May 4th, 1990
Deacon and I finally had sex today. It was everything I imagined. He's so soft and gentle. I could be content in his arms forever. I can't get enough of Deacon Claybourne. I love everything about him. He's so damn handsome. He's so soft and cuddly. His scent drives me crazy. I love how his cologne mixes with his body scent. It's an intoxicating mix I can't even describe.
We also had our first show tonight. Our first official paid gig. It was so amazing. I have fans. I really have fans. Not many yet, but it's happening. My dream career seems within reach. With Deacon by my side I really think we can do this, make something beautiful that people really want to hear. He's so amazing with a guitar and always seems to make my lyrics work better. I can never than him enough for helping me make it.
The day wasn't without some problems. I had to sneak away to do this gig. It would have been fine. I should have been home long before daddy, and back in school tomorrow, no one the wiser about where I'd been.
…but Deacon's crappy old truck broke down, resulting is a huge fight between us. We're sitting in a hotel, stuck till morning when the garage can hopefully fix the damn truck. I'm gonna mss school. Daddy's gonna find out.
I'm not sure where Deacon went. I got out of the shower and he's not in the room. We're still fighting. I am really just so exhausted and worried about dealing with daddy I just wanna sleep.
It's so weird to be fighting with Deacon, but at the same time I feel like things will be fine between us. It's just a little spat and we'll always make up. I guess this is what true love really feels like. Even when you're fighting, you never lose that love, and somehow just know it'll all be OK.
Earlier in the day. Getting ready to leave for Johnson City…
"I dunno, Ray! I got a bad feelin about this. Maybe you should just tell your dad the truth about where we're goin." Deacon said as he picked Rayna up on Tue just after noon for their Johnson City gig over 4 hours from Nashville
"He'd never let me go, Deacon! I know he'd do something to mess tonight up for us. It's fine! I covered everything. He'll never know I was gone."
"You sure? We aint gonna make it back till at least 2am." Deacon said as he climbed into the drivers seat
"Relax babe, I forged a note about a doctor's appointment. The school has no reason to call him. He'll never know I cut half a day. He's at some business conference in Denver. I checked his schedule. His flight won't even be back to Nashville until tomorrow afternoon. Mrs. Mays our chef has Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. Daddy's driver is off because daddy is out of town. There's no one here to notice I'm not." Rayna smiled devilishly as she slid across the seat wrapping her arms around Deacon
"Damn you're sexy as hell when you're devious." Deacon laughed pulling her onto his lap for a quick make out session
"You know, the house is empty. It's only noon. It's only 4 hours to Johnson City. We don't sound check until 6. That leaves us a couple hours to spare." Rayna laughed as she slowly unbuttoned Deacon's shirt leaving a trail of kisses lower and lower with each button
"I kinda have some special plans in mind for our first time, Ray." Deacon took a deep breath and blew it back out as she unbuckled his belt
"Everytime with you is gonna be special babe." She whispered as she unzipped his pants driving him insane
"Fuck it! Our second time can be special." he stammered breathlessly as she teased him with a few gentle strokes
His resolve gone. Unable to deny her any longer, he reached around her and turned off the truck engine. His legs felt shaky as he stepped from the truck. He'd never wanted a woman so much in his life as they made their way to the front door still stealing kisses along the way.
Rayna removed his belt as soon as they made it inside, leaving it laying by the front door. Both of them kicked their boots off near the bottom of the stairs. His jeans and her skirt were lost somewhere near the top stair. Their shirts left just outside her bedroom door. Undergarments left a tell tale trail between her door and bed.
"I've never made love to someone I actually love before. This feels so right." Deacon whispered as he began gentle thrusts, careful and so loving with her
"I've never made love, but this is exactly how I always thought it would be. I love you, Deacon. I'm so happy my first time is with you." She smiled as he continued taking his time, so slow, and deliberate in every action driving her insane with anticipation
"Harder Deacon, I can't get enough." She whispered as he quickened his pace and deepened his thrusts
"Better?" he asked
"There's nothing in this world better than this moment right now." She replied
After almost 45 minutes of the best sex Deacon had ever experienced he finally felt the heavenly release. After 2 and a half months of cold showers after dates it was more amazing than he ever imagined.
"How was I?" she playfully asked twirling his chest hair as she layed her head on his chest
"Best I've ever had, baby! Are you sure that was your first time?" he joked
"So now that I've ruined the first time surprise. What were you planning?" she asked still twirling his chest hair
"It's still a surprise." He laughed knowing it had been making her crazy.
"mmmmmmm" she pouted with her bottom lip out
"Gimme that pouty lip." He gently bit her lip encouraging another heavy make out session wrapped in each others arms.
"…round 2?" she playfully asked once he let her up for air
"After round one, I'll never refuse you again, baby. Sooo damn worth the wait!" he smirked as he rolled on top of her playfully for a second afternoon love making session
"I could lay here in your arms forever, Deacon!" Rayna whispered as she layed in his arms after round 2
"Me too, baby! …but it's 1:45! We really gotta get on the road if we're gonna make a 6pm sound check in Johnson City."
