So... if you've made it to here, you have an idea of my writing style by now - pretty in depth and not much left to the imagination.

This chapter is no different... so considered yourself warned for the following piece of smut.

I'm pretty nervous about posting this one, but I'm doing it anyway. Fingers crossed you like it, and that it does the sizzle justice.

Chapter 8: Thunderbolts and lightning

The rain was battering on the roof now, a booming thunderclap making Rayna jump. She'd excused herself to go to the bathroom, trying to take one last breather before she was completely consumed by Deacon. Her whole body was aflame and aching for him, and she seemed unable to control her lust, despite her best efforts.

Sitting on the toilet, she groaned as she stared down at the large glistening patch on her panties.

Soaked.

Cleaning herself up with toilet paper, she cursed him and his unparalleled skills.

How was it possible that they'd barely touched, yet she was wet as hell? She couldn't believe that after all this time his effect on her was still so strong. She was half annoyed at her body for giving in so easily, for reacting so strongly. But also, half intrigued by the fact that her body could still react that way, so easily, so strongly, with an intensity she thought had dried up years ago.

Standing in front of the mirror, she splashed some water on her face.

"What happened to brakes, huh Rayna?" she asked her reflection accusingly.

To hell with brakes.

All she wanted was him. She had tried, for years, to do the sensible thing, but she knew now that it wasn't enough. He was different now, a man she could rely on; a man who had risen from the ashes he'd once burned in; a man she was undeniably and devastatingly still in love with. They were in a better place than they'd ever been before, and she was ready to dive straight into him and never come up for air.

Although, she thought, pausing at the bathroom door and drumming her fingers on her thigh, he didn't need to know exactly how much she wanted him, not just yet.

She needed to change her underwear so as not to give him the satisfaction of seeing what he'd achieved through sheer proximity alone. The underwear she'd bought from the 7/11 was in her handbag out by the kitchen, so she couldn't very well go and fetch that without Deacon noticing. Lord, he'd have a field day with that, for sure. She could hear him still plucking a tune on his guitar, so she quickly ducked into the bedroom.

"I wonder if…" Rayna opened her drawer, and rifled around, her hand closing over something lacy.

Pulling out a skimpy red g-string, she suppressed a small smile as she remembered that she'd bought it to surprise him one Valentine's Day, but had never actually gotten around to putting it on. Underwear had been a very fleeting thing in those early days dating Deacon.

Well, she shrugged, it would have to do for now. At least it was dry. And he would get the surprise of his life when he saw her wearing -

"There you are."

Rayna jumped, startled by Deacon's voice, and slammed the drawer shut, pressing her back against it. Deacon took one look at the guilt on her face, and slowly, knowingly closed the distance between them. Stopping just in front of her, he reached over her shoulder with one hand to lean on the dresser behind her, while the other hand snaked down and tugged the panties out of her clenched fist behind her back. Lifting them up on one finger, he dangled them between their faces.

"Now what in the world would you be needin' these for?" he drawled, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Rayna's cheeks blazed. "I was... I was just..." There was no explanation except the truth, so she let that flutter between them as she tried to catch her breath, while Deacon grinned.

Leisurely, he reached past her to place the panties back on the dresser, gently dragging them past her cheek, the lace like fire against her skin. Involuntarily, she turned her face towards his arm, her lips parting.

"Need any help changing out of those ones?" his eyes raked a languorous line down her body, to the apex of her thighs, and back up again. He took great delight in noting her breathing hitch and her pupils dilate at the suggestion.

From the moment he'd met Rayna Jaymes, he'd been a slave to her. Followed her like a puppy everywhere she went, did what she wanted, moved in her direction. None of that had stopped even when she'd married another man. He was drawn to her, and was powerless to stop it. But the one area in their lives where he'd felt like he'd had the lion's share of the power, was in the bedroom. When it had come to their sexual relationship, she'd always been putty in his hands, and he could turn her into a quivering mess of pleasure in seconds, leaving her begging for more, willing to do anything for him, with him. Hell, once he'd even made her come without any physical stimulation at all. He grinned to himself, thinking about it. And he'd been so good all these years, respecting the boundaries, acting like a gentleman. And now... now she was at his mercy again, and it felt so damn good.

Raising a hand he traced her cheek with his thumb, slowly drawing it past her ear, down the back of her neck, causing her to tremble and wilt against the dresser, her knees going weak. At snail's pace, he leaned into her, just touching the same cheek with his stubble, his lips softly following the line his thumb had just marked out.

Rayna's eyes fluttered shut, the rush of blood in her ears deafening, as every cell in her body was blissfully reawakened. Flickering her eyes open again, her hands reached for him, sliding up his bare chest, around his neck.

"Deacon..." she breathed, a plea, a prayer, a surrender.

