“Oh. Well, where did he get the fireworks?”

“They shoot them off at homecoming. He gets them all the time.” CJ’s mouth twitches as his eyes narrow. He leans closer to me. “Did you think I had some fugitive back there I was keeping out of jail in exchange for making me look fucking awesome in front of you?”

“I don’t know!” I giggle, knocking against his side so he straightens up. “This is crazy. We’re in the middle of a football field and I’m about to see my first private firework show.”

“And eat coconut inspired foods, don’t forget.” CJ pops the lid on the cooler, reaches inside, and drops two things into my lap.

A carton of coconut water and a Hostess Sno Ball.

I squeal and bounce my legs against the blanket. “Oh, my God! I love these!” I cry, tearing into the plastic package with my teeth and fishing out the spongy, flake covered cake. I bite into it and moan around my mouthful.

Coconut heaven.

“So good,” I mumble with a sticky tongue.

CJ has his own unpackaged and is biting into it while I suck marshmallow cream off my fingertip.

I giggle when he turns to look at me. Pink coconut flakes cover his lips. He looks adorable. I swallow and lean over. “Here. Let me get that,” I whisper, my clean hand bracing on CJ’s thigh as I lick along his mouth. “Mm. Yummy.”

He groans, tilting his head and pressing our lips together. We kiss, long and slow, and it tastes like candy. Sugar sweet and the richest chocolate. I’m going to have the best high, I think. Then the sky booms overhead, and I gasp and break away, looking up at the first burst of color that trickles down to the earth. Red and purple streams.

The smile I’m wearing can go down in the record books.

“Oh, my God! This is amazing!” The air whistles, and another burst of light blooms in the sky. It’s white and sparkles like diamonds. I lift my hand and point, yelling, “Look! Look at that one!”

Having inhaled his Sno Ball, CJ slides down so his head is on the pillow. He grabs my wrist and tugs me. I fall, giggling as I flop across his chest and nearly drop my cake on his face. We laugh together. Then I’m flipping over and resting my head in the crook of his shoulder, watching the sky and nibbling at the chocolate sponge.

The show goes on for at least twenty minutes. The bed of the truck shaking beneath us with each boom. It’s beautiful. I swear, I’ve never seen an Alabama sky look like this before.

And I've gone and seen the Fourth of July celebrations my entire life.

CJ moves his fingers in my hair as I drink my coconut water and eat another Sno Ball, pointing out my favorite fireworks to him. The ones that glitter and fall down like willow tree branches. We laugh together at the ones that look like sperm darting across the sky, and at the duds that seem to poof out before they’re supposed to. CJ messages the coach, telling him to save the pussy fireworks for homecoming (doing this jokingly, of course), and I fall back against him and laugh until my eyes water. We kiss and touch with tacky fingers. I nuzzle against his side and he wraps his arms around me. And when the finale starts, a rapid fire of the best of the best, I stand at the foot of the truck with my arms raised in the air and cheer at the top of my lungs.

“Wooooo! Yes! That was awesome!” I holler when the last firework burns out and the sky fills with smoke. I close my eyes and inhale the sulfur air.

Again, I can’t remember ever being this happy.

I spin around with my eyes lowered, expecting CJ to still be on his back, stretched out where I left him. But he’s standing now. I drag my gaze from his thighs and look up.

He tugs off his shirt and drops it on the blanket. Two condoms he digs out of his pocket are next.

My feet shift beneath me. I fight the urge to run at this man and hurl myself into his arms. I’m still buzzing from the sugar and still horny from when he was clutching at my ass. I can still hear his hot, helpless voice in my ear when I crawled over him halfway through the show and rubbed my leg against the bulge in his shorts.

“Here?” I ask, almost shyly, and clearly knowing the answer already. I just want to hear CJ say it, because I can’t believe we’re going to do this out in the open. I’ve never . . .

“I told my buddy to take a walk. It’s just us,” he says, eyes hungry and roaming over my body. They linger on the V in my top. “Show me.”

Not needing another prompt, I lift the hem of my shirt over my head and drop it onto the blanket. CJ’s nostrils flare. My breasts are smashed high and together behind the strict confines of my bra. I reach for the clasp in the front and slowly work it open, teasing us both. The summer air tickles my cleavage.

“Goddamn, your fucking body,” CJ growls when I bare myself to him, hard nipples and heavy flesh that begins to ache. He shoves down his shorts and boxers, his stiff dick springing free and smacking against his stomach when he straightens up. “Lose the shorts, darlin’,” he orders as he slowly strokes himself.

I watch his hand work, studying the way he pleasures himself. It feels good for him, I know, but I know CJ better. This is all for me.

My need goes into overdrive.

I step out of my shorts and panties, get halfway to CJ and stop to tug off my socks, cursing and causing him to laugh. Then I reach his outstretched arm. We pull each other down, both of us gripping and putting our mouths on as much skin as we can. My tongue on his chest and his lips warm and sucking on my neck.

“Oh, God,” I moan, back arching off the blanket when CJ slips a finger inside me and nuzzles his mouth between my legs. I grasp at his hair and hook my legs over his thick shoulders, digging my heels into the large muscles in his back. “More. Please, CJ please,” I beg.