She cuddled against him in the truck, unable to get enough of the intimacy they now shared. Making love to Deacon all afternoon had only bonded them closer than ever.
She drifted off to sleep feeling safer and warmer than she'd ever felt with anyone, his arm tightly around her as she slept.
"Wake up, sweetie. We're here." Deacon gently woke her with sweet forehead kisses in the parking lot at Down Home
"C'mon, baby. It's 5:54. We just made it." He slid her across the vinyl seat and out the drivers side door with him, as she groggily woke up
"It's so chilly." She shivered in her sleeveless dress as the wind picked up around them
"It's gonna storm tonight. Here, put this on." He sweetly reached behind the seat grabbing his favorite button up denim shirt, draping it around her
She took in his scent, heavy on the shirt as he got his guitar from the truck bed
"Smells like your cologne." She smiled as they walked hand in hand into the venue
The night went well. Deacon and Rayna performed the best ever version of "No One Will Ever Love You" ever. Deacon began what would become part of the show as he gently leaned in for a deep kiss just after the song. It was the start of a marketing scheme neither had intended, but seemed to fascinate fans. After the Johnson City show people seemed to expect them as a couple and it only increased their popularity. Edgehill even asked Watty to request they heat things up even more onstage. It came easy as the lovers became closer, and their onstage and offstage lives seemed to meld together seamlessly.
"It's pourin out there, baby! I'll go get the truck. Meet me by the door in 5." Deacon gently kissed Rayna's cheek as she signed some autographs. She was in heaven as people began to take notice of her musically
Deacon still hadn't come back after 10 minutes. She got caught up with fans again as he finally came in to grab his guitar.
"You ready?" he asked shuffling her away from a few fans
"Sorry folks. We got a little bit of a drive back to Nashville. We really gotta go." He smiled and apologized to the small crowd
"What took you so long?" she asked as he shielded her the best he could from the pelting rain
"Truck wouldn't start. It gets a little temperamental when it rains. It'll be OK once we get goin. I gotta put my Martin up front. The beds full of water" he smiled as he put the guitar in first, sliding it over against the passenger door
"Oh, I see how this works. The guitar goes first?" Rayna joked
"Only so you can be in the middle next to me, where I can reach you." He laughed as he slid her in from the driver's side and slid in close next to her.
"Are you sure we're gonna make it back to Nashville? This truck is sputtering an awful lot."
"Hope so. She's never let me down before." Deacon smiled patting the dashboard as he pumped the gas pedal a few times. The engine leveled out, running smoother.
"I think we're OK. Don't worry, baby." He squeezed Rayna's hand gently before shifting into drive
"Good show, huh?" he asked a few miles down the road
"It's been a good day all around. Thank you for making today so special, Deacon." Rayna smiled and nuzzled in close against Deacon for the long ride home.
She drifted off to sleep warm and cozy against him, the denim shirt he'd loaned her wrapped around her.
"I didn't mean to wake you. You want anything, baby?" he whispered after accidentally waking her trying to extricate himself from her grasp at a gas station
"Hot chocolate." She smiled as he reached for the door handle
"OK, stay here. It's still pourin. I need gas, and I'll get your hot chocolate. Don't miss me." He smirked stepping out into the chilly, wet night
"It is freezin out there for early May." He handed Rayna her hot chocolate and his coffee as he climbed back in rubbing his hands together
"I bet I could warm you up." She smirked and nibbled his ear with warm breath from the hot chocolate
"You just did." He laughed as he turned the key.
"Come on….come on…." He coaxed as the truck sputtered and refused to start after several tries
"What' wrong?" Rayna asked
"I dunno. I'm better at tunin guitars. Engines, not so much." He turned the key again, finally getting it going after 5 or 6 more tries
"There we go. Lets get some heat on. Your hands are gettin cold, baby. Few hours you'll be in your warm bed at home" He switched on the heat and kissed her fingers
"The only thing that would make that better is if you'll stay with me in my bed?" Rayna asked sheepishly
"After this afternoon, that sounds like an offer I can't refuse." He leaned in for a quick kiss before pulling away from the gas station
They'd only gone a few miles when the truck started sputtering and shaking horribly.
"Goddammit!" Deacon cussed as he pulled to the side of the road. He tried pumping the gas pedal to level things out again, but the engine died instead.
"Fuck!" he tried for 10 minutes, but the stubborn truck wasn't cooperating as he held the key and pumped the gas pedal trying to get it to restart
"Now what?" Rayna asked worried
"Guess I'll take a look under the hood. Maybe it's somethin simple. Can you hand me the flashlight from the glove compartment, baby?" he asked as he pulled the hood release
"DEACON! It's pouring down rain out there. You're gonna get soaked!"
"Well, what the hell do ya suggest? I gotta get you back to Nashville before anyone notices you're missin, or your dads gonna have my ass." He snapped as he climbed out, stepping into a deep puddle, which only incited another tirade of obscenities as he raised the hood
He fumbled around for several minutes before climbing back in, soaked and in a foul mood
"Come on….Start goddammit!" he coaxed as he tried a few times with no luck before stepping back into the rain
"Hey, Ray…you wanna try it? Maybe I'll see somethin I'm missin if I can watch while it tries to start." He asked as Rayna slid over to try
"You're gonna have to give it a little gas, Ray. It's not fuel injected like your car." He snapped as Rayna turned the key.
