FWF Fireworks – Up in Flames by Maura Anderson

Written just for this blog :)

Up in Flames
© 2008 by Maura Anderson

Noah took a swig of cold beer and stared at the collection of fireworks laid out on the picnic table. “Hmm. Where to start?”

Not that anyone was going to answer him. Boone had moved out more than eight months ago. He’d never begrudge his long time friend and roommate his new partner and the solitude was nice—for about a week. Now the house practically echoed.

For a while Noah could bury himself in his new project at work but that had been shipped off two weeks ago.

Hell, he didn’t really want another platonic roommate. The thought of someone he didn’t know enough to trust rifling through the contents of his house really made his stomach churn. Boone he’d known since junior high and their trust and friendship had cemented when they’d come out together as teens. Nothing like shared trauma to bond two people for life.

He swigged the rest of his beer and immediately opened up another from the several in the small ice bucket on the picnic bench.

Maybe some amateur pyrotechnics would liven up his night. At least he could shoot the mortars and not worry too much about setting his nearest neighbor’s house or shop on fire. The property had been sold to a blacksmith who’d made a bunch of improvements, including a standing seam metal roof on the house and a big metal shop building.

He’d yet to actually meet the new family, though. He’d been too busy working and hiding from the world. He probably should have invited them over or at least warned them that his Fourth of July tradition included fireworks a small town might envy. At least they weren’t illegal…much. There were lights on in the shop but it was probably just for security.

Was it dark enough yet? It wouldn’t actually be sunset for a while but surely it was dark enough for a mortar round or two. The so-called meadow that substituted for grass on his property was still moist from the rain they’d had over the last few days. The mugginess of the day had started to give way to the cooler evening breeze as well.

Setting down the beer, Noah grabbed a fireplace lighter and a mortar, then trooped across the yard to the launch platform he’d set up with the mortar tubes and sand buckets. He straightened the fuse out and dropped the mortar in the tube, lit the fuse and trotted back toward the house, turning around midway to watch the round go up.

Ka-boom!

The mortar shot skyward and exploded in a flower of yellows and reds, then faded away in a forest of crackles and pops.

“Nice bunch this year.” He chuckled to himself. It sounded like he was judging a vintage of wine. The mortar had gone almost straight up, though, and he didn’t like it that close to his roof. He needed to angle the plywood platform a bit more.

Another swig of beer and he took another mortar shot downrange. Adjustments made, he lit the fuse and trotted away again.

Ka-boom! Boom!

Wow, that was a double round. Fuchsia, then yellow before it started to subside into crackling and popping embers. Except the embers didn’t go out before they fell right onto the neighbor’s shop. “Fuck.”

He winced and waited for a moment. Maybe no one was home. Just as he thought he’d gotten lucky, he saw the lights in the shop flick off and a few seconds later someone was walking across the acre of thigh high grasses between the two houses.

The figure was obviously a man, with broad shoulders and a heavy chest above narrower hips and long legs. He walked over the uneven ground with an easy grace that ate up the distance.

“Hot damn.”

He barely kept himself from drooling. Was this his new neighbor? Even if he wasn’t gay, he was a real piece of eye-candy.

The man stopped to examine the mortar launch platform and decreased its angle a bit before he continued toward the patio.

Red hair. Fuck, the guy had long red hair pulled back into a thick braid. Noah loved redheads. Shit, his cock was throbbing uncomfortably against the button fly of his jeans. He didn’t need his neighbor—at least he thought it was his neighbor—offended in addition to having fireworks debris landing in his yard.

At the edge of the patio, the other man paused and smiled a sexy, slow smile. “Evening. You must be Noah Collins. I’m Jim Rissolo.”

Muscular indeed. Thick muscles rippled and tugged at the green long-sleeve T-shirt he was wearing while well-worn jeans fit like a glove over slender hips and long, strong legs. Noah was no slouch at the gym and this man made him feel small.

It took a supreme act of willpower to not stare at the other man’s crotch.

Jim glanced at the pile of pyrotechnics on the table. “Some of the other neighbors warned me that it would be a war zone in your backyard tonight. Guess they weren’t exaggerating.”

“Umm. Hi. Nice to meet you.” Noah struggled to gather enough brain cells to form a complete sentence. Too bad his blood was too far south to allow much thinking. “I’m sorry I overshot my yard and got your shop. It wasn’t deliberate.”

A warm, deep laugh from Jim made Noah’s cock ache even more. Slightly thin lips curved in an easy smile. His silvery-grey eyes were fringed by red lashes, slightly lighter that the color of the hair on Jim’s head. Noah couldn’t help wondering what color the rest of the hair on his body would be. Or what those lips would look like wrapped around Noah’s cock.

Aaargh. Now was not the time for his long-dormant libido to decide to come to life.

