The Firecracker and The Rocket

Sparks will ignite under their passion if these two
can just get their acts together.

Casey has held a yearlong crush on Vin Sumpter.
When the man keeps coming to his place of work
with date after date, he calls Vin out on it only to
come  to  find  out  things  aren’t  what  they  seem.
Now,  it’s  a  month  later,  and  Casey  is  still
embarrassed as hell when Vin decides to work at
the  fireworks  tent  located  in  the  parking  lot  of
O’Dwyer’s, the pub where Casey works.

Vin Sumpter is tired of playing cat and mouse.

Ever since his friend Derek pointed Casey out to
him, he hasn’t been able to keep the man out his
mind. So, when he is offered the chance to work
near Casey, Vin does everything to make the man
his.

Will sparks begin to ignite for Vin and Casey?

And what will happen when Vin’s summer term
is up and he has to leave campus?

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imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
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entirely coincidental.

The Firecracker and The Rocket

ISBN: 978-1-77111-600-8

Cover art by Carmen Waters

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The Firecracker and The Rocket

Holiday Jobs That Don’t Suck, Book Seven

Jackie Nacht

Chapter One

Motherfucker! The guy is bringing another

date in here. Casey remembered last year when he
was a freshman. He dated a lot. But, Vin Sumpter
went  through  his  dates  like  he  drank  his  damn
Gatorade on the football field. They barely made it
a week before he moved on to the next victim, as
Casey  had  come  to  think  of  them.  Oh  sure,
sometimes, he brought the guy back for round two
or  three,  but  this  was  nuts.  Vin  had  such  a
reputation on campus that it was going to become
legendary before all was said and done. And this
crap  hadn’t  even  started  at  the  beginning  of  the
year but right after St. Patrick’s Day. Making up for

lost time?

The man himself walked in with his date, a guy

that was so good looking, Casey wanted to scream
in frustration. All freaking year, Casey had
crushed on Vin, wanting to get to know the man.
But now, after the last couple months of the guy
and his revolving door of dates coming in and out
of O’Dwyer’s, Casey didn’t think he could handle

Jackie Nacht

watching another night of the guy dating someone
at his workplace. It was a crushing pain to witness
him all night long with someone. And every time
Vin came in there, he shamelessly flirted with
Casey right in front of his dates. His feelings were
so hurt that, for the first time, his pain was
bubbling into a white-hot anger.

Snatching two menus up from the side holder,

he  snapped  out  a  “follow  me”  to  the  two  men
before  giving  them  his  back  and  walking  to  a
booth as far from the host station as possible. He
walked past his friend Jimmy, who raised a brow
at  Casey  as  he  stormed  by.  Standing  next  to  the
booth, he waited for the two guys to get situated
before sliding the menus on the table.

“Your waiter will be with you in a moment.”
“You all right, Casey?” Vin eyed him with

concern.

Oh that’s rich.
Before Casey could make a fool of himself, he

stormed off back to the host station, not even
replying to Vin. His freakin’ chin was trembling,
and he so did not want Vin to see that.

A few minutes later, Jimmy came up to him, his

one friend who knew how much he liked Vin and
how utterly hopeless it was at the same time.
“Casey, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” So what if it came out a little shrill

even to Casey’s own ears.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“You’re not. What’s up?”
“Every week...every week,” Casey pointed over

to Vin, who was still watching him, and caught
him in the act. No doubt he could hear him as
well. So what? “He comes in with a guy, or hell, a
girl every once in a while. I can’t take it anymore.”
Casey growled.

“Vin is very popular.” Jimmy scratched his

chin.

Casey was hoping for a little comfort, and what

he got was a contemplating man. Brilliant.

“Yeah, his bedroom is a damn revolving door.”

Casey gripped the host station, taking a deep
breath in an attempt to keep the hurt out of his
voice. He failed horribly.

“What?” Jimmy shouted in alarm.
“What do you mean what? The man has a date

all the damn time. You haven’t heard all the
rumors? He comes in here and I...” Sheesh, did I

actually just warble?

Jimmy groaned before rubbing his face, “You

actually believe those rumors?”

“What’s to believe? I see it all the time.” Casey

did see it and was watching as Vin focused on him
and not his date. Stiffening his spine, he thought,

You can’t have me, buddy. Too late!

“Those are Vin’s friends and dorm mates.

Football friends. The guy is one of the most
outgoing people, according to Derek. Of course, he

Jackie Nacht

would come in here to eat with his friends, Casey.
Those aren’t his boyfriends or girlfriends.”

Derek had been Jimmy’s and Casey’s

informant;  he  happened  to  be  in  the  same
fraternity  as  Vin.  When  Casey  first  started  liking
Vin,  he’d  had  no  clue  what  the  guy  was  like  or
even  his  orientation,  so  he’d  put  out  feelers.  But
this was something he had not heard. Casey stared
at his friend in shock. “And when were you going
to tell me this? I just made an ass out of myself,”
Casey whispered.

“Well, I just talked to Derek about it, so now

you know and you could always talk to Vin
yourself. Now, wouldn’t that be a step in the right
direction?” Jimmy gave him the stink eye.

Well...okay, so I deserved it. Casey had been

watching the man for months and had been too
afraid to approach him, and then, the first time he
talks to the guy, he snaps. Great.

Glancing back over at Vin, Casey was sure he

had heard every single one of the false words.
Vin’s face was a mix of embarrassment and pissed
off. Casey put his head down on the host station.
Wow, if he’d ever had a chance with Vin Sumpter,
it just went right out the front door.

* * * *

June—Summer Term

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“What in the world are they doing out there?”

Casey  asked  Angus,  who  was  standing  next  to
him  at  the  host  station.  The  place  was  all  but
empty  since  the  college  had  let  out  for  the  year.
The only people left around were a few stragglers
like himself that were attending summer sessions
to  graduate  as  quickly  as  possible.  Casey  did  not
want  to  be  a  host  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  not  that
this  wasn’t  a  fun  job.  He  just  wanted  to  start  his
career off in marketing. He couldn’t wait.

“They’re setting up a tent to display and sell

fireworks  in  the  parking  lot.”  Angus  glanced
down  to  look  at  what  sections  were  open.  “I’m
going to tell Grant to go home. We have no traffic
today.  Man,  summer  break  kills  this  place  every
time.”

Angus walked away as Casey continued to

watch the massive tent being constructed in the
front of the Irish pub that Angus owned. The thing
was a monstrosity, killing the view of the campus
just across the street.

Tapping his dry eraser on the desk, he watched

a  couple  guys  get  out  of  a  truck  before  making
their  way  to  the  tent.  He  recognized  those  two,
Vin  and  Cooper.  Casey  watched  as  Vin  began
working  under  the  blazing  sun.  Luckily,  there
weren’t any  customers to watch him drool as the
man’s  muscles  flexed  under  the  strain.  Dear  lord,
did the guy look good. And sadly, unobtainable now

Jackie Nacht

that Casey had shot off his mouth with a bunch of
false accusations last month.

Oh, he might be a little responsible for that.

When  Casey  came  to  crushing  on  the  guy,  the
closest  he’d  gotten  to  him  required  a  set  of
binoculars. In other words, he’d crushed at such a
long range, there was no possibility Vin had even
known  he  was  interested.  He  also  hadn’t  tried  to
approach  Vin  when  he  did  start  coming  into
O’Dwyer’s  or  get  to  know  him  instead  of
assuming  all  the  rumors  were  true.  His  own
immaturity had ruined a good thing.

