I'll Be There For You

"Wow," Peter whispered. "You're hot and really wet already."

I groaned again when the finger withdrew. I reached between us. Peter's hand was already positioning his cock. Our hands tangled for a moment before he relinquished control. I positioned the tip of his cock and grasped at his hip with my free hand. I pulled him forward. I sighed loudly as the head spread me open, and his shaft slowly began to fill the empty space inside me.

"Uh, that feels good," I gasped.

Peter grunted softly. "It's incredible," he whispered.

I'm not really sure what happened just then. I had an unanticipated reaction. It wasn't a physical sensation. It was emotional. Almost spiritual. Something about what we were doing suddenly made me feel everything in my life was going to be right again. It raised the sensations of joining with Peter to an unexpected intensity.

Peter's cock moved into me slowly while he held my breasts in his hands. Frustratingly slowly. He tried to lean forward to kiss me. But the awkward position, the tight confines of the front seat, and my legs between us meant he slipped out of me long before our lips met.

I cried out in disappointment. "No, no, no! Back inside me," I whined. When I felt Peter's cock begin to penetrate me again, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. But his slow, gentle entry was maddening. I was in no mood for slow or gentle. We weren't in bed. This wasn't a place to make love. It was the front seat of a freaking car in a dark, crowded parking lot. It was cramped. It was warm and humid. It would soon be uncomfortably hot. A storm was raging outside. It was a time and place for a raw, forceful, physical pounding. A place for a fast, furtive but satisfying fuck. "Faster, Peter. Fuck me faster!"

"I didn't want to hurt you," Peter said, almost apologetically.

I groaned again when his hips finally slapped against my buttocks. I can only describe feeling him inside me as perfect. Finally stretched and filled, the day's tensions evaporated. "Faster, Peter. Faster."

Peter responded to my pleading. He withdrew quickly and slammed into me forcefully. He stayed inside me for a second or two then repeated what he had done. Soon enough, there was no hesitation between thrusts. He'd withdraw and quickly slam into me again. Peter continuously drove his rigid cock into me. Hard and fast, like I wanted. The temperature inside the car increased rapidly with my body heat climbing apace. A lightning bolt illuminated the interior of the car briefly. Long enough that I could see Peter sweating profusely as he held onto my upraised legs and slammed into me again.

A pleasant tingling sensation spread across my skin and a glorious feeling grew between my legs. I could see Peter's shape outlined above me. Moving rapidly, rhythmically driving my body to what I knew was going to be a spectacular finish. Peter went off first. His body stiffened and he stayed inside me, pulling hard on my legs. A moment later, my release struck like a lightning bolt had found me. I'm not sure if the lights were inside my head or if it was lightning from the storm.

Peter wasn't done. The speed and force behind his thrusts somehow increased when he began again. I rode pulsating waves to several more peaks until my body went completely limp and an uninterrupted series of orgasmic waves consumed me. My breasts flailed back and forth each time Peter slammed into me. I heard Peter's breathing getting labored. Incredibly, I felt the sensations of another major climactic peak growing within me again. I groaned loudly. Unsure whether I eagerly anticipated another orgasm. Or feared one.

Peter slammed into me once more and grunted. I went off again. Though it wasn't as intense as I feared, it gave me an incredible sense of fulfillment. My entire body was soaked. Peter shuddered through his second orgasm, keeping his cock impaled in me. We were breathing heavily when Peter finally stopped thrusting. Our bodies calmed gradually. Our breathing slowed. The inside of the car was oppressively hot and humid. Peter slowly softened until he slipped out of me.

The flood I felt between my legs when Peter slipped out was unexpected. "Oh, shit," I said, continuing my unusual use of expletives. "Did you put the condom on?" I asked in panic.

"Of course," Peter replied. He reached up and turned on the dome light. "Fuck," he said. "The condom's torn. There's semen everywhere." The concern on his face was real.

I took a deep breath. My body doesn't work like a clock, but my cycle is pretty reliable. Rarely more than a day or two off one way or the other. "It should be okay," I assured Peter, though I wasn't as sanguine about it as I sounded. "I'm due in a few days."

