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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monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
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fine of $250,000.

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

The Firecracker and The Rocket

Copyright © 2013 Jackie Nacht

ISBN: 978-1-77111-600-8

Cover art by Carmen Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
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Published by eXtasy Books

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The Firecracker and The Rocket

Holiday Jobs That Don’t Suck, Book Seven

By

Jackie Nacht

Dedication

To Mom and Dad, thank you for all the fun summer
moments watching the fireworks and playing volleyball

by the lake growing up. I love you.

1

Chapter One

ay

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

M

Jackie Nacht

2

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

3

“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

4

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

5

“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

6

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

7

“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

8

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

9

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

10

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

11

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

12

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

13

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

14

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

15

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

16

“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

17

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

18

“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

19

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

20

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.

F

The Firecracker and the Rocket

21

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

22

“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

23

“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

24

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

25

“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

26

“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

27

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

28

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

29

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

30

“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

31

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.

V

Jackie Nacht

32

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

33

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

34

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

35

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

36

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

37

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

38

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

39

“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

40

“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

41

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.

I

Jackie Nacht

42

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

43

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

44

“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

45

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

46

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

47

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

48

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

49

“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

50

“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

51

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.

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and at

my webpage: www.jackienacht.com.