He shrugged. “What are you gonna do? It’s all insured.”
“Exactly,” John said.
“I’m glad we hadn’t got around to remodeling the kitchen yet,” Kelly said.
“Yeah,” John agreed. “But at least now we can get it done wherever we end up.”
“You really think the house will be destroyed?”
“I remember what happened after Katrina. I won’t have you and Laurie living in a place that’s been flooded. If there’s even enough of the house left standing after the flood waters go down. I’m a realist. It’s going to be bad.”
They all jumped at the sound of something hitting the shutters covering the living room window. Tom-Tom let out a low growl. Jacob and Kyle, not looking very confident themselves, soothed the dog.
“I know how he feels,” Pete said. “It’s gonna be a long damn night.”
* * * *
Around two o’clock in the morning, Tom and Tyler headed to bed after texting Nevvie one last time. John remained alone in the living room, reading a book and listening to the storm coverage on the radio.
Tyler walked into the bedroom first. Before he could turn around, Tom had the bedroom door shut behind them and his fist in Tyler’s hair.
Tyler’s gut fluttered as his cock hardened in anticipation.
Without a word, Tom marched him over to the bed and pushed him, facedown, over the end of it.
He leaned in and whispered, “Do not move, boy,” in Tyler’s ear.
“Yes, Sir!”
“Eyes closed.”
Tyler complied.
He heard Tom walking around, the rustle of clothes as he undressed, then the sounds of him getting things. In the bathroom, he heard the sink run for a few moments. When Tom eventually returned, he knelt over Tyler, pinning him to the bed.
He reached under Tyler, fumbled for a moment until he got his shorts unfastened, then pushed them and his briefs down his hips.
“There’s my sweet ass,” Tom said. He leaned over and bit him on each ass cheek, hard, Tyler’s cock throbbing even more from the sweet pain.
Then Tyler heard the distinctive snick of Tom opening the bottle of lube. He smeared lube along his rim, and then he felt something press against him.
“Relax,” Tom said. “You know what to do. And this time, you’d better not come.”
Tom worked the butt plug against his ass, gently but persistently pressing for entrance, slowly, making Tyler squirm with anticipation.
He fought the urge to rock his hips against Tom’s hand, knowing it would make his cock explode. After a few minutes, Tom had him loosened enough he could slip the butt plug home. Tyler gasped as the widest part passed his rectum, then moaned at the full sensation in his ass.
Tom played with the base of it, tapping it, pressing on it, covering Tyler’s ass cheeks with playful nips.
“How’s that feel?”
“Good, Sir!”
Tom rose up a little. “Roll over. Hands over your head.”
Tyler did. As he’d suspected, Tom was completely naked. Tom settled back down over his face this time, with Tyler’s arms pinned with by Tom’s legs.
“Get busy.”
Tyler eagerly started licking and sucking, circling Tom’s rim with his tongue and working up his perineum to his balls and back.
“That’s it,” Tom hissed. “Fuck me with that sweet tongue.”
Tyler went wild, his mind deep in subspace. He didn’t need pain to get there. Just Tom’s masterful control was enough to free his tethered conscious. He pressed his tongue against the puckered ring of muscle, moaning, desperately wanting to please him.
“Such a good boy,” Tom whispered.
Tyler moaned again, unable to help it. His cock throbbed and he knew pre-cum had to be leaking from it. His ass clenched against the butt plug filling him and he wished it was Tom’s hard cock there.
Tom changed position after a minute. “Now suck my balls, boy.”
Tyler did, tenderly laving his tongue over Tom’s sac. Tom still kept himself shaved and Tyler loved the way the sensitive bare flesh felt in his mouth. Tom’s scent filled his lungs, his warm, sweet musky self mixed with the soap he’d washed with just a few minutes earlier.
“You’re so good,” Tom said. He wrapped his hand around Tyler’s cock. “You want to come for me?”
“Mmhmm!”
“Ooh, do that again.”