Peter reached behind me and grabbed a box of tissues. We cleaned up as best we could and dressed. Despite being worried, I tittered at the trouble Peter had getting his pants from under his knees and back up. Climbing back to the driver's side was almost comical. We looked at each other when we heard a nearby car start. Soon, there was a chorus of engines starting, and an exodus began with headlights coming on everywhere. I looked at my watch. It was far too early for the late league to be finished.

I wiped condensation off the passenger side window and looked outside. "Everyone's leaving," I said, stating the obvious. A moment later I added, "The parking lot lights are out. The power must be down."

"We better get home," Peter said. "There's no telling how much of town is without power."

The rain had let up some but was still a steady, soaking downpour. I grabbed my bowling bag, almost whacking Peter with it. I gave him a quick kiss. "Call me if you'd like to do something this weekend," I said.

Peter grinned. "I'd be up for this again!"

"I bet you would," I smiled, then added, "Me, too." I hesitated a moment. "Here I go!" I exclaimed, then bolted out of Peter's car and into mine.

The drive home turned into a quest. The rain finally let up a bit though it didn't stop. Streets I usually took were flooded, forcing me to look for another way. Parts of town I drove through had power but much of it didn't. When I turned into the development where I lived, there was debris strewn in the street everywhere. Roof shingles, loose trash, trash bags, trash cans, recycling bins and their contents, kid's toys, lawn chairs, a kiddie pool, pool noodles, tree branches. You name it, I probably drove around or over it.

When I turned again, things got worse. A house was missing its roof. A pickup truck was upside down on a lawn. A motor home was on its side and partially in the street. Farther up the street, a car was nose-first into a roof. I got panicky. I weaved my way through more debris and turned onto the next street. Everything seemed okay there for the most part. Some tree branches were down. Leaves and small debris everywhere. The power was out.

When I turned onto my street, I was anxious about what I'd find. Everything looked okay at first. The power was out but the first houses on the street looked okay. When I pulled into my driveway, the headlights illuminated a mostly dark but apparently intact home. I breathed a sigh of relief. As I got out, I heard my emergency generator running. I grabbed my umbrella and purse.

When I looked up the street, I got physically ill. The roof on the house next to mine was stripped to the plywood and the windows were broken. Worse, Michele and Candace's house was gone. Not damaged. Gone. All that remained was part of the garage, the foundation, and part of a kitchen wall. I couldn't see well in the dark. But what I could see past Candace and Michele's house didn't look much better.

I turned and ran inside. I found Candace, Annabelle, and Tyler huddled together in the basement. "Are you all okay?" I asked hesitantly.

Candace answered. "We're okay. I heard something slam into the side of the house. I looked outside to see what it was and saw a trash bin in the yard. It flew away right in front of my eyes. Then the power went out. Annabelle was already in bed but still awake, Tyler fell asleep on the couch. I hustled us into the basement and stayed put."

"How long have you been down there?"

"I don't know." Candace said as the three of them came up from the basement. "Maybe forty-five minutes or an hour. I better get home and make sure everything is okay." Candace must have seen my tears. "Are you okay, Mrs. Pinkney?"

I hesitated. I didn't want to tell her that her home and family had been taken away by the storm. "Candace, you can't go home. I'm so sorry. Your house is gone. Oh god, your parents, Michele." I started sobbing. Candace bolted for the front door. "Annabelle, stay here with Tyler. Candace and I will be right back.

I caught up with Candace at the end of the driveway. She was sobbing. I felt horrible and feared the worst.

"I'm so sorry Candace. Is there someone we can call?"

"Can I use your phone? I forgot mine when I left for your house. I have to call Mom and Dad so I can tell them what happened."

"Your parents weren't home? Where's Michele?"

"They drove Michele to the airport this afternoon. She's on her way to Europe with two girlfriends for a month. Mom and Dad were going to have dinner in the city and spend the night at a hotel. They're coming home tomorrow morning. Mom took the day off. Dad was going to work late."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Let's get out of the rain, Candace. My phone is inside. You can call your parents. You can stay with me until your parents get home. I'll make room for them, too, when they get here."

"Thank you, Mrs. Pinkney."

What she said next surprised me a little. In the face of disaster, what teenagers worry about can be surprising.

"I don't have any clothes to wear," Candace said softly.

I put my arm around the girl. "I think I can find something for you to wear." Candace smiled through her tears and hugged me. "C'mon. Let's get out of the rain and call your parents."

