Only in Oklahoma (At the Altar Book 6) Read online

  "Teaville is right on top of a river. I know it's not the same, but I hope it'll be better than nothing." He'd put the sign on the door and made sure he engaged the extra locks. Walking to her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, looking out at the ocean with her. "Do you like to swim?"

  She nodded. "I'm more of a pool swimmer than an ocean swimmer, though. I like to be able to see the bottom." And she hated seaweed in her toes, but she didn't add that. He didn't need to know all of her quirks just yet. She would give him the gift of being able to discover them at his leisure.

  His lips went to the curve of her neck. "I live in an apartment, and there's a pool in the complex. You'll be able to swim in a pool any time you want." He scraped his teeth against her skin, causing a shiver to run through her. Every time he touched her she grew weak in the knees. It was some special skill of his.

  She turned in his arms, looping her own around his neck. "Will you swim with me?"

  "Every chance I get." He lowered his head, capturing her lips with his. He pulled her closer until they were touching from chest to thighs. "We're not stopping this time!"

  She nodded, her hands already under his shirt. She'd had enough of the constant interruptions. It was time they finally consummated their marriage!

  She took a step back from him, pulling her tee shirt over her head and throwing it on the floor. Her hands then went to the hem of his shirt, and she pulled it over his head. His hands went to the front clasp of her bra, and he pushed her bra off her shoulders and watched as it landed on the window sill. They'd find it later.

  He reached down and cupped her bottom in his hands, scooping her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he carried her to the bed, gently laying her onto her back before coming down on top of her.

  He kissed a trail from her shoulder down over her breast to her navel, nipping softly at her flat tummy.

  She giggled. "That tickles!"

  He smiled, going back up to her lips and kissing her again. "It's supposed to make you feel good."

  "It does." She wound his fingers through his hair, her foot rubbing his leg. Suddenly she stopped. "Oh, crud."

  He lifted his head. "What?"

  "My phone. Can't you hear it? That's my mom's ring tone."

  Chapter Four

  Jon groaned. "Do you have to answer it?"

  "Yeah. I don't want her to think you murdered me in my sleep. Did you give my dad the name of the hotel?" Michaela's eyes were frantic. She half expected her dad to show up any minute to interrupt them.

  He rolled to her side. "Yes. Police will be here in five minutes if you don't answer. Go." He laid on his back taking big gulps of air. They were never going to have children, because they were never going to be able to consummate their marriage. Why was something that so many couples managed for years before they married so hard for them to make happen after?

  She scrambled off the bed and pulled her phone from her purse. She quickly hit the redial. "Hey, Mom. I'm fine."

  "Why didn't you answer? I was frantic!" Her mother's panicked voice came through loud and clear.

  "I'm on my honeymoon, Mom. I'm not sitting around waiting for the phone to ring."

  "Well, let me tell you this. When you're a mother, you won't be so blasé. Anything could have happened to you. What if he'd been a murderer? You could be dead for all I know!"

  "I'm not dead. I'm fine. Jon is wonderful, and we're having a nice time." She glanced back at the bed, and he was gone. She heard the bathroom door close, and the shower started again.

  Her mother kept her on the phone for an hour talking about how everyone had reacted to the wedding, and how the cleanup of the church had gone after she'd left. "Wednesday night service wasn't the same without you. All the kids came to me asking where you were, and I had to tell them you'd moved away. Didn't you say goodbye to the children?"

  "I did say goodbye to them, Mom. And now I'm saying goodbye to you. I'll call you if I think I'm going to die, and then you can start worrying."

  "Don't you get flippant with me, young lady!" Her mother obviously didn't find her attempt at humor nearly as funny as she did.

  Michaela sighed. "I'm really fine, Mom. I'll call you soon, okay?"

  "Fine. Don't die!"

  "I won't die." She sighed and hung up the phone, realizing just then that she'd been pacing and talking to her mother for an hour in just her jeans. She hadn't put her shirt or bra back on.