“It’s okay. I’m a blacksmith so the shop is pretty well fireproof. And I like fireworks, I just didn’t have any time to investigate the legalities or find a good place to shop.”

The tight lump in Noah’s chest eased a bit. “Want to join me? I’ve got beer and lots of things that go boom. I can pull some steaks from the fridge to grill later, if you’re hungry.”

“Sounds great. I just finished the last piece of a commission I had to get done, so I’m free to enjoy myself now.” Jim helped himself to a beer from the ice bucket.

Noah tossed him the opener. “Is anyone else at home?”

Subtle, jackass.Way to sound nosey.

“Just me.” Jim took a long swallow of beer. “What about your roommate. The other neighbors I’ve met said two men lived here.”

“My roommate fell in love and moved out over six months ago. Guess you can tell I don’t talk to the neighbors too much, huh?” He fussed with the fireworks and laughed nervously.

“Well, we all need distance sometimes. It’s when alone becomes lonely that people need to take some action. Maybe meet some new people or go some new places.”

That seemed to be the voice of experience.

Jim picked up another lighter and a big roman candle. “May I?”

At Noah’s nod, he walked a few feet out into the yard and lit the firework, holding it at arm’s length and pointing it away from himself and Noah’s house.

The five shots of the roman candle went off, one pop-boom after another. The firework may have been more impressive if Noah had been watching the show instead of Jim’s ass. Though the blacksmith’s ass was a damned show in and of itself.

Well accustomed to the routine, Jim stuck the spent roman candle into the big bucket of water Noah had stationed near the patio for just that purpose. With a huge grin, he picked up his beer again and sat perched on the edge of the table.

“Fireworks are so much fun. Thanks for letting me join you, I needed this.”

“I’m glad you came over.” Before he could say anything to give himself away, Noah grabbed up bottle rockets and set them off in a shriek of high pitched noise.

His jaw almost dropped open when Jim stood up and peeled off his T-shirt. Not only was the man built like a bodybuilder, he had amazing tattoos. Both arms were covered with intricate flames that started at the wrist and trailed all the way up to his shoulders. Whoever the artist was had done a masterful job of making them look realistic, like real fire.

“My god, I love your arms.” Noah blushed when he realized what he’d said. “The tattoos, I love your tattoos.”

“Thanks.” That sexy smile again. “Some people are really turned off by any body mods.”

“Not me. Especially those.” Noah choked out the words, then grabbed a lighter and fireworks to escape for a moment and try to regain control of his tongue and his cock.

When he got back to the patio, Jim had sat on one of the benches and leaned back as if to watch him, elbows back on the picnic table. “So, got a girlfriend at the moment?”

Amusement lightened the mood and Noah laughed. “Umm, not my side of the buffet table. No boyfriend for a while either.”

Jim’s sexy mouth curved in a broad smile. “Then we have something else in common besides fireworks. I’m gay, too.”

Crap. If Noah’s cock got any harder, he wouldn’t be able to walk. How the hell was he supposed to respond to that?

Jim chuckled and stood up, walking toward him like a predator stalking delicious, helpless prey. “I must have stunned you into silence, hmm?”

The closer he got, the faster Noah’s heart seemed to beat. Was this really happening? To him? This was not anything Mr. Antisocial should have happen.

Jim’s big hands framed Noah’s face, callouses rough against his cheeks and the faint smell of smoke and musky man teasing his senses.

“Can I kiss you?” His deep voice seemed to run over Noah’s nerve endings, making goosebumps rise despite the warmth of the night.

“Please?”

As if unable to wait, Jim’s lips caressed Noah’s. Warm, tender skin brushed feather light, then nuzzled at the corners of his mouth. The tip of Jim’s tongue teased the edges of his mouth, flicking and licking as if savoring the taste.

An electric arc seemed to jolt from Noah’s lips to his cock and his lips parted in a gasp for air to plead for more.

The blacksmith’s strong fingers moved to the back of Noah’s head and held him still as Jim’s tongue tenderly explored the inside of his lips then wrapped itself around Noah’s own tongue.

The intimate caress made him moan and he finally lost all control and pressed his rock-hard cock against Jim’s crotch, only to discover the other man was huge and thickly erect.

With a final lush swipe of his tongue across Noah’s lips, Jim pulled his head back and panted for a moment. “Damn, Noah. Just your mouth tastes incredible; I can’t imagine what your cock tastes like.”

“Want to stay the night?” Noah prayed the other man would accept.

“I’d love to stay, as long as I can taste my fill.”

Written by Maura Anderson

Maura began writing on a whim and writing male/male romance on a dare. She enjoyed the results so much that her muse can't seem to turn off the ideas and she continues to write stories about acceptance, being true to one's self and love.
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