"Whoa whoa….NOT SO MUCH! I SAID A LITTLE GAS! NOW THE DAMN ENGINES FLOODED!" He yelled as he came back to the open drivers side door where Rayna was getting pelted with rain
"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT, DEACON?" she snapped back, mad after he'd yelled at her, wet, cold and irritated with the whole situation
"WHAT PART OF A LITTLE GAS DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND? SLIDE OVER!" he yelled as he climbed back in, soaked, and equally as mad
He sat fuming for several minutes, neither speaking before he decided to try the key again
"COME ON! GREAT! JUST FUCKIN GREAT!" The battery was dying as he held the gas pedal to the floor trying to clear the flooded engine.
"DAMMITT!" He punched the dashboard, slammed the door, slammed the hood, and sat on the front bumper in the rain for several minutes
Rayna hadn't said another word as his temper took over. He finally knocked on the passenger window after he'd cooled off a little. Rayna rolled it down.
"The gas station wasn't too far back. I'm already soaked. Gonna walk back and call a tow truck. Stay here. Keep the doors locked. I'll be back soon."
"YOU'RE SERIOUSLY JUST GONNA LEAVE ME HERE?" she yelled
"I SAID I'D BE BACK! WHAT THE HELL DO YA WANT ME TO DO, RAY? THE DAMN BATTERY IS DEAD. THE TRUCK'S NOT GONNA START. WE CAN'T SIT HERE ALL GODDAMN NIGHT!" he snapped and started walking
Rayna sat alone in the dark alongside the road for 30 minutes, before Deacon came back with a tow truck driver. They tried to jump start the truck, but it didn't work.
"If it was OK before the rain started I'd say it's a moisture in the engine problem. All I can do this late is tow it to the garage and they'll look at it first thing in the morning. You folks need a ride to a hotel?" The tow driver offered standing next to Deacon's open driver's side door in the rain
"Yeah, I guess we do. That'd be great. Thanks." Deacon replied
"Why don't you folks hop in my truck and get warm. I'll get ya hooked up and we'll be on the way."
Neither spoke as they sat waiting for the tow driver to finish up
"Here's my card. The garage is just a block that way. I'll tell em it's priority first thing since ya'll are from outta town and need to get goin." The driver said as he dropped Rayna and Deacon off at a small hotel
Rayna slammed the bathroom door as she went in to take a hot shower. She'd been freezing for hours in the rain. When she came out Deacon wasn't in the room.
"You hungry?" he asked when he came back 20 minutes later with a pizza and her favorite soda
"No, I just wanna go to bed." She flatly replied as she slipped under the covers of the only bed in the room, not bothering to remove the hotel bathrobe she had wrapped around herself
"Alright!" he tossed the pizza on the night stand, grabbing a piece, before going to take his own hot shower
Rayna was sound asleep by the time he came out. He quietly slipped into bed next to her, a dry towel wrapped around his waist.
"You awake?" he whispered a little later as she stirred next to him
"Yeah." She replied turning to face him
"I don't wanna fight. It's our first night in a hotel together. Aside from the damn truck breakin down, it's been a great day." He smiled and brushed her red locks away from her eyes as they layed facing each other
"Your temper scares me, Deacon. You just blow without thinking."
"I'm sorry, baby. Guess I need to work on that. I'm not mad at you. The truck breakin down is my own damn fault. I knew there was a problem whenever the weather was damp. I shoulda fixed it a long time ago, before THIS! You forgive me?"
"What am I gonna tell, daddy? I'm gonna miss school tomorrow. My cars in the driveway. If he gets home before we do he's gonna know somethings up." Rayna was getting hysterical
"Hey..Relax, OK? We'll figure it out. Maybe you should just tell him the truth, Ray? I mean, we're got 5 more shows outta town. Are you gonna lie every time?"
"You don't understand how against music he is, Deacon! He hated that mama had a career in music and was never home."
"OK, well, you're 18 and schools out in what, 3 weeks? He can't really stop you, Ray."
"YOU DON'T GET IT! DADDY IS A VERY POWERFUL MAN! HE GETS HIS WAY!" Rayna was getting mad again
"Hey, Calm down! It's gonna be OK. I promise, baby. If I got any say in it, all your dreams are gonna come true, and there aint a damn thing your daddy or anyone else is gonna do to stop you."
"C'mere." He pulled her close against him in bed
"I'm just scared he's gonna do something to blow things for me with Edgehill." She let Deacon hold her as she cried
"Look at me. He can't do anything to blow this. You're damn good and Edgehill knows that. You're 18 so he can't stop you." Deacon gently kissed the tears off her cheeks
"I love you so much, Deacon!" she melded into him clinging tight as he held her
"We're damn near a perfect fit. See that? Go to sleep, Ray. You're overly tired and upset. I didn't help matters much losing my temper. I'm sorry. I love you, baby. We'll figure it all out in the mornin together, OK? Night sweetheart." He sweetly kissed her forehead she drifted to sleep in his arms