Tilting her face towards his, she pulled him gently into her, longing and hesitant at the same time. Their foreheads met, their noses touched, they breathed only each other for a long quivering moment before their lips finally met - ghosting, whispered kisses. Cupping her face gently, Deacon eased back from her, needing to check that this was happening, to check that she was real. Rayna caught the disbelief in his eyes and a tiny smile curved on her wet lips.

"Better believe it." she murmured, drawing her thumb down his cheek. "Me and you, babe."

That was all Deacon needed and with a choked huff, his mouth was back on hers, feverish and desperate this time as she responded in kind, as though forging their hearts as one.

Hands roaming her body, Deacon soon found the hem of her top and drew it quickly up over her head. He caressed her shoulders, her arms, that spot just under her collarbone that drove her wild, and in return, almost shyly, she drew her fingers over his chest, his abdomen, as if exploring his body for the first time. Deacon, however, was nowhere near as timid, and deftly unclipped her bra with one hand, quickly discarding the flimsy material and letting out a low rumble of pleasure as he gazed down at her breasts for a moment before scooping them into his hands, gently circling her pert nipples with his thumbs.

Her body arched towards his, and he caught her, slowly leading her to the bed, letting her fall back. Somehow, he managed to tug her jeans off in a way that felt like an intimate caress, then tracing small circles all the way up her legs with his fingers, he hooked the waistband of her panties, only pausing to shoot her a wicked gaze as she lay panting in hot anticipation. As he slowly peeled them from her body, he smugly noted how soaked they were, and raised a cheeky brow, to which Rayna shoved at him with a foot and gave a languid shrug, too turned on to be self-conscious anymore.

Straddling her thighs, Deacon let his eyes slowly rake over her from head to toe, the sight he'd been dreaming of for years, and now, impossibly, here she was, a goddess in front of him. A flash of lightning illuminated the room, illuminated her, only serving to enhance her beauty, the image burned into his mind like a snapshot.

Leaning down to kiss her, he scorched a gentle trail from her stomach, up over her breasts, pausing for a long moment to worship each nipple with his swirling tongue, then moved up to her neck before leisurely travelling all the way back down again. In between delicious moans, Rayna pressed her hips into him, hands tugging at his head, trying to bring his mouth to hers, wanting to feel the weight of his body on her.

Taking his time, he worked his way back to her mouth and kissed her softly, tongue gently flicking and exploring. Since laying her down, every move of his was achingly slow, deliberate, and featherlight, and Rayna worried that she might pass out from sheer desperation. Her hands reached for his waistband, and she managed to unbutton his jeans, but her wouldn't let her searching fingers inside, shifting back just out of her reach, so instead, she settled for dragging her nails up his back, dragging pleasured grunts from him.

His callused fingers were exquisitely rough on her skin, and he was teasing her something terrible by trailing them down to her inner thighs, circling and stroking, before drawing them away again without touching the one place that was now aching for his touch. She felt him grin against her, so she bit his bottom lip in warning.

"Alright, alright..." he whispered into her mouth, and then she promptly cried out as he dipped two fingers inside her, before angling his thumb to slide over her sensitive nub.

Working his hand against her core, he slowly nipped a trail of kisses down the length of her body until she was pushing her hips to meet his mouth with urgency when he finally arrived there. He drew long, slow circles with his tongue, flicking gently at her sweetness, and continued to torture her for several long moments as she groaned and writhed with pleasure as the world faded away.

Suddenly, she gasped, and he felt her hands pushing at his head, her body inching away from his, up the bed.

"Deacon! I can't!" she cried, "I can't…"

Her voice caught in her throat, and Deacon immediately removed his hands from her thighs, and sat up, concern darkening his eyes. He wanted her desperately, more than anything in the world, but there was no way he would continue if he thought for a second that there was a part of her, no matter how small, that didn't want this, and his heart started to sink.

"Rayna…" he breathed, an apology forming on his lips.

Pushing a lock of auburn hair back from her forehead, she tipped her face briefly to the ceiling before meeting his eyes.

"Deacon, I can't… I can't take this anymore! You're killing me!" she panted. "I need you now! Right now!"

And with that she was crawling to him on the bed, pushing him back, dragging his jeans and boxers off, tossing them to the floor, throwing herself on top of him, crashing her lips into his and reaching between them to grasp and stroke him intently.

Relief poured over him, and he grinned against her lips, his lust returning at full force.

"I'm not quite done with you, baby."

He flipped her so he was on top again, easing his weight against her, dialing it back to slow and deliberate. One hand threading in her hair, the other traced the length of her body, parting her legs, slipping inside her with gentle caress once more. With skill, he brought her to the edge, then paused long enough to let her tumble back down, before bringing her back to teeter on the brink again. He bowed his head to her breasts and flicked his tongue over her nipples as she whimpered against him, begging and pleading, near delirious.

