Chapter 5:

The last three weeks had been a whirlwind. Rayna didn't think they could top the first night they played together but she was wrong. Each night got better and better. When Deacon suggested they put some of the old songs in the set, to mix it up, they reached a whole new level. Well the buzz from the tour wasn't doing much for her current album sales, Marshall flew in personally to tell her that he back catalog was on fire. When he suggested this maybe the time to cash in on a greatest hits album, Rayna responded with "over my dead body", Marshall laughed but Deacon knew better. There was no way in hell Rayna James was putting out a greatest hits album when there were still great hits left to write.

"Deacon, this isn't a bad thing for you either, those royalty checks are going to be pretty fat." Marshall said slapping him on the back.

"That's good because my girls got good taste, like their momma." he said winking as Rayna playfully swatted his arm, but she was smiling as the champagne was flowing.

Rayna knew the double shows were starting to wear on Deacon. While he wasn't a big after party guy, at least not since he got sober, he usually did his best to put in a few minutes with the radio stations, fans and promoters. However, the last few nights he was calling it early, heading straight from the stage to his bed. Juliette had noticed it as well and called him on it. She wasn't very happy with the Juliette to Rayna ratio of Deacon's time. If Rayna was being honest, it did seem like he was conserving his energy during Juliette's set and when he wasn't on stage or rehearsing, he was trying to spend as much time with the girls as possible, which meant time with Rayna by default. Even though Juliette's resentment about the whole situation did put an extra pep in her step, she was worried about Deacon. When she brought up the topic last night before the show, he just winked at her and told her told her that he was conserving his energy for her sets, but he was hers first.

They were in Dallas, a week away from their mid-tour break. Rayna tried not to think about the fact that when they came back from the break, John would be back to play with her, and Deacon would go back to Juliette's band full time. No, tonight she was just going to enjoy the music.

Juliette was on first and she was glad about that. Dallas was always a high energy show for her, and Rayna had a larger following in this part of the country. The tour reviews since Deacon joined her had been phenomenal and this crowd seemed ready to join the hype.

The show was running on rails and it seemed whatever they did worked. They played fast songs and slow song, old songs and new songs, there were instrument solos and harmonizing. Even the guys in her band were feeling the energy, rocking out like the hard-core musicians that they were. They finished their encore and made their goodnights but five minutes later the crowd was still on their feet chanting for Rayna to play one more. She gave Bucky a hard no, but Deacon and the rest of the band were egging her on and eventually Deacon picked Rayna up and carried her back onto the stage, the entire stadium going crazy.

The played 'Stomping Ground' but as the song ended the crowd was still not satisfied.

"Post Cards from Mexico!" Someone shouted then another and another. Before Rayna could object Deacon broke into the song.

Rayna shook her head at him but then threw her head back in laugher seeing the bad boy look on his face. She couldn't resist him like this smoldering, jeans and a black tee shirt, looking so much like the nineteen-year-old boy she fell in love with all those years ago.

Anyone in the stadium would tell you that the crowd was deafening that night, that there was no way you could forget that there were over fifty thousand people in the stadium watching them but somehow, they did. It happened all the time when they toured together, before their kids were born and his addiction got the better of both of them. Just like tonight, the crowd would fade, and it was the two of them singing to one another.

Post Cards from Mexico was a crowd pleaser for sure, mostly because of the way they performed it on stage. It was like watching a tango between two very sexy and passionate lovers. What the crowd couldn't know that night was what that song was doing to the two people on stage. Every touch, every bump of the hip or nod was felt deep down to their core. Deacon's eyes were practically undressing her on stage and Rayna was right there with him, doing her level best to seduce him. Later, when someone asks them about it, as thy often did in the past, they would laugh it off as just part of the stage show. The truth was both were quickly losing control over any rational thought.

"Love comes…"

"…Love goes"

"I'm gone…"

"…she's gone to Mexico," he finished inches from her face. He could practically taste her they were that close. They stood like that for what seemed like a lifetime but was only a few seconds. The band started to play them off and they gave one last wave to the crowd.

Deacon couldn't see straight let alone think straight. He grabbed her hand and hurried down the corridor to her dressing room, sending up prayers that it would be empty when they got there. They didn't stop for hellos, thank you's, how are you's, they didn't stop when Bucky called their names, they didn't stop. Deacon barley got Rayna through the door before his lips were on hers, he couldn't stop.

Rayno moaned. It was a very specific sound and only one the Deacon Claybourne could pull from the back of her throat. Her back was against the wall, the cold cement on her hot body giving her the oddest sensation. She couldn't tell if she was actually saying his name or if her thoughts were just that loud. His hands were inching their way up her already short dress and she was doing her best to help him out of his shirt. There was a furry to it. The last song may have been the one that broke the camel's back, but it really was three weeks of a slow burn. They were flirting with each other, seducing each other, every song, every look, until tonight when it all came to a head. She couldn't wait any longer and she let Deacon know, thrusting her hips against him. She was ready for him and he was very obviously ready for her. The second his jeans hit his knees, he picked her up and she automatically wrapped her legs around him.

"Rayna?" Bucky called out through the other side of the door. Deacon was shaking his head no and Rayna was doing everything in her power not to cry out. "Hey Ray, you ready for some people?"

"Rayna, if we stop this right now, I may actually explode," he warned in her ear before pushing inside of her. Her eyes shot open and her breath caught as he began to move.

"Give me fifteen Bucky," she yelled out trying her best not to tip him off that at the moment she and Deacon were pressed against a wall having sex. "Don't stop," she moaned in his ear, "please god don't stop".

Deacon for his part had no intentions of stopping, if it was up to him, he would spend the rest of his life with her body wrapped around him. "Baby," he responded picking up the pace as he tightened his grip on her ass.

"Deacon!" she moaned loudly in his ear and then squeezed him tightly as they both finished hard.

They stayed in the same position for another minute just trying to catch their breaths. When Rayna's legs were about to go numb, she dropped them from his waist and he held her as she slid down his body, her feet finding the floor. Finally, he pulled back just enough to find her lips with his. He kissed her sweetly but deeply then laid his forehead against hers.

"Hi", he said breaking the quiet that suddenly filed the room.

She smiled up at him, "Hi. That was…"

"Yeah it was," he replied as if reading her thoughts. "It's a good thing Bucky is the knock before entering type guy or your after show would be getting better reviews than the main event."

She chuckled. "Well I am pretty sure Bucky got more than an eyeful back in the day, you know he is a pretty fast learner."

"I guess we should…"

"Yeah we should," she finished, and it was Deacon's turn to laugh.

"What?" she asked confused by his amusement.

"Nothen baby," he said pulling back another few inches before giving her a soft kiss on the lips. "I should probably give you a minute to…"

"Yeah probably," she said reluctantly as he began to pull away. "Should we…"

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't know… talk about it?"

"Yeah… yes we should but… ummm… maybe later?" he asked as he pulled up his jeans and nodded towards the door.

"Right," she said pulling her dress down into place. "Deacon!" she called out desperately.

He smiled and grabbed her hand, squeezing it before he walked to the door. "It's okay baby, it's going to be okay," he said smiling before walking out.