“What are you looking at?” Jimmy asked from

right next to Casey, making him jump a mile high.

“Don’t creep up on me. Scared the crap right

out of me.” Casey placed his hand over his
pounding heart.

“I did not creep up on you. You were just

so...focused.” Jimmy turned to see what was
keeping Casey so occupied.

Casey seriously felt a need to step in front of

him, blocking the view just so he didn’t get
caught.

“Oh ho! So Vin is working out front. What a

view you’re going to have for the next month.”
Jimmy cackled.

Casey had never heard anyone cackle in his life,

outside of Halloween witches. It was quite
unbecoming of his friend.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“I did talk to Derek, you know, after your open

mouth, insert foot moment?” Jimmy put his arm
around Casey.

“Doesn’t matter,” Casey murmured.
“Well, I’m not so sure about that and don’t give

up  so  easily.  You’re  repeating  history  here,  you
know,  by  not  talking  to  him,  or  hey,  why  don’t
you  introduce  yourself?  You  haven’t  even  done
that  yet.”  Jimmy  was  just  a  bit  too  happy
sounding.

“You’re right, I just don’t know him at all.”

Casey sighed.

“Yet, you’ve been watching him all year.”
“You make me sound like a stalker.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I would say more of a

chicken shit than a stalker.”

“Nice.” Casey shook his head.
Jimmy quirked a brow as Casey said, “Well, the

guy’s been coming in, even after your debacle of
basically calling him a slut. And what have you
done?”

“Nothing,” Casey grumbled. And he probably

wouldn’t.  He  just  didn’t  have  the  confidence  to
put  himself  out  there  for  the  mammoth-size
rejection  he  knew  was  coming  his  way.  Who
forgives that? Plus, Vin was on the football team.
Would  the  man  laugh  about  it  in  the  locker  room?
Casey  hated  the  locker  room  in  high  school  and
didn’t  think  it  could  be  much  better  in  college

Jackie Nacht

now. Okay, so now, he was making excuses about
approaching Vin. The point was he was still so
damn embarrassed for what he did. Man, I wish I
had a spine and could get over it and talk to Vin.

“Look, I know how you think you messed up,

but you didn’t. Well, a little but not too bad. Just
try, okay?” Jimmy gave him a quick hug. That was
so much easier said than done. “Casey, you need
to have more confidence in yourself.”

“I do.”
“You don’t or you would have already talked to

him.”

Casey thought that it worked both ways, that if

Vin was interested... “He’s just... so much more
than me.”

“He’s not, Casey. He’s just a regular guy like

you  and  me.  Vin  comes  in  here  all  the  time,  and
it’s not for the food. He’s watching  you, and you
run like the wolves are after you. Just give him a
chance to catch you. I know you like him.” Jimmy
walked  away  to  go  behind  the  bar  where  his
boyfriend Niall was tending.

Rubbing his face, Casey wasn’t sure how he

was going to take that advice. Shaking his head,
he tried to focus on work, but there was no one
coming in the damn door.

Casey walked around and dusted the pictures

and mirrors since the place was completely empty.
He would have asked to go back to his dorm room

The Firecracker and the Rocket

except there really wasn’t anything going on there
either and he wouldn’t get paid if he went home.
He needed the money if he wanted to pay for
books next term.

Two hours later, Casey was in a side booth

wrapping  utensils  with  paper  napkins  when
Cooper  and  Vin  walked  in  the  door.  Sliding
nervously  out  of  the  booth,  Casey  went  to  greet
them.

“Hi, how are you two today?” Geez, I sound like

I’m losing my voice. It didn’t come out quite like a
squeak but pretty darn close. Grabbing two menus
from below the host stand, he stood back up to see
Vin staring at him...hard.

Swallowing loudly, Casey stared back. A fine

sheen of sweat covered Vin’s olive skin. Chocolate
brown  eyes  and  dark  brown  hair  styled  to
perfection  seemed  to  hold  Casey  captivated.  Vin
smiled with full lips, and twin dimples popped on
his  cheeks.  Possibly  the  worst  thing  Casey  could
have  done  was  break  eye  contact,  because  he
glanced down at Vin’s defined chest. His shirt was
tight  and  glued  to  his  body.  Casey’s  breath
hitched  at  the  sight  of  nipple  rings  showing
through  the  tight  gray  shirt.  Casey  was  such  a
sucker for nipple rings. They were so hot on a guy.

Heat pooled to his groin, and Casey turned

swiftly, “Follow me, please.” His throat was as dry
as the Sahara.

Jackie Nacht

When he said follow me, he didn’t expect Vin to

actually  ride  his  ass  all  the  way  to  the  booth.
Casey  could  feel  the  man’s  heat  against  his  back.
Turning,  Casey  almost  ran  smack  dab  into  the
middle of Vin’s thick chest.  Is it bad that I want to

lean in and rub my face into the thick, corded neck?
Maybe a little, but he didn’t have the guts to do it,
so Casey just cleared his throat and stepped back,
letting Cooper and Vin slide into the booth.

“Jimmy will be right with you.”
Casey ran across to the host stand, trying to

subtly  gaze  back  at the  booth.  And  dammit  caught
by Vin. What is up with that man? Vin had never so
much  as  approached,  just  been  the  regular  diner.
Now,  Vin  was  so  close,  and  Casey  had  no  clue
how  to  handle  the  flip  of  a  switch  that  Vin  was
pulling on him. He briefly thought that Vin could
possibly be messing with him but nixed that.  The

guy wouldn’t do that, would he?

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Chapter Two

hat in the hell are you doing?” Cooper
Collins growled across the table at Vin.

Cooper was usually so cheerful that Vin wasn’t
quite expecting this anger.

Vin glanced over at Casey before answering,

“What?” Deflect. That was always the best way to
get out of answering a question. Or not.

“You were practically humping the guy as he

brought us over here. What’s up with you,
seriously?” Cooper grabbed a menu but didn’t
open the damn thing.

Vin wished the hell he would so that he would

leave him alone.

“You know, Derek mentioned him to me the

last  couple  of  times  we’ve  been  in  here.”  Vin
glanced  down  at  his  menu.  Why?  He  always  got
the potato soup, but at least, he didn’t have to get
in  a  stare  down  with  Cooper.  They  might  both
play  football,  but  Cooper  could  eat  him  for
lunch...with a smile on his face.

“W

Jackie Nacht

And Vin didn’t want to go into it with Cooper.

Derek  might  have  turned  Vin’s  damn  head  in
Casey’s direction, but Casey himself had kept him
captivated  enough  to  keep  him  looking.  Vin  had
been attracted to the man and been coming in with
his fiends just so he could spy on Casey. But that
blew  up  in  his  face  when  Casey  thought  he  was
bringing in dates. Apparently, it wasn’t just Casey
thinking  that,  Vin  had  been  doing  some  serious
damage control the last month trying to repair his
reputation.

Sadly, he’d only dated one man since coming

here,  and  it  had  been  one  date.  No  connection.
Then, Derek told him about Casey, and he hadn’t
been  interested  in  anyone  since.  He  knew  what
Casey’s problem was. Casey thought he’d shot his
mouth  off,  but  after  Vin  got  over  being  pissed
initially,  he  was  pretty  grateful  for  it.  He  didn’t
know he was becoming the campus gossip, but it
would be nice if Casey would give him a chance to
talk to him and clear the air.