  She turned to the bed. "Jon?"

  He looked up from his phone. "There's another problem at the church. Someone served the grape juice that was meant for communion on Sunday to the children last night. So now there's no grape juice for communion."

  She sat down on the edge of the bed and laughed, reaching for her shirt and pulling it over her head. "Of course they did. Now what?"

  "I need to call the youth minister. Hang on."

  Forty-five minutes later, he came back in from the hallway where he'd paced while talking to his associate. "They're going to go to the grocery store and get more grape juice, but one of the teens fell during service last night and banged her head. So she's in the hospital, and he's worried the church is going to be in trouble for it. They need to send me a fax to sign, so the medical treatment will come out of the church's insurance."

  He sighed. "The fax should be at the front desk. I'm going to go down and sign it. I'm sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck to ease the tension, something she'd seen him do several times already.

  "Why? You're not hurting me. Go sign the document and fax it back. I'll be here."

  While he was gone, she went and looked out the window, noticing that the water was much harsher than usual. She found the television remote and turned on the TV. "A Northeaster is blowing in, about to hit the Massachusetts shore. I know it's late in the year for this, but get ready. If you don't have emergency supplies, now may be the time to get them."

  She groaned, grabbing the keys to the rental car and a room key. She'd meet him down in the lobby, and they could go get some bottled water and whatever else they may need. Yes, they were in a hotel, but she didn't know if they'd need to be evacuated or not.

  She got out of the elevator just as he was going in. "Huge storm coming in. Let's go get some bottled water and crackers and emergency supply type stuff. We may be without power."

  He shook his head. "You've got to be kidding me! We're on our honeymoon!" He wanted to shake his fist at the sky, but he knew she'd make fun of him for being so melodramatic. He wasn't sure how much more he could take, though.

  She stepped close to him and kissed him softly. "We have the rest of our lives together. If we don't get to it tonight, there's always tomorrow. And next week. And next year."

  He groaned. "I'm not sure I'm going to survive that long."

  She laughed. "Come on. We need more food in our room than just taffy."

  He took her hand and followed her out of the hotel. They went to a small convenience store, the first place they saw. She bought some foods that were shelf stable and didn't need to be cooked, while he got them a case of water. "This will get us through."

  She nodded. "Good enough."

  When they got back to the car, she leaned close and whispered, "I think it might be nice to listen to the crash of the waves and the sounds of the storm while we make love."

  He nodded. "Right now I'd listen to the sounds of humpback whale song if we could just get to that point." He wasn't sure they ever would though. In fact, he was becoming certain they wouldn't!

  "Humpback whale song?" she asked with a laugh.

  Jon frowned. "Don't make fun of me. I'm getting desperate here."

  "Obviously."

  "How many more interruptions do I have to put up with before I finally admit defeat?"

  "Never admit defeat," she whispered.

  When they got back to the hotel, they were stopped on their way to the elevator to go back to their room. "There's been a shark sighting. We're trying to let everyone know to stay
out of the water."

  Michaela gaped at the manager. "With the storm that's supposed to be coming in, are people really going into the water?"

  "You would be surprised at what people do," the manager said. "Have a good day."

  Jon shook his head. "We should have found a cabin in the middle of the woods with no cell coverage for our honeymoon. Or on top of a mountain."

  She laughed. "Might have been better. But then there would have been lost hitchhikers who would have needed constant nursing because of hypothermia or something."

  "I'm glad you're taking all this in stride. A lot of women would be really upset."

  "What good would that do me?" she asked. "It would be a waste of my energy, and everyone around me would be dragged down by my bad attitude." They stepped into the elevator, and she put her hand flat against his chest. "And I know I'll be making love to you soon. I'm determined."

  "I like your attitude," he told her with a grin, leaning down and kissing her. "I have to say, I'm enjoying just being with you even though we haven't been able to get to the good stuff yet."

