*Rielle looked at the letter in her hand addressed to her from K.C. and then up at Jarrod’s solemn face, her heart in her eyes and her heart beat wildly in her chest.

“I was under strict orders from K.C. to hand deliver this to you today.” Jarrod said quietly his crisp British accent making that statement sound so much more ominous.

He had called her up to find out when she would be heading home and she really shouldn’t have been surprised to see him here now. They stood outside of her fence, the skies beginning to darken with the approaching storm.

Rielle was just getting ready to open her gate, when Jarrod’s gold Explorer drove up. The wind was slowly picking up and she had spent the day at school securing classrooms before going to the store to help her parents with the hurricane shutters there.

They would secure the accordion shutters on their houses tonight. Rielle glanced up the hill hoping that someone had seen to the house that K.C. was leasing and a frown slowly came over her face.

He had protested vehemently when Rielle insisted that they take a break from each other but when he had seen how resolute she was he had reluctantly agreed. In the month and a half she had spent back home since her trip to Detroit she had learned that K.C. was firmly entwined in her heart.

Rielle had flown home alone, while K.C. and his family had gone back to Denver and Frank had called her to let her know that Frederika was going to therapy. Danni had been told about the secret her mother had been keeping and the entire family was going to counseling in support of her.

“Wow, I’m not sure how the post office will feel about you cutting in on their business.” She quipped now, a sparkle returning briefly to her eyes.

Camille, Georgie and Andie had been told the reason that she and K.C. had taken a break and they had all commiserated at Rielle’s house the weekend she had returned.

Camille and Andie had felt guilty about their relationships going so well when their friends were suffering, but Rielle and Georgie agreed with sad smiles that life was like that sometimes. Camille and Jarrod had taken the next step in their relationship and become intimate and he had limited his trips off island.

Rielle had mediated when Camille who had been indignant on her friends’ behalf had wanted to call it quits with Jarrod. Rielle had asked her if she was crazy because a good man was hard to find and despite his behavior K.C. and Jarrod were two of that breed.

“Don’t tell Cam or I’ll be in the doghouse for sure. Just because Cam's Mom recently retired from post office won't make it right in her eyes.” He said teasingly and the sparkle lasted a little longer.

Andie and Bryan were still hot and heavy and Rielle felt like it was only a matter of time before she had a wedding to attend judging from the looks that the couple shared.

Georgie and Michael were managing the long distance romance thing with the help of technology and Georgie was scheduled to go up to Miami for a game the Admirals were having in a few weeks. The Admirals were doing very well and were 4-0 and they were not only leading their division but the defense and offense were slowly settling down now that the preseason was over or at least that’s what Graham was telling her.

Rielle’s mother had chosen to let her tell her father when she returned and he had been very surprised when she had revealed K.C.’s island connection and curious as to how Frederika and Frank Leon, his childhood acquaintance had been after all these years. The two men had even spoken several times on the phone.

Chris had been angry, calling K.C. all kinds of names and Rielle and Magdalena had done their best to try to diffuse his anger with the situation but weren’t sure they had succeeded. He, like Rielle had focused on K.C. not his family and after verifying that he was who he said he had been more concerned with how the other man treated his sister than delving further into his family history.

Magdalena knew some of his anger stemmed from guilt that he had not protected his sister well enough and he was being very solicitous of his sister. Magdalena was happy that her children had developed such a close relationship but sorry that Rielle had to suffer for that to happen. 

“How is K.C. doing?”Rielle asked seeing the sympathy in Jarrod’s blue eyes.

Gabrielle had been kept busy with the opening of school which happened on the island in the final week of August and served to distract her from her personal life. It was when she was alone at night and on the weekends that her mind wandered to happier times with her lover.

She had reunited with her returning students, met the new ones and she could see that this would be an interesting year.

Her fellow teachers had looked at her with speculation when they found out K.C. had remained in the states to take care of some business and she had held her head high but it had been difficult.  She knew that some of them had thought she was headed for a fall with K.C.

“He sounds like he’s in a good place but I know that he’s missing you like crazy.” Jarrod answered with a quick grin and saw her flinch.

“So this isn’t a dear Jane letter?” Rielle asked her heart pounding in her chest.

She was afraid she had pushed K.C. away by demanding the time apart, and that this was how he would reject her.

Jarrod stared down at the young woman who had saved his relationship with Camille and saw that the situation with K.C. had taken its toll on her. She had lost a few pounds and while she was still lovely, the vitality in her eyes was missing.

He knew that her weight loss could be due to the stress of starting a new school year or even from the storm that was bearing down on them and the precautions that they were all taking to secure their properties but he doubted it.

Jarrod had seen her many times since she had come back home and he had spoken to K.C. about how Rielle was holding up during their forced separation. He had advised his friend to do as she suggested and focus on Frederika which he had been doing anyway but also recommended that K.C. probably did need to work on a few issues of his own.

This would be the best time to do that and when he and Gabrielle got back together K.C. would be better for it and by extension his relationship with his lover would benefit as well.

Jarrod hoped the letter could help to restore her missing joy but K.C. returning to St. Sebastian would be the best thing for the troubled couple.

“Of course not, breaking up with you is the very last thing K.C. wants to do Rielle and you can take that to the bank.” Jarrod assured her a frown on his handsome face.

Rielle’s full mouth tightened and she felt a strong breeze blow her hair about, the smell of rain in the air.

