“No, not that one. I don’t like that texture,” I said as Mark, my husband of twenty-eight years, heaved the heavy clay planter back on the shelf with a grunt. “And I’m not sure about the color. You know how the light in Flagstaff is whiter?" Phoenix always had a tinge of orange because of the dust and smog. I looked at Mark apologetically and bit my lip. “I’m not being too high maintenance, am I?”

“No, sweetie, we’re in no hurry,” he said as he dusted off his work gloves. “Let’s just make sure you’re happy with them here; I don’t want to have to drive all the way down to Phoenix again to do an exchange.”

He stepped forward with a smile and gave me a hug and softly kissed my hair, putting an end to my fretting for the moment. At 6 feet 6 inches, he could easily kiss the top of my head, and often did. A charming show of affection I should never grow tired of.

We stood in the large outdoor section of a huge home and garden center in North Phoenix, Arizona. We had come down from the mountains of Flagstaff to visit my parents for a few days, and were taking the opportunity to get some errands done while we were back in “civilization.”

It was the summer monsoon season and as we stood watching the sunset in the west, the low growl of thunder could be heard in the east behind us.

“Wow!” Mark exclaimed. “Just look at that thunderhead!”

I turned in his arms and beheld one of those magnificent Arizona sunsets that makes living in the desert worthwhile. An enormous anvil-shaped cloud towered over the valley. Streaked with red and purple light from the dying sun, lightning flashed within it like the heart beat of some vast Titan. As we watched the gargantuan cloud we could see it billowing upwards, illuminated within by red and orange flashes of lightning.

The gentle easterly breeze ominously stopped and changed direction, heading into the maelstrom, and the flinty smell of the desert became stronger as the expanding thunderhead sucked the air up into it, swelling like some vast mushroom cloud. The thunder and lightning grew closer, and the base of the cloud was obscured by a gray veil that seemed to stretch in both directions for miles.

Alarmed by the coming storm, customers began flocking back to the shelter of the store. Mark and I both shared a fascination with storms and remained in the open garden center, watching nature’s fearsome and majestic display until we were almost engulfed by a swarm of dust, dried leaves and twigs that rapidly swept towards us. The gray wall towered over us like a wave, and a hissing sound coming from its depths heralded the arrival of an avalanche of hail.

Snapped out of our reverie by a bolt of lightning that seemed to shatter the sky, I screamed and Mark pulled me into a small aluminum display shed filled with Astroturf samples, slamming the door just as the hailstorm hit. The tiny shed rocked and creaked in the windstorm. When the deafening crack of thunder hit, something happened and my fear turned to wild lust.

My fingers quickly found Mark’s bulging cock; the tempest seemed to have been having the same effect on him as it had on me - he was rock hard. Clinging to Mark’s strong shoulders, my lips searched for his as the deafening hailstorm pounded on the shed like a hundred hammers. He felt my need, and we kissed fiercely as we fumbled with our clothing like teenagers in the small dark shed.

I wrapped my legs around him, Mark guided his 8-inch cock into my wet and tingling pussy and began to pump me at a frantic rate. I clawed at his back with my fingers, feeling but not hearing his growls of lust in answer. This was raw, instinctive animal sex; words had no place here. They were swept away by the cacophony of sheets of hail crashing onto metal roofs. Caught up in the moment, I threw my head back and screamed encouragement to Mark at the top of my lungs as he fucked me savagely, which still resulted in nothing more a slight buzzing in my ears.

“Fuck me! Yes! Yes! Oh God! OH GAWD!!” I screamed into the howling darkness as I climaxed again and again. Desperately needing a break, I lay back while Mark shot one more load into me as we both grunted and groaned with pleasure.

Mark peeked out the door to get the lay of the land, then shut it quickly. The storm had passed, leaving chaos, and now only distant thunder and steady rain in its wake. We frantically threw our clothes back on and stood by the door of the shed.

“Brass it out baby,” Mark said as he put on his sunglasses.

“Let’s do this,“ I replied as I did the same.

We emerged from the battered little shelter with as much dignity as we could muster, ignoring the stares, muttering and even scattered applause of the other customers and associates. The lights began to flicker back on as their generator kicked in, so we collected our cart and headed for the checkout like nothing had happened.

As soon as we had stowed our purchases, we climbed into the pickup and stared straight ahead as fat raindrops splashed lazily around us. I glanced over at Mark, who was sporting a huge grin.

“Your shirt’s on inside out,” he whispered in my ear.

I giggled. He chortled and soon we were laughing uncontrollably till tears were streaming down our faces. Eventually our laughter subsided and we looked deep and lovingly into each other’s eyes. Mark kissed my hand softly, then drove to a deserted part of the lot, where we made love again. This time at the gentle pace of warm summer rain.