  "It's all good stuff," she countered. "We've gotten to build a sand castle, we've seen Plymouth Rock, we've bought taffy, we've met a very nice member of the housekeeping staff, we've had lobster rolls, and we've gotten to watch the ocean with a storm blowing in. Who could ask for more?"

  "You're right. It has been fun, even if it hasn't been the kind of fun I wanted it to be."

  They got to their room and she waited as he unlocked the door. "Now we can make our own fun."

  They set down the snacks and drinks on the dresser, and she didn't wait. She stripped off her shirt and bra, unfastening her jeans. "No time like the present."

  He laughed and followed suit. "If we hurry, maybe we can enjoy each other before the next interruption."

  There was a loud knock on the door. "Room service!"

  Jon stood there for a second before scooping up his shirt to put it on. "Get into the bathroom," he told her.

  Michaela ran for the bathroom, and closed the door. From inside the bathroom she heard, "We didn't order room service."

  "Oh, no sir, I know that. The manager arranged for this, because he realized you were on your honeymoon. We have a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries."

  Jon laughed softly. "Thank you so much. I'm sure we'll enjoy them." He pulled out his wallet and tipped the waiter. "I appreciate it."

  After he'd shut the door, he knocked on the bathroom door. "I put out the 'Do not disturb' sign, and locked the door. Come out of there."

  Michaela opened the bathroom door, grinning at him. "You know, if I were one of those people who believed God had his hand in every little thing I did, I'd say He didn't want me to make love with my husband." She blushed when she saw her bra dangling from a knob on the dresser. She wondered if the room service waiter had noticed, but she knew better than to ask.

  "Oh, He would never be so cruel!" Jon pulled her to him, kissing her softly. "Chocolate covered strawberry?" he asked, holding one to her lips.

  She bit into the berry, licking the juice that trickled onto his fingers. "Delicious."

  She was still shirtless, and when she took another bite, a bit of the juice landed on her shoulder. He leaned down, licking it from her skin. "These are messy!"

  She nodded. "Very. We should probably leave them for now." She put her hands to the hem of his shirt, and lifted it over his head.

  Her hands went back to the waistband of her jeans and she unfastened them before pushing them over her hips and to the floor. She blushed as she stood before him in just her panties, realizing just then that she hadn't gotten quite that naked with him before. Maybe it was a good sign.

  He pushed his jeans and underwear down and off, and she walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. He sat beside her, taking her into his arms and kissing her. "This time, it's really going to happen," he told her, his eyes intense.

  There was a loud crash against the wall, followed by shouting. "I can't believe you even bothered to bring me here if you were just going to go sleep with some slut as soon as my back was turned!"

  "Baby, don't throw things," said a man's voice pleadingly. "You were mad at me, and I drank a little too much. You have to forgive me."

  "We came here to get you away from your mistress so we could make our marriage work! How are we going to make it work if you're off sleeping with someone else?" There was another loud crash.

  Michaela's eyes met Jon's, and though she knew it was inappropriate, she started shaking with laughter. "Maybe you should go offer your services. She could use some counseling about forgiveness, and it might be time for him to hear a little something about adultery..."

  "Not funny." He groaned and plopped down on his back on the bed. "The universe is conspiring against us." He looked at her, wondering what the chances were that she would want to make love to the cacophony of a true marital spat.

  She grinned. "Let's get dressed and go to dinner. Maybe by the time we're done eating the fight will be over."

  He shrugged. "We might as well. I have a feeling the mood is ruined anyway."

  *****

  Jon and Michaela watched the rain pound the windows of the hotel while they ate their dinner. "I'm glad we decided to stay at the hotel and not go anywhere else to eat," she told him, enjoying the rain, but happy she didn't have to be out in it.

  He nodded. "It looks scary out there." He looked at her and sighed. "Do you think we're ever going to be able to—well, you know."