Tyler stifled an amused chuckle as he hummed against Tom’s sac.
“Oh, fuck yeah, buddy. That’s great. Don’t stop.” He squeezed Tyler’s cock, hard, making Tyler moan even louder.
When Tom rose up again, Tyler whined, making Tom laugh. “Hush. I’m not done yet.” He adjusted his position to lie on top of Tyler, his cock in Tyler’s mouth. “That’s what you really want, isn’t it? To suck my balls dry and fill your belly with my cum?”
“Mmhmm!” Tyler eagerly swallowed him, wishing he could also use his hands and simultaneously enjoying that he was helplessly pinned under his lover’s body.
Then he felt warm breath on his own cock. “You can come, but don’t you dare stop what you’re doing until I say you can.” Then Tom engulfed Tyler’s cock with his mouth.
Tyler deeply moaned. Tom started fucking Tyler’s mouth, hard and fast, as he sucked Tyler’s cock.
Tyler realized he could do little more than lie there and take it, and enjoy it. He curled his lips around Tom’s cock, flicking it as best he could with his tongue, Tom’s balls bouncing into his nose at the bottom of each thrust.
Tom used one hand to press on the butt plug as he deep-throated Tyler. Tyler felt his balls draw up tight, and even though he tried to hold back, he exploded with a muffled cry in Tom’s mouth.
Tom fucked him harder, faster, until his cock started throbbing and pulsing against Tyler’s tongue. Tyler started swallowing before the first hot jet of cum spurted out of his cock and down his throat.
Tom fell still with a shudder, gasping, still holding Tyler’s cock with one hand.
When he recovered, he rolled off Tyler and lay there next to him on the bed. “Better?” he finally asked.
“Uh-huh.”
Tom thumped the butt plug. “What’d you say?”
Tyler laughed. “Sorry, Sir. Yes, Sir.”
“Hmm. Maybe I should make you wear this all night.”
“That’s completely up to you, Sir.”
“Then again, you might enjoy that and try to hump me all night.”
Tyler snickered.
“Eh, go take it out and get cleaned up.” He yawned. “I think we need to get some sleep anyway.”
“Right.” He managed to get to his feet. He kicked off his shorts and briefs and pulled off his shirt before leaning in and kissing Tom. “Thank you, love.”
Tom grabbed him and pulled him in for another one. “I’m sorry I didn’t know all this stuff a lot sooner. I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could tell me.”
Tyler sat next to him on the bed, mindful of the plug still in his ass. “That wasn’t any failing on your part, love. Truly. I thought when I fell in love with you that none of that mattered anymore. You were all that I wanted and needed. Then when we met Nevvie, I still didn’t see it as something I needed. I never realized how much I missed it.”
Tom laced his fingers through Tyler’s and kissed his hand. “Well I’m liking this side of the whip, as it were.” He pointed to his own necklace, where the little lock always kept it on his neck. “Maybe we need a matching set of these.” His brown eyes studied Tyler. “If you want to. We already know Nevvie doesn’t mind.”
Tyler leaned in and kissed him. “It’s a lovely idea.”
Before he could sit up again, Tom grabbed the back of his head and fisted his hand in his hair again. “What’d you say, boy?”
Tyler smiled. “I meant it’s a lovely idea, Sir, and that I would be proud to wear your collar.”
Tom grinned. “That’s more like it. That’s my good boy.”
Chapte
r Seven
Nevvie’s nervous stomach early Saturday morning had nothing to do with morning sickness. She managed to down two pieces of toast and some peppermint tea at Andrew’s insistence before she joined Peggy on the porch. Inside, Laurie, the twins, Clay, and Andrew were all trying to keep Adam and Mikey occupied with a new video game.
“You all right, sugar?” Peggy asked.
