while picking out your favorite dress for the ball, you might find a Santa stripper in your closet...

Turnout pants and firefighter boots were heavier than they looked, ER Clerk Cassie Odon had found.

Especially when the dirty smoky things were blocking her door.

"Fabio Santos. This is not okay. This is a fire hazard. There's like toxic materials on these."

They'd been together for six months, and her Spanish and Portuguese vocabulary had grown. Though most of her language was rather X-rated.'F*ck me’ sounded much cooler as foda-me in Portuguese.

Cassie shoved her way through the door past the turnout pants and boots on the indoor mat. After toeing off her boots and setting them neatly next to the firefighter pile, she set her armful of groceries on the table and noticed more evidence of Fabian in her house.

Clutter. The man was about clutter. His keys on her counter, his stocking cap on the floor, his batch of DVDs next to her TV stand, his razor by her sink, his T-shirt and boxers piled on her coffee table.

She’d just worked a twelve-hour shift for holiday pay on Christmas almost Eve. Tonight was the only time they’d see each other because they were both working tomorrow, and he still had the nerve to make a mess in her house. He was cute, great in bed, but if he left rings on her coffee table one more time he’d be getting nothing but coal.

She shoved the T-shirt and boxers off the coffee table and stopped.

Wait a second.

If he wasn't in his T-shirt and boxers, what was he wearing? Just a smile?

Her bedroom door opened, and she almost died.

Fabian was there, wearing a massive, white-trimmed Santa Claus bathrobe. He wore huge, bright-green Christmas socks, mittens, a Santa Claus hat, and a white beard.

"Ho, ho, ho merry Christmas," he greeted her.

"What are you wearing? What's with the mittens?"

"I get cold. We're from the tropics." He gave his usual excuse. He did easily get cold, despite living in Cleveland for over a decade.

"So, you're a South American Santa?

He took off the mittens and sat on her couch. "Come, little lady. Have you been a good girl this year?"

She blanked for a second then understood he wanted her to sit on his lap.

Oh, she was so in.