He was surprised at his own self control. He'd fantasised about this for a long time, but now the moment was finally here, he almost couldn't bring himself to let it end, he just wanted to inflict this sweet torture on her forever.

Waves of pleasure were coursing through Rayna's body, she had been devoid of this level of intensity for so long, her body was responding with relish, every cell singing for him.

"Deacon..." she gasped a frantic plea. "Deacon...!"

"Come for me, baby." he urged, increasing the pressure and speed with his fingers, watching her with unbridled lust.

Rayna's hands clutched the pillow at her head as her eyes rolled back in ecstasy, and her body arched right off the bed into Deacon as the world tunneled to nothing and her orgasm shattered around her, hurtling her through space as a dizzying rate.

With gentle caress, Deacon guided her through every last wave of pleasure, and when she could finally open her eyes, he was smiling down at her with love and devotion.

"Deac..." was all that trembled out of her, as she wondered if her limbs were still attached to her body.

"Ray..." he whispered back, lips on her neck, hands on her breasts. He nuzzled and kissed her until her breathing returned to normal, and then he slipped a hand back down between her legs, somehow knowing the exact right amount of time to wait before starting her on a second skyward journey.

Rayna gasped with incredulity, as she caught that familiar increasing wave again, and euphorically remembered – this was Deacon. One orgasm was never enough.

He teased and coaxed her until she was practically speaking in tongues, then when he finally entered her, it was like a missing piece of a puzzle had finally slid into place, and she was whole again. They moved as one - long, slow thrusts growing deeper and faster and more intense. As they hurtled to climax together, she bit hard on his shoulder, muffling her cry, and Deacon let out an impassioned one of his own.

Panting heavily, he gently moved in her a few more times, enjoying the way she quivered below him, softly kissing her face until her eyes, shut tight, eventually blinked open. Her look was one of wonder, incredulity, exhaustion. As Rayna gazed up at him, she almost burst into tears from the intensity of emotion that flooded her.

From the moment she'd laid eyes on Deacon Claybourne, Rayna Jaymes had been ruined for any other man. She knew it then, she knew it now, and she'd known it all the years in between.

Strictly speaking, she didn't believe in soulmates, yet...

Cuddling into him she kissed his chest, and he stroked her hair until she fell asleep.

...here they were.

Slipping carefully out from under a sleeping Deacon's arm, Rayna rifled through the drawers to find one of his t-shirts to wear, then padded out to the kitchen for some water. Leaning her elbows on the bench, she drank slowly and gazed out at the stormy twilight through the large front windows feeling sated, content, yet her heart was heavy.

"Baby? You all good?" Deacon asked sleepily as he appeared at Rayna's side, running his fingers down her back in question.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. Just needed some water." she replied, forgetting that he could read her like a book.

He could see that something was bothering her. It was there in the set of her shoulders, the bleak note in her voice.

"You're in your head."

She was, and he knew. Of course he knew. He always did.

"Want me to get you out of it?" he murmured in her ear as his fingers teased a light line down her hip, over the top of her thigh to where the t-shirt ended, finding skin, and Rayna shivered. Deacon dipped his head to her shoulder, brushing his lips across the fabric there, kissing her gently, lingering, and she tipped her head back, turning her face to find his lips with her own. Her body followed suit and turned into his of its own accord, her fingers tickling circles on the back of his neck as his traced slow, looping treble clefs inside her thighs, each one climbing higher than the last.

She giggled when she realised what he was doing. "Don't forget the base clef."

"I know exactly where I'm gonna draw that." he breathed in lusty promise.

They kissed, long and leisurely, and he lifted her onto the bench, smiling into her mouth as she let out a squeak when her butt hit the cold counter.

He pulled back to look at her, could never get enough of her this close up while she was in his arms, and being so close up, he caught the tormented glint in her eyes. A sadness, a regret, a something that was enough to put pause to his affections.

"Baby, what is it?"

Rayna just shook her head, not trusting her voice.

Clenching his jaw, a flutter of unease bloomed in Deacon's chest. There was a question he needed to ask, but hadn't planned on asking so soon, hadn't wanted to know the answer yet, hadn't wanted to open himself to the possible pain.

But seeing her like this in front of him, something scratching inside her, he had to ask now, and he worried that he might know the answer.

"Ray...?" he started hesitantly. "Is this real? Us? Or is it just for now, just up here?"

Behind her, the night blustered, leaves were whipped and thrown against the windows, droplets of rain dragging crooked veins down the glass. A flash of lightning froze them in a fleeting moment, the ominous rumble of thunder chasing right behind as Deacon's everything teetered on her next words - which didn't come.

Silence.

Worse than any other response. And a deep cavern of fear cracked open inside him.