  She laughed. "It certainly doesn't seem like it, does it? I'm sure eventually it'll happen, but by then we'll be married for fifteen years."

  He groaned. "It better not take that long. I think tonight will work for me."

  "For me too. It's not like I'm trying to get out of it. I'm all for it, you know."

  "I know. I never thought it would be so difficult to make love to my wife on our honeymoon. Don't these people know they're interrupting what should be the happiest days of my life?"

  "I'm really not certain anyone cares."

  He sighed. "Tell me about your children's ministry. Get my mind off my—hormones."

  She grinned. "Well, I'm the minister of the elementary aged kids, so kindergarten through sixth grade. I've done it for the past four years, but it was more of an internship position, so now that I've graduated, I've been replaced by another college student."

  "Does that bother you?" he asked.

  She shook her head. "Not really. It was the arrangement when I started. The church doesn't have the funds to pay a 'real' children's minister, so part of the deal is they call it an internship, and they give recommendations if you do well."

  "Most churches have the lack of funds problem."

  "I've noticed that." She shrugged. "Doesn't matter much to me that I wasn't paid a lot. I had scholarships and my parents helped me pay for my apartment. It worked well for me."

  "So—how do you think we'll be interrupted tonight?" he asked.

  "It could be any number of ways. The storm could blow a ship through our window, or maybe someone will be attacked by pelicans right outside the hotel and their screams will alert us to something being wrong. We would have to run to the window and watch the sweet old lady screaming as she covered her head, and her little old man of a husband would be swatting at them with his hat. You never can tell!"

  He chuckled, shaking his head. "I'd say I'm tempted to give up, but I'm not." He took her hand and brought it to his lips. "I'll never stop trying."

  She grinned. "That's probably a good thing, because I plan on being married for a very long time."

  After dinner, they went and stood outside for a minute, under the awning of the hotel, watching the storm rage. "It's getting scary," she told him.

  He nodded. "Yeah, we should probably spend the night with the covers over our heads to escape from it."

  "Oh, that's a brilliant idea!" She turned in his arms, pressing her lips to his. "We should probably
start that soon."

  He laughed, taking her hand and leading her toward the elevator.

  There was a teenager in the elevator with them, and she grinned as the elevator stopped on every floor. "Did you push all the buttons?" Michaela asked, exasperated. Did no one in the world care they wanted to make love?

  The girl nodded with a giggle. "I did!"

  Michaela wanted to get rude, but she didn't. She just shook her head and waited until they finally arrived at the fifth floor.

  She and Jon practically ran to their hotel room, laughing. The interruptions had made it easier for her. If she hadn't been looking forward to making love before, she certainly was now. She felt less shy each time they tried.

  As soon as he'd put out the sign and locked the door, they both started stripping. Clothes were flying every which way. She laughed. "People would think we were in a hurry if they could see us."

  He grabbed her, completely nude, while she was clad only in her panties. "People better not be able to see us!"

  "Oh, I hope not!" She wrapped her arms around him and started backing up toward the bed, dragging him with her. When the bed hit the backs of her legs, she sat on it, pulling him down beside her.

  "I know it seems like I'm rushing, but I really do want to beat the next interruption!"

  She laughed, biting his neck. "Me too!"

  He pushed her down so she was flat on her back, and he was over her, kissing her and moving his hands over her mostly bare body. "Have I mentioned yet that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life?"

  She shook her head. "Have I mentioned you're the sexiest pastor I've ever known?"

  "Are pastors sexy?" he asked, an eyebrow raised, his thumb toying with her nipple.

  "Most aren't. You are." She ran her foot along his bare leg, trying to tell him without words that she was ready, and he could quit stalling at any moment.

  He grinned, catching his thumbs in the waistband of her panties.

  A loud crash accompanied by the sound of breaking glass came from beside them.

  He buried his face in her neck groaning. "I don't even want to know what that was. Don't tell me!"