I didn't have any cell service. I loaded everyone into the car and started to back out of the driveway. Peter's car stopped in front of the house. He got out and rushed to my car.

"I heard reports of a tornado on the radio. I tried to call but got a message that the call couldn't be completed. You're all okay?" he asked. I could see he was relieved.

"We're fine. No power except for the generator but otherwise okay." I saw Peter glance at Candace. "Well, we're all physically okay. Candace will be staying with me for at least tonight." I pointed up the street. "Her house is gone but her family is all okay. They weren't home. I don't know about some of the other neighbors, yet. We're going to drive around until I find cell service so she can call her parents and I can make some calls to let everyone know we're okay."

"I'm glad you're okay. Since you are, I'm going home so my sitter can go home."

"Where do you live, Peter?"

"On Willow Brook."

"You have power and cell service?" I asked.

"Both. The lights are on at Bell's."

Bell's was an all-night gas station and convenience store near Peter's house and not far too from Sienna. I could park there and get the kids a snack while Candace called her parents. "Thanks, Peter. I better get going. I'll talk to you soon."

I took the kids into Bell's to get a drink and a snack while Candace called her parents. She was still on the phone with them when we got back to the car.

"Mom wants to talk to you, Mrs. Pinkney," Candace told me.

I took my phone back. "Hi, Penny. I'm sorry you had to get this news."

"How bad is the house?"

"It's gone. There's nothing left, Penny." I heard Penny begin to cry and her husband trying to comfort her in the background. He took the phone.

"Hi, Sage. We'll be there in a couple hours. We'll leave as soon as we pack and check out."

"Stay put, Aaron. There's nothing you can do here tonight. You might as well try to get some sleep. You'll need to be rested tomorrow. Candace can stay with me tonight. Michele's flight got off?"

"Yeah, her flight left a little after five. We should come home. Is your house damaged?"

"I'm not going to tell you not to come home. You can stay with me, but you'll be more comfortable where you are. I can't see how you can do anything before tomorrow. Power is out across much of town. There's flooding. I had to drive to Bell's to get cell service. You'll probably have trouble getting any rest if you come to my house tonight. I promise, Candace will be okay until you get here. My house doesn't appear damaged as far as I can tell. My generator is working. No one else on the street has power."

Aaron and Penny decided to stay where they were for the night. After ending the call with Candace's parents, I called Sienna, my parents, and Malcolm's parents, Liz and Henry, to tell them we were okay and make sure they were, too. Finally, I called out of work for the next day.

Aaron and Penny picked up Candace midmorning the next day. They would be temporarily staying with Penny's brother which meant Aaron had a brutal work commute in addition to the challenge of finding a more suitable lodgings, dealing with the insurance company, shopping for clothing for everyone, and deciding whether to relocate or rebuild. It left me without a sitter for Tuesday night bowling, though that was a minor inconvenience. I felt selfish for it crossing my mind.

A walk-through in the morning confirmed the house was in good shape but for a broken window in the garage. The backyard was another matter. Debris from a house was scattered across the yard, including a large section of someone's roof, someone's clothing spilling out of a broken chest of drawers, a mangled washer, and an upside-down car with a collapsed roof.

As I stood gawking at the mess, I felt the hands on my shoulders and heard my dead husband reassure me, "I'll be there for you." This time I shuddered and got a chill unlike any I'd had before. What the hell did that even mean? Did he keep the car and roof from landing on my home? Did he redirect the tornado away from the house to protect the kids? Did he have that kind of power over the physical world?

Cell service was restored two days later. Power was another matter. Sienna offered to put us up, but it was inconvenient and would be uncomfortable. I decided to rely on generator power, which meant refilling the propane tank every few days. The generator wouldn't run the whole house. But it would allow us to cook, keep food cold, run the well and furnace, which meant hot showers. While inconvenienced, Annabelle, Tyler, and I were far better off than most everyone else in the neighborhood. Miraculously, no one I knew was hurt. According to the news on the local radio station, twenty-two houses were damaged or destroyed by the first tornado to strike the town since before WWII. One man in his late seventies, safe in his basement, his home undamaged, died of apparent heart failure. Amazingly, only a handful of people suffered injuries.