Rayna's heart tore a little at his question, at the thought that she hadn't given enough of herself yet for him to believe that she was his again, that he was still unsure of what lay ahead for them. She was all in, and she couldn't let him doubt that for a second longer. Catching him between her knees, she pulled his body closer to hers as she wriggled forward on the bench, bending a finger under his chin, coaxing his downcast eyes up to meet hers.

"It's real. And it's forever, no matter what." she whispered fiercely, her eyes ablaze.

At her words, his legs nearly gave way from sheer relief, but his heart was soaring high enough to keep him standing. Turning his face into her hand, he kissed her palm, then gazed back up at her.

"Then... what is it, Ray? What's up?"

She just shook her head again.

So, with a look, he asked her again.

He saw the tears before they began to flow. Saw them bubbling from somewhere deep in her soul, rising like the tide, filling her then spilling over, her shoulders shaking with the effort of keeping quiet.

Deacon stood bolt upright, grabbing at her elbows, dragging her closer.

"Ray, baby, what's wrong?"

She responded by clinging to him, so he scooped her from the bench and carried her to the sofa, holding her tightly as he sat with her straddling his lap, her head resting in the crook of his neck as he soothed her and stroked her hair.

When she felt like she could breathe again, she pulled back, sniffing, wiping her face with her sleeves, the look of sorrow in her eyes nearly enough to wrench Deacon's heart from his chest.

"All those years... all those years wasted!" she lamented, shaking her head in disbelief.

Being here with him had only cemented what she'd always known, that they were meant to be, and that knowledge came with a sharp edge of agony because she was the one who had denied them this for so long. She was the one who married another man and built a life without him. She was the one that had kept him at a distance. And he was the one who had waited patiently. The guilt and regret lunged and twisted painfully inside her.

Deacon almost laughed with relief – she was worried about the past! He couldn't care less about that right now, all that mattered was their future - together. He cupped her face and brushed a kiss across her lips.

"No, no baby. Can't look at it like that. They ain't years wasted, but years invested. Look at what we built during that time – a solid, unbreakable friendship and absolute respect for one another. We weathered so much - both together and apart - and we're exactly where we're supposed to be. This is how our story goes. This is our happy ending. This time it's forever." he reassured her fervently. "Because... I know how to love you now."

A fresh wave of tears spilled from Rayna, but these ones weren't born from sadness.

"Sweet Lord, I love you, Deacon Claybourne. It's always been you, and only been you - from then, till the end." she told him passionately as he kissed the tears from her cheeks, the salt tingling her tongue when his lips moved to hers.

As she drew back for a breath, she gazed into those eyes, the ones that could see right into her soul, and knew that he was right. This time would be forever.

Then, slowly, she dropped her eyes down between them, only just noticing something.

"Uh... you're naked."

"You ain't wearing much yourself." Deacon smirked as he flipped the hem of her t-shirt up.

She arched her chest towards him in response, and with a guttural growl, he whipped the shirt over her head and tossed it behind the couch in one smooth movement.

"That's better." he murmured as he began to lavish her exposed breasts with attention, evoking delectable moans from deep within her.

Sliding her backwards, he guided her onto the rug, his mouth never leaving her body as he followed her down. Rayna tipped her head back in euphoria. They might have wasted a few years, but she wouldn't waste a single second more and she'd relish every moment with him from now on. Desperate to be filled with him again, she bucked her hips under his, making her desire clear, and he happily obliged.

They made love there on the rug - like they had done many times before, and would no doubt do many times again - desperate, passionate, fierce, clinging tightly to one another as the storm eased above them.

As they lay curled on the rug together, Rayna dragged her nails lightly up and down Deacon's chest, until all of a sudden, he caught her hand in his own.

"Hey."

"Yeah...?"

"Am I still fired?"

Rayna let out a loud laugh, and dropped a kiss on his shoulder.

"I only fired you coz I love you."

He chuckled. "You know you wouldn't have a leg to stand on in employment court with that."

"Well... if you want your job back, you'll have to go through the interview process again." she told him with a suggestive arch of her brow.

"Really...?" Deacon flipped a leg over her body and straddled her, dropping his lips to her neck, his hands teasing a burning trail down her body. "In that case, let me show you my credentials..."

Rayna gasped and grinned at the same time, knowing it was impossible to feel any happier than she did with him. Impossible to feel any more alive.

She understood now that the freeing feeling she experienced up here with him wasn't one of escaping her life, but the feeling of finally stepping into it, stepping into how her life should be.

With Deacon.

Because there was just no getting away from their boundless love.

Their incredible chemistry.

That damn sizzle.

Phew! And that's a wrap (for now... I'm considering the requests to keep the story going).

Thanks a million for anyone who has taken the time to read my story, and a huge thanks to those who've reviewed, I appreciate it so much!

Hope you enjoyed exploring the Rayna and Deacon sizzle with me :D