“I guess.” Nevvie leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on the porch railing. They wouldn’t be able to sit outside much longer. The first of Edgar’s outer bands, robbed of power but still ripe with rain, had already blustered through the area. The overcast skies were already darkening again to the southwest as the next rain band closed in on them. Gusts of winds stronger than the stiff breeze set the pine trees surrounding the property dancing in nature’s own version of a coordinated flash mob. The storm’s track would take the eye across Florida and out into the Atlantic somewhere near St. Augustine. That meant lots of rain and gusty winds for Savannah, but hopefully no flooding.
“The boys are fine,” Peggy said, echoing Nevvie’s thoughts. “There’s no need to worry about them.”
“I haven’t received a text from them since 2:00 a.m., when they went to bed.”
“You know that doesn’t mean anything. They might still be asleep, sugar. Or cell towers might be down.”
“I know.”
Inside, Nevvie heard Adam’s excited squeal over leveling up in the game.
“That was a good idea, getting the new game,” Peggy said.
“I bought a bunch of DVDs for them, too. I just can’t believe they’re awake this early. It’s unreal.”
“It’s the storm. They also sense our stress.”
“I guess.”
“I actually don’t mind storms.” Peggy’s gaze focused somewhere in the distance. “Whether they’re afternoon thunderstorms or big storms like this.”
“Why’s that?”
“They remind me of my place.”
“Huh?”
Peggy didn’t respond at first. “We think we’re in charge of our lives. But we’re not. A storm is a good reminder of that. Storms always end. And on the other side, the weather gets better. It’s a fine analogy for life. Some storms just take longer than others. Sometimes, you don’t even realize you’re still in the storm until you happen to look up and see the sky turning blue again.” She looked at Nevvie. “Even Edgar can’t take away the clear blue skies in my life right now.”
Nevvie reached out a hand to her. Peggy took hers and squeezed. Together, they sat on the porch and watched the weather roll in.
* * * *
Tom lay in bed, his hands laced behind his head, and stared at the darkened ceiling. While he hadn’t fallen deeply asleep, he had managed to nap off and on throughout the night. Every little noise outside had woke him up.
He didn’t want to put a light on despite the blackness inside the room. He knew from their bedside clock that it was nearly seven in the morning, but the wind still howled outside. They were on the back side of the storm, and hopefully the weather should only improve from that point on, but he wasn’t setting foot outside the house until the wind died down more.
Tyler softly snored next to him, on his side and cuddled tightly against Tom. Tom wanted to get up, but he didn’t want to awaken Tyler. He knew Tyler hadn’t slept well during the night, and if he got up, Tyler certainly would, too.
At least it appeared the roof had held. And none of the storm shutters, or the garage door bracing, had given way. But from the leaks around the attic vents, they’d be looking at some roof repairs, no doubt about it.
I hope the cars aren’t completely trashed. He had no illusions that their vehicles had probably sustained impact damage from debris. He wondered if the glass was intact, or if the interiors of the vehicles had become drenched by wind-driven rains.
Carefully, so he didn’t awaken Tyler, he reached to the bedside table for his phone and tried to send Nevvie a text. After a few seconds, his phone vibrated and a message popped up.
Text failed.
Shit. He tried again with the same results. Well, answers that question. Until cell or landline phone service was restored, they were effectively cut off from the world with nothing but the radio for their information.
He heard someone up and moving out in the kitchen. As slowly and carefully as he could, he attempted to extricate himself from Tyler’s grasp. Tyler still stirred.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Tom said. “Just going to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” Tyler mumbled before rolling over.
Tom did use the bathroom and was happy to see at least they still had water pressure. When he carefully walked through the bedroom, Tyler was softly snoring again.
Good. He needs it. He silently closed the door behind him and went out to the kitchen.
Kelly was rummaging through the cabinets.
“What are you looking for?”
She stifled a small scream before turning and laughing. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You scared me. Where do you keep the coffee filters?”
“Over here.” He helped her find everything, and she started making coffee. “Did you get any sleep?” he asked her.
She shook her head. “Not much. John finally fell asleep about an hour ago. You?”
Tom shrugged. “It’ll only get better from here on out. I can take a nap later once I see what the outside looks like.”