That’s why he pulled out all the stops to get the

job working for Paul at the firework stand outside
the pub. He was going to come in here for water,
lunch, hell, to use the bathroom until he wore
Casey down and the guy let him talk. People make
mistakes all the time. Vin made a lot more
grievous errors than Casey, who just listened to a

The Firecracker and the Rocket

few rumors. He was already over it; now, he
needed to get Casey over it.

“So, is this the reason you begged me to take

this job with you? You into Casey?” Cooper
inquired.

Vin rolled his shoulders. This conversation was

so  damn  uncomfortable  for  him,  and  he  was
friends  with  Cooper.  Talking  about  his  feelings
was  so  foreign  to  Vin  that  it  was  like  speaking
German. And ordering a bratwurst was as close as
he ever got to that.

“Yeah, I am.”
Cooper leaned back and blew out a breath. “Oh

c’mon, Vin, you’ve gotta give me more than that.
I’m dying out there and will be for the next month.
Ninety-two degrees today, and it isn’t even noon
yet. I’m sweating my balls off out there.”

Nice visual, Coop. “So, I’m going to wear Casey

down until not only does the guy get over what I
think is a nothing incident from last month but
also say yes to a date.”

“Confident.” Cooper chuckled.
“More like a dog with a bone. He’s interested;

he just needs to get over what happened. Hell, I
am.” Vin waived Jimmy over. They didn’t have
much time before their break was over.

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Cooper

turned to Jimmy.

Jackie Nacht

Vin quirked a finger, having Jimmy lean down,

“Can you do me a favor?” Vin whispered.

Jimmy’s eyebrows drew together in confusion,

but he nodded anyway.

“Can Casey be our server today?” Vin winked

over at Cooper who was shaking his head.

“Umm...I’m not sure. Oh, what the hell, I’ll go

make him.” Jimmy turned and went to fetch
Casey.

Vin couldn’t help but smile as Casey went

slack-jawed and shook his head in refusal. Jimmy
began  pushing  at  Casey’s  back,  and  then,  there
was a minor spat before Casey gave up and made
his  way  over  there  like  he  was  going  to  the
gallows.  Too  bad.  Vin  was  going  to  pester  him
until Casey got over it.

Casey approached them and licked his plump

lips.

Fuck, I so don’t need to see that right now. With

bright blue eyes and spiky blond hair, he almost
looked innocent, but Vin knew better. He wanted
to see the firecracker he’d been observing since he
started coming to O’Dwyer’s.

“What can I get you?” Casey patted his pockets.

“Shit, I don’t have anything to write this down
on,” Casey mumbled and then widened his eyes,
probably for cussing in front of the customer.

Jimmy walked over and slid a pad and pen in

his hand. “Here you go,” Jimmy singsonged.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Casey blew out a “thank you” before making

eye contact with him. “Sorry about that. Okay,
now what can I get you?”

“Ice tea and potato soup,” Vin glanced up,

smiling.

“You’re ordering soup in this weather?” Casey

asked disbelievingly.

“Yep,” Vin chuckled.
“And you’re working outside today?”
“Yes.”
“I shall have the paramedics on speed dial

then.” Casey turned to take Cooper’s order, whose
body was bouncing in silent laughter.

“Concerned for me, Casey?” Vin teased.
Casey glanced back at Vin.
Man, Vin hoped he came back with something

good, but he saw the light change in those blue
eyes before turning back to Cooper.

Casey mumbled a small “sorry” then visibly

swallowed before he went on, “And, Vin, I’m so
sorry about last month too.”

Yep, Casey was officially still uncomfortable

around him. He was just going to have to keep at
him until he broke.

“Burger, fries and an ice water,” Cooper

ordered, bringing the attention away from Casey.

Casey beat feet out of there.
Vin scrubbed his short hair with his hands. “I’ll

be in here a lot. I will talk to him.”

Jackie Nacht

“I know.” Cooper sighed. There was no point in

saying more. Casey brought their meals five
minutes later, and Vin just studied him, giving
him a break. Tomorrow was another day.

The next day, when Vin took a break for lunch,

he decided to fly solo for once. Casey was resting
his chin on the host stand, looking bored as hell
until he saw Vin approaching the building, and
then, his spine stiffened as Vin opened the door. It
was time to end this nonsense.

“Hi, is there anyone else joining you?” Casey

fell into his host duties perfectly.

“Do you have a minute so we can just talk?”

Vin asked.

Casey glanced back at the empty room,

“Uh...sure.”

“Don’t look so miserable. I didn’t come in here

to cause you trouble. I just want to talk.”

“Okay, why don’t we go over here then.” Casey

led them to a booth out of the way, waving to
Niall as he went. “I’ll just be a minute, okay?”

Niall leaned on the bar, assessing the situation.
Vin definitely gave points to Casey’s boss for

being protective of the employees, “Take all the
time you need, Case.”

They slid in the booth and faced each other. Vin

saw worry cross over Casey’s face. “Look, I know
what you said last month.”

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Casey began picking at a chip on the table. “I’m

really sorry about that, Vin. I’ve been meaning to
tell you that for the last couple weeks that you’ve
been coming in. Just kind of hard to work up the
nerve and hope you don’t beat my ass. I was
hoping my apology yesterday would help.” The
chuckle that came out of Casey sounded sick even
to Vin’s ears.

“Initially, I was a little pissed, but then, I

realized it was going around like wild fire. I don’t
want you to feel bad about that. If you ever want
to know something about me, just ask.” Vin felt
his temples bead in sweat. He wasn’t used to this,
but he was attracted to Casey enough to go a little
out of his comfort zone to try for the two of them.

“It wasn’t any of my business to say anything.”
“I wanted it to be.”
“What?”
“I was coming in to see you. Derek kept

mentioning you, and I wanted to see with my own
eyes. I came in to flirt with you; there was no other
motive for me coming in here. You’re a nice guy,
and I’d like to get to know you outside the pub or
when  I’m  on  break  from  my  job  out  front.  We
definitely  need  a  fresh  start  without  all  this
dancing  around  each  other  if  you’re  interested.
What do you think?”

Jackie Nacht

“I think I’d like that.” Casey gave him a

tentative smile. “Do you need something to eat or
drink?”

“I’ll take a tea and soup.” Vin glanced around,

noticing no one was in the pub. “Can you sit with
me while I’m in here.”

Casey nodded. “I just have to let Niall and

Jimmy know.” Casey got up and went to the back
to put his order in.

A couple minutes later, Casey came back and

set Vin’s food down before he slid across from him
once again, shaking his head. “I seriously don’t
know why you order soup.”

“Tastes good.” Vin shrugged.
“But it’s just so...hot out there.”
“Tea cools me down.”
“I sure hope so.” Casey didn’t seem convinced.
Vin asked, “What are your plans this

weekend?”

“Not much, just a lot of reading, and I have an

exam at the end of this week. Why?”

“I want you to come over to this house this

weekend.” Vin had four days to come in at lunch
and make Casey more comfortable with him.

“You’re seriously okay with me? That was

really immature what I did.” Casey glanced back
at him confused.

“You think I haven’t done something immature

before? I assure you, I have and much worse. I’ve

The Firecracker and the Rocket

seen a lot more of you coming in here the last
couple of months than those few moments. One
spitfire moment doesn’t change how I look at you.
Now, come over to the house this weekend?”