I spent the rest of the week helping neighbors with what I could and meeting with my own insurance company and several contractors. My yard was a catastrophe, but insignificant compared to the damage others suffered. Other neighbors whose homes were spared pitched in, too. Mostly that meant helping people sift through debris to salvage what they could. Family photos and mementos, clothing, whatever they could find. Like everyone affected, I spent the days after the storm on the verge of tears. Penny and Aaron had almost nothing to salvage.

I spoke to Peter several times during the days after the storm, but only briefly. I put him off, sharply on one occasion, because I was so upset. Trying to focus on helping my neighbors to the exclusion of anything else. I apologized for my behavior later. Peter wasn't looking for a booty call. He was just checking to make sure we were still okay and to find out if he could help. I think part of the reason I was so ill-tempered was I suffered a bit of survivor's guilt. My family had escaped the tornado essentially unscathed.

The section of town where my children went to daycare was relatively unaffected. They got power back on Thursday. I returned to work on Monday. I couldn't stay out of work any longer but continued to spend the daylight hours after work helping neighbors. Sienna volunteered to watch the kids whenever I needed.

The days after the storm were chaotic and stressful. It wasn't until bowling resumed after a one-week hiatus that the broken condom crossed my mind again. By then, I was over a week late and well past the window for Plan B contraception. A pregnancy was the last thing I needed but was now a possibility to be concerned about. I called Peter and asked him to meet me in the parking lot for a few minutes before going inside.

Peter pulled in, parked alongside me and got into my passenger seat. When he leaned toward me, I hesitated for a moment before kissing him. The kiss was perfunctory. Peter knew something was wrong immediately.

"What's wrong, Sage? Are you pregnant? Worried you might be?"

"I don't know, but," I responded. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say next, so my initial response ended with but.

"But what?" Peter asked.

"I'm over a week late. The last two times I was more than a couple days late resulted in Annabelle and Tyler." Peter ran his hand over his forehead into his hair. "I'm sorry the broken condom slipped my mind, but with everything that's happened . . .," I said.

"Don't apologize, Sage. I know the last couple weeks have been hell. So, what's next?"

"I don't know. I'll pick up a home pregnancy test. We'll talk about it again when the time comes."

"Okay," Peter said. He had a gentle smile when he said it, which I found a little disconcerting. "Sage, no matter what happens, whatever you decide, I'll support you one hundred percent. I'm with you, however you want me to be."

"Thanks, Peter. Let's get inside before we're late."

On Saturday, Annabelle, Tyler, and I did our grocery shopping. I dropped a pregnancy test in the basket. This time Annabelle didn't notice the unusual item going into the shopping cart because I took advantage of her bickering with Tyler. I chastised them gently, pointing out it wasn't nice to squabble like that at home, but completely inappropriate at the supermarket. Both apologized to me and stopped, though I could tell they were still annoyed with each other.

The utility company had crews on my street for the third consecutive day when I left for the supermarket that morning. I didn't understand why the utility company had anything to fix. The power lines in my development had been buried at some point. The were no telephone poles anywhere nearby. The crews were still on my street when I got home, but the generator wasn't running. Neighborhood power had been restored.

Once the kids were in bed that night, I got the pregnancy test out and read the directions. I'd never used one before. A test performed in my doctor's office confirmed my pregnancies for Annabelle and Tyler. The directions recommended taking the test first thing in the morning. I called Peter and talked to him for a bit before going to bed. We avoided the topic that was on both our minds. There wasn't any need to get into it until the next morning.

I never got around to using the test. I started cramping overnight. By Sunday morning, I breathed a sigh of relief and sent a quick text to Peter. His response was curious. "I'm happy for you, if it's what you hoped for. While I'm breathing a sigh of relief, too, I'm oddly a little disappointed."

I called my OB-GYN when I got to my office on Monday to set up an appointment. I wasn't about to suffer another scare. I still had a few years to decide whether I was done having babies. But a future pregnancy wouldn't be an accident.

Things with Peter cooled off after the broken condom scare. At least the physical part did. We continued to see each other but circumstances over the rest of the summer prevented us from having an opportunity to revisit our carnal adventuring. Between work, helping neighbors when I could, dealing with two contractors, trying to rehabilitate my yard and plantings, and the kids' activities, I didn't have much free time.