“John said for me not to expect we’ll be able to get over to our house today or even tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry. With all the power lines that will be down, plus storm debris, it’s better you don’t. Plus there still might be flooding.”
“That’s what he said. That we’d probably get four flat tires if we went too soon.”
“He’s right.” He leaned against the counter and scrubbed his face with his hands. “I did buy a couple of patch kits, though. Make sure he takes one with him.”
She stepped over to him and hugged him. “I can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate this.”
He hugged her back. “It’s okay, Mom. We’re happy to have you here.”
When he looked, her eyes were too bright, as if she was close to tears. “I also wanted to tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for Nevvie. I can see how much you two obviously love her. I don’t care what anyone else thinks, you boys saved her life more than once. And we’ll always regret not finding her sooner. But we’re not kidding when we say you’re like sons to us.”
He blushed. “Aw, it’s okay, Mom. You don’t have to thank us.”
“It’s just… Well, John and I were alone for so long. Neither of us wanted anything to do with our families. And when Laurie came along, we felt badly that she didn’t have any other family. Now, despite the current circumstances, it’s still like a dream come true.” She frowned. “Although I think John is sort of hoping that Alex guy shows up here so John can personally take a whack at him.”
Tom grimly smiled. “He’s not the only one, Mom. Believe me. He’d have to get in line behind me and Ty.”
* * * *
They took their coffee into the living room and turned on the radio. The announcers were busy listing a series of neighborhoods still underwater from storm surge.
“…and Davis Island will remain closed to everything except emergency traffic. Residents will not be allowed back on the island until emergency officials have completed their search and rescue efforts and declare it safe. Tampa General Hospital is closed until further notice. Please call 813-555-8632 for more information if you have a family member who was a patient there. All patients were transferred to other hospitals before the storm. Most of the Town ’n’ Country area, from just south of Waters Avenue and east of Sheldon Road, is still under several feet of storm surge, including areas…”
Tom felt his jaw gape. “Holy crap,” he whispered. “That’s just…unbefuckinglievable.”
Kelly looked resigned as she sipped her coffee.
“Well, as John said, at least we were used to moving. Over the years I got to where if I had to, I could have us packed in little more than a five-by-eight trailer.”
Tyler appeared in the hallway and yawned. “There you are.” He walked over to the couch and sat next to Tom. “How bad?”
“Bad. We’ll be one of the lucky ones.”
Tyler listened with them for a few more minutes. “Bloody hell,” he said as the newscaster listed more damage. “That’s bloody unbelievable.”
The wind began to noticeably die down from its previous fury before noon. It was still breezy and gusty, but without the howling undertone they’d uncomfortably grown accustomed to. During a break in the rain, Tom risked unlocking and opening the front door.
“Well, it’s safe to go out. I think.”
Everyone walked out behind him. Tom-Tom, dragging Eddie on the leash, found the closest bush and lifted his leg with unmistakable relief. The poor dog, despite having newspaper on the guest bathroom floor, had held his bladder for over twelve hours.
Tree limbs and palm fronds littered the neighborhood. Tom immediately began walking around the house, trying to see the roof. There were patches of shingles missing, but fewer than he’d feared. Around them, houses had various degrees of damage from just missing shingles, all the way to one older house where the roof had been stripped all the way down to the bare plywood decking.
Part of their back fence had fallen under the force of the wind, and their neighbor’s tree had demolished another part of it, but other than that, they’d escaped major damage.
The cars, however, were a different story. His truck and Tyler’s car, both parked closest to the garage, were relatively unscathed except for some minor dents and dings on the roofs and sides. The passenger window of John’s truck had been struck by debris. A spiderweb of cracks had spread through the tempered glass, but the window remained in place.
“Must have happened on the back side of the storm,” John mused. “Otherwise, the whole window would have blown in if it’d been like that through the worst of it.” Kelly’s car had several larger dents on the exposed driver’s side, but all the glass was intact.