Casey glanced up as a family of five walked in

the door. “Okay. I better get back to work,” Casey
got up but stopped. “See you soon?”

Vin glanced up, seeing a sliver of doubt in

Casey. “You will.” Vin was determined to come in
there all week just so the two of them could talk
and get to know one another.

“I will.” Casey blushed before he hurried away.
Well, Vin had accomplished more than he set

out to. Casey had at least agreed to come to the
house this weekend. That was more than he’d
hoped for.

Jackie Nacht

Chapter Three

our days after their talk, Casey made his way
across the parking lot to the firework tent. He

could  see  a  mirage  from  the  heat  coming  off  the
pavement.  There  was  no  way  in  hell  he  would
ever  even  think  about  working  out  on  the  hot
blacktop in that kind of weather. Vin and Cooper
had to be absolutely certifiable.

He spotted the two helping out a couple of

guys who were eyeing roman candles. They were
in a small circle, and Casey couldn’t make out
what they were saying, so he browsed through the
merchandise and waited until Vin was done.

“No smoking in the area!”
Casey whipped his head around to see an older

gentleman storm over to the crowd where Vin and
Cooper were.

Vin was giving a disapproving look to one of

the customers with a cigarette hanging loosely
from his lips.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Is the guy nuts? Lighting up under the tent? Casey

thought everyone knew that was a huge no-no.

“Take it away from the tent.” The guy was stern

to the customer.

The guy didn’t even put up a fight as he walked

a little distance away and lit up.

It was closer than Casey would hope for, but it

was better than before.

Vin walked toward Casey, shaking his head,

“You  wouldn’t  believe  how  many  times  that
happens.  It’s  not  people  being  disrespectful;  they
just  aren’t  thinking  when  they  reach  for  the
lighter.  I’ve  got  about  ten  more  minutes.  Do  you
want  to  go  back  inside,  and  I’ll  come  in  and  get
you?”

Vin looked unbelievably hot. His usually

tanned face was flushed, and sweat was running
down the temples. His shirt was soaked through,
and once again, Casey was teased by the outlining
of the man’s nipple rings. If I could just get Vin to

take his shirt off... Stop thinking like that!

“No, I can just browse around if you don’t

mind or run in and get you both water. You
definitely need some.” Casey stroked a pile of
colorful sparklers at the end of the table.

“That’d be great. Cooper and I were going to

grab a couple of fireworks and light them up at
the house tonight. Sound good to you?”

“Sounds like fun.”

Jackie Nacht

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll go get you guys water.” Casey turned and

ran back into the pub to retrieve two bottled
waters from Niall. While he was there, he grabbed
his next week’s schedule since Angus was just
finishing it up.

Casey had spent the entire week glancing out

the damn front door, waiting for Vin to make his
way  into  the  pub  so  they  could  have  their  daily
chat  as  Casey  had  come  to  think  of  them.  As  he
got  to  know  Vin,  Casey  liked  the  man  more  and
more. There was a lot more to Vin than his good
looks. He was caring to all his friends and worked
hard  every  night  with  his  teammates  so  that  he
might be able to be on the starting team in the fall.
Casey  loved  watching  football,  so  he  listened  to
Vin as he talked about plays and his teammates. A
little had been discussed about their families, but
mostly,  they  talked  about  themselves,  learning
each other.

Smiling at the booth where all their chats had

been, he made his way back out the door to find
Cooper and Vin walking toward him.

“Feel like I need to be hosed down. Thanks.”

Cooper groaned before taking the water and
guzzling the thing within two seconds. “The
things I do for my boys.”

Casey gave a quizzical look. “What do you

mean?”

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“I mean, I was coerced into taking this job by

this guy right here.” Cooper nudged Vin while he
was drinking, causing him to spill a little from his
mouth. A drop caught Casey’s eye as it trailed its
way down Vin’s throat.

“Huh,” Casey said dazedly.
Cooper laughed. “Don’t worry about it. Not

that important. Now, can we get into some central
air before I keel over?”

“Sure, wanna ride with us over to the house? I

can bring you back to your car later,” Vin asked
Casey.

Casey chuckled. “That’s not an issue. I walk to

work every day. My dorm is just over the hill
there.”

“Oh well, follow me.” Vin led them over to a

large red pickup truck. Cooper was already
standing beside it with the doors open.

“It’s way too hot in there.” Cooper shook his

head. “Gonna make Derek join me in a cold
shower,” he mumbled before climbing in.

Casey raised a brow at the slight overshare.

Casey climbed into the sauna...err cab of the truck
and was sandwiched in the middle. For the last
school year, he had yearned to be this close to Vin,
ached for it, but right then, all he wanted was to
plug his nose. Vin needed a shower...badly.

Maybe I could ask to help the man wash his back?

Ooh, wouldn’t that be fun. For the two-minute drive,

Jackie Nacht

Casey’s  thoughts  were  distracted  by  the  thought
of  showering  with  Vin.  Heat  pooled  to  his  groin,
and it was all he could do not to spread his legs to
give  his  erection  more  room.  The  only  reason  he
didn’t  was  that  Casey  didn’t  want  to  draw  any
attention  to  the  fact  that  he  was  turned  on,
especially with Cooper as a witness.

Thankfully, the ride was over before he had too

much  time  to  suffer.  They  got  out  and  walked
toward  the  dilapidated  fraternity  house,  a  place
where  Casey  would  have  never  ventured  if  it
weren’t for Vin living there. They made their way
past  a  few  brothers  who  were  drinking  on  the
front  porch.  Not  smart  considering  the  fraternity
was  supposed  to  be  dry,  but  that  wasn’t  Casey’s
place to say anything.

“Guys, guys, you know the rules. Want to lose

the house?” Cooper ushered the two huge frat
members into the house, and Casey followed the
group into what could only be considered a pit.

The place was horrible. There was no other

word for it. The place smelled like stale beer, and
there was writing and holes all along the walls.

Who  the  hell  would  want  to  live  in  a  place  like  this?
Obviously  Vin  and  Cooper,  but  Casey  felt  the
need to keep his arms and hands tight to his body
so he didn’t touch anything  that  would require a
biohazard suit.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“C’mon, follow me.” Vin turned to make sure

that he was still following him up the staircase.
Vin made a quick right and worked the lock on his
door.

Casey gazed around, noticing a room right up

next to Vin’s, wondering how big his room could
possibly be with the stairway and that room
literally hugging his door. But when he opened his
door, he had his answer.

“This is your room?” Casey blurted. This could

not  be  considered  a  room.  It  looked  more  like  a
closet. Hell, where was the fucking bed? Glancing
up,  he  saw  it  was  suspended  on  supports  just  a
few  feet  from  touching  the  actual  ceiling.
Claustrophobia anyone? Underneath the bed were
a desk and a chair. There was no room to stand in
the  place  without  hitting  your  head,  unless  you
counted the one foot by one foot spot next to the
ladder nailed to the wall, which led up to the bed.
Priceless.

“Well...yeah.” Vin scratched the back of his

head, smirking at Casey.

“You like living in this...is this a closet?” Casey

was honestly baffled. How could the school let a
student live in there?

Vin tilted his head back and laughed loudly

before leading them inside where yep...they both
ducked.

Jackie Nacht

“Well, I’ll be a sophomore next fall, so I’m the

low man at the house. Not like Coop and Lawson
who have the big room across from me. Well, they
kind of need it with Derek and Hayden coming
down to their room all the time.”

