A softness based in love washes over Rayna's face as she prepares to tell her sister about Deacon's wooing of her. Their first week together was a frantic crazy time as they attempted to work out how much to tell the girls about the cancer. Rayna wanted to tell them straight away but Deacon wanted to hold off for a while, he wanted them all to have some time together as a family before any happiness was destroyed. Seeing how devastated Deacon was at the thought of breaking Maddie and Daphne's heart, Rayna relented.

To be honest, delaying having to answer all the questions the girls would have, meant that she was able to push it out of her mind as well. She could pretend that nothing was wrong, that they have forever together. Deacon certainly tried to hide any association of the cancer from her. She knew that she had to deal with it soon, but at the moment it was nice just spending time together and enjoying each other. Though Deacon was showing much more control that her. After almost losing control in the meeting room, he had made sure that their need for each other didn't go too far. It was driving her mad, she wanted him but he refused to give in to her.

Tandy clearing her throat brought Rayna back from her thoughts. "So, tell me. How is Mr Claybourne, the modern gentleman wooing my younger sister?"

Rayna smiled at the teasing behind her sister's question. "Well, the first week he helped me out with taxiing the girls around. He always made sure he was there for breakfast and often stayed for dinner."

Laughing, Rayna remembered back to Deacon's attempt at making chilli for Mexican night. All of three of them had gotten distracted singing and playing guitar, leading to the chilli bubbling away on the stove top. Needless to say, Mexican night turned to pizza night after Rayna came home to discover a charcoal mess in her saucepan.

"Did you know Deacon can cook?"

"Thank goodness, that means the girls are safe from your cooking!"

"Hey! I can cook."

Hysterical laughter greeted that statement. "Hmmm did you want to hear this or not?"

"Yeah, yeah, continue."

"We didn't get a lot of time alone that week, what with the girls being on school break or some drama at the office. The following week the girls went on holiday with Teddy. So we could get a bit of alone time."

"Woo now we're talking"

"Pffft hardly! He is not wooing me, he is driving me crazy. He isn't allowing us to rush into anything. Hell Tandy, I feel like a horny teenager again. I am going to explode soon if this continues."

Tandy once again bursts out laughing, between gasps of air she attempted to sooth her sister but the thought of Rayna being on edge due to Deacon showing self control sent her into fits of laughter again. Tandy had experienced first hand just how powerful their attraction to each other could be. The air crackled around them and the electricity bouncing off each of them. The simplest touch from either of them would see their pupils dilating and everything and everybody around them disappearing. At that moment they only existed in their universe. Finally able to control her laughter, Tandy returned her attention back to the frustrated Rayna.

"Sorry babe, but come on, this is you and Deacon. When you are together you can barely keep your hands off each other, hell even when you aren't together you both always seem to find a reason to touch. So the idea that one of you is showing restraint…it is hard to grasp"

"Well believe me, the man has an iron will. He isn't budging." Rayna took a breath to calm her frustration as she thought back to some of the dates Deacon had taken her on in the last couple of weeks. Smiling as she remembered one in particular, she tucked her hair behind her ears as she proceeded to update Tandy on some of Deacon's torture techniques.

Three weeks prior:

Her week was beginning to show signs of being an another week from hell. With Sadie disappearing for an undetermined amount of time and Layla announcing that Jeff was her manager, Rayna was questioning her decision to start her own label. Running her hands through her hair, she closed her eyes for a moment to try and get her focus back. Thank goodness the girls were away this week, cause she had been forced to put long hours in at the office. She had barely seen Deacon all week.

He was busy working on new material and helping out a friend in the studio. Picking up her phone to check her messages, she saw that she had missed one from Deacon asking her about lunch. Flicking her eyes at the clock she noted that it was 3 o'clock. She wondered how it got so late in the day, as she tried calling him. The phone went straight to message bank. "Hey babe, sorry just got your message. Think I have missed lunch altogether, how does dinner sound? I should hopefully be able to get out of here by 7. Call me"

Hanging up, a knock on the door diverted her attention away from returning to the work in front of her. Deacon poked his head through and gave her a bright smile. Drinking in the sight of him as he approached her, Rayna could feel her own smile responding back to him.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

"I just left you a message."

"Did you now." Deacon slowly made his way to her, until he was perched up against the desk and was leaning into her. "What did you say?"

Rayna could feel his warm breath on her lips. Her own lungs seemed to have stopped working as her eyes caressed his lips. She wanted so badly to taste those lips but she knew that once she started she wouldn't be able to stop.

"Rayna?"

"Hu?"

"What did your message say?"

"Ummm dinner" Shaking her head, Rayna attempted to shake off the tremors of excitement that seemed to engulf her anytime Deacon was near her. "I can't do lunch but wanted to know if you were free for dinner tonight."

Pushing himself off the desk, he moved next to her. Squatting down beside her, he pushed some hair behind her ear, allowing his fingers to trace the delicate shell of her ear. His blue eyes darkened as he watched her moisten her lips. With a husky voice "Yeah I can do dinner tonight. What time?"

Biting her lip, Rayna's eyes closed as she felt Deacon's thumbs slowly caressed her cheeks. Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled to get a breath. Finally getting enough air into her lungs, she breathlessly told him 7 o'clock. Blinking open her eyes she felt Deacon gently pulling her towards him. His thumb soothed her bottom lip that she had bitten earlier. The heady mix of cologne and his unique smell embraced her and ignited her senses. Panting slightly she allowed herself to be pulled towards him. His strong hands were tangled in her hair and his fingers were slightly pulling on the strands. Gasping at the sensation, Rayna closed her eyes as her senses came close to being overwhelmed. Deacon's lips tickled her own as he breathed out in a passion heavy voice, "I'll be here." Rayna leaned forward anticipating the sweet release that would come from kissing Deacon.

Opening her eyes, she blinked frantically trying to focus her eyes on his face and why he had not kissed her. The grin on his face made her realise that he was teasing her. He was in control of the game and he wasn't going to give her what she wanted. He was enjoying teasing her. He knew the effect he had on her, the effect he had always had on her. Her body reacts to him, it always had. From the moment she first met him and over the years of being married to Teddy, her body betrayed her attraction to him. Teddy was largely unaware of the way she unconsciously reacted to being around Deacon, but Luke had always sensed it. She might have been able to hide it from everyone else, but there was no hiding from Deacon. They were both aware of the tell tale signs announcing their effect on each other.

Pushing himself up and taking a step backwards, Deacon's smile falters as he take in Rayna's parted lips and her desired filled eyes focused on him. Quickly taking a step into her personal space, Deacon's lips demand possession as he pushes her backwards into her chair. Rayna wraps her arms around his broad shoulders pulling him further into her. His hands hold her head still as he claims ownership of her lips. They both moan simultaneously, as they slowly pull back to look into each others smoky eyes. Breathing erratically, Deacon leans his forehead against hers as he shakingly states "I'll pick you up at 7." Before Rayna has a chance to say anything, Deacon pushes back off her chair and heads out the door.

Fanning herself, Tandy blushes at eroticism of Rayna's voice as she described her office encounter with Deacon.

"Geez Rayna, no wonder you are frustrated. If that is what he has been like I'm surprised you haven't killed him yet."

"Oh Tandy, you have no idea how frustrated he is making me. This is just the start of my torture. Dinner just nailed my undoing and I have rapidly gone downhill from there."

"I'm almost afraid to ask what happened at dinner. Though judging from what you have just told me, as well as the photos in the magazines I have some idea of what you are going to tell me."