“Oh, I thought Derek and Cooper would room

together.” Casey assumed.

“Well, initially, Hayden and Lawson were

going  to  room  together  and  Cooper  and  Derek,
but they considered that they’ve only been dating
less than a year, and after all, they are living in the
same  house.  No  rules  against  room  swapping
every  now  and  then.  Lawson  wasn’t  too  happy
about it at first, but he understood when Hayden
said it would be good if they had their own space
until they knew they were in it for the long haul.
Cooper  and  Derek  thought  it  was  smart  as  well.
That’s why Derek decided to room with Hayden.”
Vin  grabbed  a  few  items  of  clothing  from  a  crate
below the desk.

That was pretty smart of the two couples. Then,

Casey thought better. “You don’t have a
roommate, do you?”

“Ugh, no. I guess you could say I have a

single.”

“More like a quarter,” Casey taunted. There

was no way this could be classified as a full room.

“I’ll be right back. There’s a TV, but it’s up in

my bed if you want to watch it until I get back. Or

The Firecracker and the Rocket

you  can  go  through  the  menus  and  decide  what
you want to eat for dinner.” Vin jogged out of the
room,  and  Casey  heard  the  soft  pounding  of  feet
as  he  made  his  way  to  the  showers.  Wow,  he
hightailed it out of there.

Glancing up at the bed, Casey decided that no

way  in  hell  was  he  going  to  climb  up  there  and
watch TV in Vin’s bed. His mind would definitely
drift  to  inappropriate  thoughts,  or  he  would
probably  do  something  really  bad  like  strip  and
wait  for  the  man  himself  to  come  back  from  his
shower. Casey tried to steer his thoughts away by
thinking of the term paper he was going to need to
write  but  failed  when  Vin  walked  in  the  door  a
few minutes later.

Couldn’t Vin have at least dressed in the bathroom?

Did the man not take his clothes with him? Casey
wanted to jump him like a monkey and forget that
they were getting to know each other, so he could
see if that damn suspended bed would really hold
the two of them as they got it on.

“Some asshole took my clothes,” Vin huffed

out,  but  there  was  no  denying  the  man’s  desire
underneath  the  towel.  God,  those  nipple  rings.
There  was  a  drop  of  water  on  one  of  the
accessories  that  Casey  wanted  to  suck  off.  Is  it
getting hot in here? Casey needed a damn fan, stat.

Jackie Nacht

Trying to think of something to say, his lust-

addled brain came up with a sarcastic reply.
“Oooh, that is such a shame.”

Vin snorted before he turned. Then, have

mercy, the man dropped the towel! If Vin thought
that would help matters, he was sorely mistaken.
Casey practically drooled at the muscular, taut ass.
Never in his life had he been so turned on by a tan
line. He felt like going the very few feet just to bite
the ass so he could see if it was as hard as it
looked. Vin slowly raised a pair of mesh shorts
over his ass.

Casey knew a tease when he saw one. And he

was all of a sudden feeling brave enough in Vin’s
presence to make a move of his own. Getting up,
Casey  ducked  his  way  over  to  Vin,  pushing  him
into  the  ladder,  the  only  place  where  they  could
actually  stand.  Inches  from  Vin’s  lips,  he  waited
for  any  sign  that  Vin  wanted  this,  and  when  he
rubbed  his  body  into  Vin’s,  feeling  his  desire,  he
leaned in to seal their lips together.

Chills broke out on Casey’s skin as he tasted

Vin for the first time.

Vin wasted no time and deepened the kiss

while rolling his hips to grind their erections
together.

Casey moaned while Vin growled, the sounds

vibrating in each other’s mouths. They should’ve
been getting to know each other, not jumping all

The Firecracker and the Rocket

over the other, but as Casey’s cock rubbed against
Vin’s, his brain seemed to short out.

This felt so damn good. Casey wanted more

skin.  Reaching  down,  he  removed  his  own  shirt,
only briefly  breaking the kiss. Vin must not have
wanted  to  even  be  away  that  long,  because  he
grabbed  Casey  by  the  back  of  the  neck  before
huffing out a “c’mere.”

Casey immediately went to him and mewled at

the feel of skin to skin. He began moving his
fingers over the smooth muscles of Vin’s shoulder,
playing with the nipple rings and down to his abs.
Teasing the elastic shorts, he felt Vin’s erection
through the fabric.

“More,” Vin pulled back and bit into Casey’s

shoulder,  licking  the  mark  to  soothe  it.  Hands
were  everywhere  as  Casey’s  pants  and  boxer
briefs were lowered. Vin grabbed a bottle of lube
and  greased  one  hand  before  lowering  his  own
shorts.  He  didn’t  waste  any  time  as  he  took  both
their cocks into his hand.

“Fuck!” Casey shouted.
The pleasure was so intense, he had to take a

couple  deep  breaths  to  keep  from  climaxing.
Glancing  down,  he  huffed  out  a  breath,  and  that
didn’t  help  at  all  as  he  watched  both  cocks  leak
copiously while Vin’s strong hand stroked them.

“I’m gonna,” Casey groaned out before spilling

between the two of them.

Jackie Nacht

“Yes,” Vin hissed as he jerked, and Casey felt

more warmth hit his stomach as Vin shuddered
out his release.

Vin looked around until he found something to

clean them both up with. They adjusted their
clothing before their eyes connected.

Casey reached over and hugged Vin.
Returning the hug, Vin leaned in and placed a

soft kiss to the nape of his neck.

Casey squeezed tighter. He had dreamed that if

they ever got together, it would be explosive
between the two of them. Boy, was it ever.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Chapter Four

in was in a shitty mood, and the only cure for
it was a hundred feet away on the other side

of  the  parking  lot.  The  Fourth  of  July  was  here,
and everyone and their brother were coming by to
get fireworks. Not a single one of them had a lick
of  patience  about  coming  in  to  make  their  last-
minute purchase. Vin just needed a few minutes to
stop the ringing in his ears from all the shouting at
him.  He  would  be  having  nightmares  of  people
coming after him with fireworks before it was all
said and done.

The situation wasn’t helped any by the fact that

today tipped just over a hundred degrees outside.

Cooper was snarling at every customer who

dared try to talk to him. The only thing that
calmed the man down was Derek coming by with
a cooler of cold cloths and enough ice water to last
them through the day. Derek took his time to soak
the cloth in ice water before placing it on Cooper’s
neck.

Jackie Nacht

Vin couldn’t help but smile at his two friends

who were clearly head over heels for each other.

Vin couldn’t say for sure, since it really was too

early to tell, but he was kind of hoping that maybe
he  and  Casey  would  reach  that  point  once  they
spent  some  more  time  together.  They  had  been
hanging out for three weeks now. Chemistry was
explosive,  and  Vin  was  learning  more  about  his
reserved boyfriend every day. Like that he was no
longer  reserved  when  it  came  to  Vin.  All  their
barriers were mostly gone, and what was left only
needed  a  little  time  to  learn  more  about  each
other.

Just thinking about time had Vin’s mood

souring. That was a problem. His summer session
was officially over, and as soon as the tent closed
up, he was supposed to head home for the
summer...across the damn country. With their
relationship being new, the thought of leaving just
when they were getting started was killing him.

Casey and he had been talking about it over the

last  week,  and  both  were  trying  to  be  positive
about it. But Vin could see the sadness in Casey’s
eyes when they talked about him leaving. Both of
them wanted more time. Sure, they would be back
together  in  a  couple  months,  but  with  their
relationship  so  new...yeah,  Vin  just  wished  he
could be with Casey.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Finally, he made his way to the door, jerking it

open. There was no need to take his foul mood out
on  the  door.  Casey  straightened  up  from  his
station  and  smiled  as  Vin  entered.  Vin  could
practically  feel  his  bad  mood  melt  off  him  as  he
got a look at Casey’s bright blue eyes.

Casey walked up to him and pressed his hands

to  his  cheeks.  “You  look  really  hot.  Come  with
me.” Casey guided him through the pub, into the
kitchens  and  toward  the  back.  He  was  confused
until Casey opened the cooler and walked in with
him,  keeping  the  door  slightly  ajar.  The  slice  of
cold was utter bliss to his overheated flesh.

Tilting his head back, Vin moaned as the blast

of cold air hit his face from the ceiling. “Damn,
that feels so good.”

“You only have a couple more hours of this,

and then, you can fold up and be done with it. Still
can’t believe you chose to work outside.”

“Wanted to be close to you,” Vin mumbled,

reaching out for Casey. Leaning down, Vin tugged
Casey’s shirt aside and found his favorite spot on
Casey. He began sucking up a small mark where
neck and shoulder met.

Casey let out a soft moan. “I so wish we could

continue this, but we are at work, and if Angus
walked in...”

Vin stepped back. “I know. I wouldn’t want

you to get in trouble.”

Jackie Nacht

Casey grabbed a hold of him before Vin got too

far. “I’m going to miss you.”

Vin tried to soothe him, “It’ll be just a couple

months, and then, we’ll be back together.”

“I know. It just sucks.” Casey squeezed him

tighter.

“We’ll make it work.” Vin knew a lot of college

couples  did  it.  He  tried  to  let  that  make  him  feel
better;  it  didn’t.  Clearing  his  throat,  he  managed,
“Let’s  go  out.  I’m  starving  and  ready  for  some
grub.”

“If you say you want potato soup today, I’m

going to have your head examined.” Casey turned
and closed the walk-in cooler.

Vin busted out laughing. “I don’t love Angus’s

soup that much to eat it on a day like today. I’ll go
with a corned beef sandwich and chips.”

“I’ll go put it in for you. Do you think Cooper

will want anything?” Casey asked.

“He’s going to come in here in a half hour with

Derek. I’d just wait and see what he wants then.”

Vin found a seat at the bar and waited as Casey

took off to put his order in.

Niall came over and handed him an ice cold

glass of iced tea. Vin swallowed half before setting
the drink back down. “Thanks.”

“So, I heard you were heading home after Paul

closes shop here at the end of the today,” Niall
said offhandedly.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Vin wondered why the guy had to bring up a

sore subject. “Yep,” Vin replied, sliding his fingers
through the condensation on the glass, frowning.

“So, is it that you want to go back home, no job,

or is it no place to live?” Niall asked.

Vin scratched the back of his head,

uncomfortable  at  talking  to  Niall.  They  had  only
talked a few brief times, and this was a sore spot.
“It’s mostly  not having a job. I’ll have no income
to  live  here  but  also  no  place  to  live.  Cooper
probably would let me stay at the house if I asked
him. Not entirely sure if he would let me though.”

“So, you’d want to stay if you had a job,” Niall

inquired.

“Well, yeah.” There was even more reasons to

stay  than  just  Casey,  even  though  that  was  the
only  one  he  had  been  focusing  on.  Training  with
Lawson  and  Cooper  might  give  him  the  edge  to
start in the fall. They had been working out in the
evenings  together.  Vin  could  only  imagine  the
advantage he would have with those two helping
him  all  summer  long.  Sadly,  his  parents  would
probably  accept  the  second  reason  as  opposed  to
the first. But, if he could get to stay with Casey...

Niall leaned forward. “Sooo, tell me how much

you like washing dishes?”

Five minutes later, Casey came back over to Vin

with food in hand. Vin could barely contain his
excitement, but until he talked to Cooper and

Jackie Nacht

other  parties  involved,  he  didn’t  want  to  get
Casey’s  hopes  up  that  he  might  be  able  to  stay.
Smiling  at  the  sandwich  before  him,  Vin  dug  in,
finally feeling hunger claw at him now that things
were looking up.

“What is it?” Casey asked.
“What?” Vin mumbled past a mouthful of food.
“You seem like you’re in a better mood is all.”

Casey eyed him suspiciously while resting one
elbow on the bar, staring right at Vin.

Not wanting to spill it yet, Vin replied, “Just

cooled down and good conversation with the
bartender.” Vin glanced over at Niall who was a
few feet behind Casey, winking at him.

“Oookay. I’m not buying it, but I’ll let it go...for

now. Eat up. I have to go seat those people that
just walked in.”

Vin grabbed Casey as he got up and placed a

soft kiss to his lips.

Casey’s eyes widened in surprise, but he must

have liked it enough, because he returned another
quick one before walking away.

Niall walked by smiling and rapping his

knuckle on the bar. “It’ll work out.”

Vin felt confident it would, and if it did, he had

special plans for tonight.

Two hours later, Vin was ready to strangle the

teenagers who were walking from table to table,

The Firecracker and the Rocket

picking up every damn firework and asking what
it did.

As if on cue, one of them asked, “What about

this one?” The kid could be no more than thirteen.
He couldn’t even buy the sucker unless dear old
dad at the end there bought it for them. If he was
smart, he would keep this kind of ammo from the
little pyromaniac unless he had a fast track to the
hospital.

He had plenty of experience with these types of

buyers. Vin got his initiation the first week when a
fellow college sophomore shot a roman candle off
right  behind  him,  scaring  him  to  the  point  of
performing a duck and cover under the table. Vin
thought  Paul was going  to choke the guy, but all
he  did  was  asked  him  to  leave  and  refused  sale.
There  was  no  way  Vin  would  ever  be  that
levelheaded.

“Bottle rocket. Your dad places it in the bottle

and then lights it up.” Vin stressed the word dad,
but the kid completely ignored him after rocket
slipped from his lips.

“This is the one that Tommy was shooting at us

the other day from his hand. So freakin’ cool.
Paybacks are hell.” The three teenagers laughed,
gathering the bottle rockets up.

“Hey-hey-hey! I don’t think so.” Vin reached

over and grabbed them out of their hands. His

Jackie Nacht

boss and, of course, their father were making their
way down.

Paul stepped up next to Vin.
He was so tired and cranky, and his temper was

shot through the roof at the kids attempting
something so dangerous.

“What’s the problem?”
“Yeah, I’d like to know why you’re raising your

voice.” The father came over angrily.

“They’re talking about firing the bottle rockets

at people.” Vin gripped the table.

“That’s a refusal of sale.” Paul said sternly. It

might have been for ulterior motives when he
began working here since the conditions sucked,
but Paul was a great boss.

“I’ll just buy them then.” The dad gestured for

the fireworks.

Seriously? This guy was going to buy them for

his kid when he was talking about illegally firing
them off and at people? Vin’s jaw dropped to the
ground at such a negligent act, but Paul was
ready.

“I’m sorry, but I refuse to sell. Thank you for

stopping in.” Paul stood there, and for the first
time looked quite imposing even to Vin. The
father stared at him for a moment before gathering
his hellions and then leaving.

“That was nuts.” Vin glanced over at Paul who

stared angrily at the group.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“It happens. That’s why I told you that you

always have the right to refuse sale.” Paul
uncrossed his arms and clapped him on the back,
“You did good, Vin.”

Cooper came over after staying back. “Those

guys are going to end up in the hospital.”

Vin shook his head. “Nope, those idiots will be

fine. Someone innocent will end up in the hospital
when they pull such a stupid stunt.”

“You’re probably right. Come over here and

help me close down. Paul said it’s about time to
close shop. Public firework shows are just a couple
hours away, and I think he’s just as wiped as us.”
Cooper began picking up and boxing some
fireworks.

Chuckling, Vin began to help with the

fireworks.

“So, are you going to tell Casey tonight?”

Cooper asked.

They had discussed Vin living in the house, and

Cooper was immediately on board. If the school
asked, they would just say it was to train for
football and conditioning. After a call to Hayden,
everyone was in agreement, so now, it was time to
tell Casey.

“Yeah, I’m going to do it tonight. I need to stop

by and pick up a couple things to make it a little
special.”

Jackie Nacht

“Are you still going to watch the fireworks on

the balcony of the house? You know that’s the best
spot in town?” Cooper broke down an empty box
before folding up a table.

“We’ll be up there, just going to be one on one

before they start.” Vin grabbed two boxes and
made his way over to the trailer where they were
loading them up. All he had left to do was pack up
and go. Groaning at the thought, Vin went to grab
another box.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Chapter Five

t was just a little before seven when Casey
made his way to the front door of the frat

house. Cooper had come in to O’Dwyer’s and told
him that Vin had to run some errands and asked if
he needed a lift. Since everything was within
walking distance, Casey declined so he could go
home to get a shower and a bag since he planned
on staying the night with Vin.

Walking up the steps, Casey didn’t even bother

to  knock.  Why  would  he  when  the  massive
wooden  door  was  wide  open?  These  guys  didn’t
care who came in or out. It was either that or they
felt  that  no  one  would  even  dare  think  about
coming  in  uninvited  with  the  kind  of  reputation
these guys had.

Casey stepped into the entryway and listened.

Something...was...off. The house was completely
silent. Eerily silent for a house that was noisy
twenty-four hours a day.

Jackie Nacht

Slowly making his way up to Vin’s room, he

felt like he was in an episode of the Twilight Zone.
Finally, he could hear voices, but they were all
coming from the ceiling. Blowing out a breath of
relief, Casey knocked on Vin’s room.

Movement and a muffled shit from the other

side of the door were heard before Vin opened it
up  a  crack.  The  smell  of  Italian  cuisine  wafted
from  the  other  side.  Such  a  wonderful  change
from  the  pub  food  he  had  been  living  on  day  in
and  day  out.  However,  the  man  wasn’t  opening
up the door to let him in.

“Everything okay?” Casey asked while trying

to get a view inside the room.

Vin opened the door farther, scratching the

back of his head and looking uncertain. “Come
in?”

“You asking or do you want me to come in?”

Casey couldn’t help but smile at Vin. The man was
too sexy standing there.

Casey worked his way into the room and

grinned  from  ear  to  ear.  Gone  was  Vin’s  rolling
desk  chair,  replaced  by  a very  sad  looking picnic
on the tiny floor space. Vin had taken a bed sheet
and  placed  it  on  the  floor  to  make  it  the  picnic
blanket. It wasn’t the top sheet either but the fitted
one,  so  it  was  all  lumpy  and  bunched  in  several
places.  In  the  middle  were  two  take-out  lasagna
dinners.  One  had  slid  to  the  point  where  the

The Firecracker and the Rocket

cheese was oozing over the side and onto the
sheet. Instead of a candle in the middle, Casey
recognized Derek’s purple lava lamp.

Turning, Casey saw that Vin was beet red in

embarrassment, “I love it.”

“Reminds me of a man fort I made when I was

eight years old. This is humiliating as hell. Let’s
just go down to the dining room.”

Vin went to grab their dinner from the floor,

but Casey grasped his arm to stop him. “Don’t
you even dare. Let’s eat here. I really like this.”

Vin stared at him for a few moments before

nodding and taking a seat crisscross at the edge of
the sheet.

Casey walked over and sat the same way across

from Vin. Vin really went all out, and Casey was
famished. Grabbing his cutlery, Casey started in
on his lasagna. The gooey cuisine was delicious,
and he moaned as the taste hit his tongue.

Vin watched him and then began eating on his

side.

They were about halfway through when Vin

wiped his mouth. “I wanted to talk to you about
something.”

Casey glanced down at his dish. He had a

feeling he knew what this was all about. A
goodbye for the summer. Something a little special
before Vin had to leave in the next few days for
home. It wasn’t forever, but it still sucked.

Jackie Nacht

“It’s about you leaving soon.”
Nodding, Vin took a deep breath. “Well, it

seems, I have the chance to stay here.”

Casey was utterly shocked. “What? How?”
“Well, when you went to get my sandwich

today,  Niall  offered  me  a  job.  I  talked  to  Cooper
and Lawson, and they  said it was okay to live in
the house this summer. Then, I talked to my folks,
and they’re a little disappointed I won’t be home
but  are  okay  with  it.  It  really  does  work  out,
because  I  can  also  train  with  my  teammates  for
next season and earn money for next semester.”

This was so unexpected, Casey could only stare

at  Vin.  Then,  his  body  seemed  to  kick  into  gear
before his brain, because the next thing  he knew,
he was tackling Vin on the floor, climbing all over
him. Shit, there went the lava lamp. Sitting up, he
slid it over and the pasta, which  by the looks, he
narrowly missed before, and leaned down, kissing
Vin deeply.

They hadn’t had sex yet, but they had done just

about  everything  there  was  to  get  know  each
other’s  bodies.  Casey’s  hand  traced  a  line  down
Vin’s muscles to the hem of his shirt. Not wasting
any  time,  he  leaned  back,  pulling  the  shirt  from
Vin’s  body  and  dropping  it  over  to  the  side.
Removing his own shirt, Casey placed it on top of
Vin’s, creating a small pile.

The Firecracker and the Rocket

Leaning back down, Casey moaned at the skin-

to-skin  contact  and  took  Vin’s  mouth  in  a  deep
kiss.  His  heart  started  to  race  as  tongues  dueled
and  their  heated  bodies  began  rubbing  against
each other. Groaning, Casey just loved the feel of
Vin’s nipple rings on his flesh.

Leaning down, he took one into his mouth,

sucking and swirling the metal ring only to hear
Vin huff out a breath below him. He took his time
on the ring before biting and licking his way over
to the other one, giving it equal attention.

Vin pushed him up. “Clothes off,” he growled.
Casey didn’t even think about it before his

hands were on the buttons of his shorts, watching
as Vin did the same. Soon, they both were
standing there hard and aching, completely naked.

Casey admired Vin’s ripped muscles, now

nicely tan from working outside and with a very
nice six pack. Gaze wandering south, Casey
wanted to taste Vin’s cock again like he had done
so many times, but then, he saw the bottle of lube
and condom in Vin’s hand. Ooh yeah, Casey was
so on board for that.

Grabbing Casey, Vin spun him around to the

only standing place in the room, by the ladder
leading up to the bed.

He didn’t move an inch as Vin placed both of

Casey’s hands on the sides of the ladder and then
spread his legs. Casey began to shake in

Jackie Nacht

anticipation as he heard the lube being uncapped.
It was a moment later that he felt Vin’s body
against his back and a finger circling his hole.

Casey hissed at the coldness.
“It’ll get warmer, Case.”
And then, Casey felt Vin’s lips on his shoulder,

nibbling and sucking, helping him to relax.

Soon, Casey was pushing his ass back against

Vin’s hand in encouragement, and that’s when he
felt Vin’s finger sink into him up to the knuckle.
Casey moaned at the delicious feeling.

“More,” he moaned.
Vin sunk his finger in all the way and soon was

slowly easing it in and out, stretching Casey. One
became two, Vin scissoring the fingers.

Casey gripped the ladder for dear life as his

whole body became alive at the sensation. As Vin
inserted a third finger, Casey felt a small burn for
the first time.

“Wait for a second,” Casey huffed out.
“You got it.” Vin’s voice was deep as he began

licking a small trail of kisses on his shoulders.

Finally, Casey’s muscles relaxed. “Go ahead.”
Vin slowly worked the three fingers out and

then back in, rubbing them over his gland.

Casey’s head drooped forward, causing him to

glance down at his fully erect cock. The tip was
copiously leaking pre-cum, and he thought if Vin

The Firecracker and the Rocket

continued, he might be able to come without even
touching his cock.

As if reading his thoughts, Vin removed his

fingers.

Casey waited to hear the sound of foil tearing

but, instead, felt a hand on his ass, pushing him
up the ladder.

“What?” Casey glanced over his shoulder.
Vin was breathing heavily. “Up on the bed.

Want to look at your face.”

“I don’t think we’ll fit. The ceiling’s too low.”
Shaking his head, Vin pushed Casey’s ass up

again. “Trust me, we’ll fit. Now move.”

Climbing, Casey climbed as instructed but

wasn’t sure how on earth they could make love
with the ceiling only about two and a half feet
from the bed. Seemed a bit cramped.

Vin followed.
Casey crawled and lay down on his back with

Vin dropping down next to him, tearing the
condom wrapper and gloving up.

Turning, Vin crawled back on top of him.

“Spread your legs,” Vin growled before he leaned
down and kissed him. Casey obeyed, and then Vin
did something that shocked the hell out of him.
Vin leaned down and lifted Casey’s hips, resting
his legs on Vin’s inner elbows, taking Casey’s cock
in his mouth.

Jackie Nacht

Shouting, Casey was sure he was ready to

explode before they even started. Casey watched
as Vin hollowed out his cheeks before he
corkscrewed Casey’s cock in and out of his mouth.

Flopping his head back, Casey tried to do

everything  he  could  to  keep  from  climaxing.  He
almost  lost  the  battle,  but  then,  Vin  popped  off
and  grabbed  the  lube  to  grease  his  condom
covered cock.

“Hurry,” Casey pleaded. He was about to lose

it.

Vin came back and lined up his cock, lifting his

hips  and  legs,  and  it  was  in  that  moment  that
Casey’s  knees  hit  the  ceiling.  Instead  of  being  a
hindrance, Casey braced his knees there while his
mid-back supported him on the mattress. Vin had
perfect  access  to  his  ass,  which  he  was  slowly
filling  with  his  thick  cock.  Casey  could  feel  the
burn, but he also felt a pleasure he had never felt
before.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Vin

bottomed out inside him. “You okay?” he
breathed.

“Just hold on a sec.” Casey tried to get used to

the sensation and relax his muscles.

Vin was glancing down at him, waiting

patiently with a smile on his face. “Told you we
would fit.”

The Firecracker and the Rocket

“Kind of wedged in here.” Casey teased as he

glanced at each knee.

“Perfect position if you ask me.”
Casey laughed, and Vin groaned. “Damn, that

felt good. Can I move now, please?”

Casey nodded, and Vin started to slowly work

his cock in and out. Gone was any discomfort, and
all Casey could feel was Vin’s cock sliding over his
gland,  sending  pleasure  racing  up  Casey’s  spine.
Vin began pumping his cock in and out at a faster
and  deeper  rhythm.  His  cock  leaked  copiously,
and  Casey  gripped  the  sheets  as  the  zing  of
pleasure caused his entire body to shudder.

His balls tightened at his impending climax.

Casey just couldn’t last any longer. He shouted as
ropes of cum hit his stomach and chest.

Vin pumped a few more times before he

shouted out his release, filling the condom.

Vin leaned down and kissed him leisurely as he

gently lowered Casey’s legs. They definitely had a
workout and were shaking in the aftermath.

Casey watched as Vin grabbed the edge of the

condom before pulling out. Vin climbing down
and grabbed a towel then came back up, cleaning
both of them.

The sound of a loud explosion made them

jump.

“Sounds like the fireworks have started. Want

to go watch?” Vin asked.

Jackie Nacht

“Sure. Where are we going to watch them?”
“Guys are on the balcony.” Vin began climbing

down the ladder and getting dressed.

Casey followed him, searching for his own

clothes.

“This house has a balcony, I thought that noise

earlier was coming from the roof?” Casey asked.

Vin stopped and smirked at him, “Yes, one

balcony. Right outside of Cooper’s and Lawson’s
room.”

“Is it safe?” Casey could just see him leaning

against the rail only to fall off the damn thing.

“Yes, it’s safe and sturdy.” Vin chuckled before

pulling the shirt over his head. “Get dressed. I bet
the guys are waiting for us.”

They ventured out of Vin’s room and walked

across  to  Lawson’s  and  Cooper’s  where  Vin  led
him  over  to  their  balcony.  Blankets  were  spread
out so that Derek and Cooper took up one corner
and Lawson and Hayden took up another. Vin led
him  toward  the  center  where  an  empty  sleeping
bag sat on the floor of the balcony. They sat on top
of  it  just  as  the  sky  lit  up  in  beautiful  reds  and
gold.

“Prime spot.” Cooper smiled over at them as

another firework lit the sky.

Vin rested his back against the wall, gesturing

for Casey to come and sit in between his legs. He
crawled over and rested against Vin’s chest,

The Firecracker and the Rocket

enjoying the feel of his man circling his arms
around him.

“Comfortable?” Vin inquired.
“Perfect.” Casey smiled to the sky. With Vin

staying, he couldn’t possibly be happier knowing
that  they  could  spend  some  time  cementing  their
relationship.  No  more  worries  about  having  to
separate after just getting together. And with Vin
nibbling on his neck while he watched the beauty
of  the  fireworks  with  his  friends,  he  could  only
assume their summer days were only going to get
better and better.

About the Author

Short, sexy and sweet—where a little love goes a long
way.

That’s the best way to describe Jackie Nacht’s

stories.  I  was  introduced  to  M/M  Romance
through my sister, Stephani, and read it for years.
Then, I thought it was time to put my own stories
on paper. I began writing short and sweet stories
that  ended  with  a  happily  ever  after...and
sometimes  more  than  one,  in  the  case  of  my  YA
Fork  in  the  Road  series,  which  has  interactive
endings.

Thinking back to my own book addiction,

where there were many nights I stayed up way too
late so I could read just one more chapter—yeah,
right—I decided to write short romances for young
adults as well as adults. Hopefully, they will give
high school and college students, or working men
and women something they can read during their
lunch hour, in between classes or just when they
want to briefly get away from the daily stresses of
everyday life.