People didn’t take time to write letters anymore and she looked down at K.C.’s handwriting wondering at this gesture. With technology so pervasive letters were rarely written and the fact that he had taken the time to do this touched and frightened her.

What if despite what Jarrod said he was angry with her for standing her ground and decided to end their relationship?

“K.C. was worried about you, especially with the storm coming but I told him your house was like Noah’s Ark and could survive anything. I just hope we don’t have to put that to the test.” He told her easily bringing Rielle’s gaze back to his.

“Thank you for bringing me the letter I appreciate it Jarrod.”  She replied.

The smile she offered him was tentative however and she looked up the hill for a moment wondering if K.C. would ever come back.

“Rielle you know K.C. and I have been friends for a long time. I’ve never seen him like this with anyone; don’t give up on him because the guy really loves you.” Jarrod insisted seeing her sad face.

He watched until she was safely in her house before he left and was on his phone almost as soon as he pulled away from her gate, impatiently waiting while it rang.

“K.C., what the hell are you doing man? The letter had better be good because that is one unhappy little lady I just left. She asked me if it was a dear Jane letter and the way Rielle’s face looked when she said it… she was really hurting.” Jarrod revealed.

There was silence for a moment before his friend responded.

“Did she say anything else?” he asked quietly.

His Uncle Frank spoke to Gabrielle for a few minutes at least once a week so she was aware of how his mother was progressing and he and Graham Hall had also reconnected.

“She asked how you were. K.C. you need to come home this has lasted long enough.” Jarrod declared.

“I agree, this has gone on longer than I wanted it to but if Gabrielle isn’t ready to see me I don’t want to make things any worse between us.” K.C. replied with a heavy sigh.

Jarrod heard the pain in his friend’s voice and shook his head, knowing if he was frustrated by the situation that this had to be a thousand times more so for K.C.

~*~

Gabrielle took a shower and changed into a black graphic t-shirt and yoga pants before she poured herself a glass of wine and sat on her sofa with the letter. She turned it over in her hands several times before she ripped open the envelope and looked at the two handwritten pages with her heart thumping loudly.

Rielle took a deep breath glancing at the orchids that were still flowering before focusing on the papers in her trembling hands. She read slowly and tears began to well up in her eyes before she had finished the first page.

K.C. wrote about their initial meeting and how he had felt, when he had known that he was in love with her and how special she made him feel.  He told her how once he had fallen in love with her he had feared losing her because of the truth he had at first neglected to mention and then deliberately withheld from her.

He explained how trapped he had felt when he had discovered his mother’s past and been unable to share it with her and he had wanted to do that so badly. It was hard for her to continue to read as her vision was getting blurry with each word and she pulled up the hem of her shirt and hastily wiped at her eyes.

He apologized for not telling Rielle that his mother was biracial and from St. Sebastian. K.C. asked that she forgive him for not telling her even though he did not deserve it. He thanked her for accepting the parts of him he had shown her and apologized for not trusting her to accept the rest of who he was.

He told her that he should have been strong enough and because he couldn’t was his fault not hers. K.C. poured out his soul to her on those two pages as he told her that she was the kindest, smartest, bravest and most beautiful woman inside and out and having her in his life made him want to be a better person.

He finished by telling her that he loved her and would wait for her forever if he had to and he would never be more than a phone call away. The letter was signed 'Love K.C.' and seeing that brought home to her what she had always known in her heart but also now knew in her head.

K.C. was only human and like everyone else including her, he made mistakes and that was part of life. She could continue to punish them both for it or she could accept his apology and show him that love did not only forgive but forget.

Rielle bawled her eyes out, the tears coming fast and furious as the pain and loneliness all poured out onto a pillow she hugged to her aching breasts. It was nearly an hour later before she could rouse herself after her crying jag was over to go to the bathroom and washed her face before she sat on her bed.

She got her cell phone and called K.C., her hands shaking so much she could barely punch in the number on her speed dial. She nervously waited for him to answer and held her breath until he did.

“Gabrielle?” she heard him say in surprise.

“K.C., I – I read the letter and I had to talk to you. Are you still at work? I can call you back later if I’m disturbing you? I’m sorry I didn’t think; call me back when you can if it’s not too much trouble. Bye.” She said softly her voice still husky from the crying.

Rielle ran on without giving him a chance to respond and then she hung up the phone, flopped in the middle of the bed face down angrily. With the impending storm projected to hit the island tomorrow she had left it too late and if the storm was bad she might not be able to speak to K.C. for several weeks if the phone towers went down with the high winds predicted.

Ten minutes later she heard a vehicle outside her gate, raised her head a little to glance at her watch and saw that Chris was on time to check up on her like he had been doing since she came back.

She heard him at the gate and his key in the front door before his heavy footsteps made their way to her doorway and she turned her face tiredly to the other side of the bed where K.C. would have been laying if she had acted sooner.

“I love K.C. and I miss him. If he calls back I’m going to ask him to forgive me for prolonging this Chris. I should never have sent him away like I did, because I hurt myself as much as I did K.C.” She told her brother from beneath her hair.

~*~

Light colored eyes took in the picture of the young woman who lay on the eggplant colored sheets and heard the emotion in her voice.

~*~

She heard the footsteps approach and felt the bed depress beneath the weight of her brother. Rielle froze when a big hand rested on her bottom but was galvanized into action when a stinging slap was applied to one quavering cheek and she screeched like a banshee rolling onto her side with hands curled into small fists to sock Chris one.

“You didn’t even look up when I came in! What the hell Gabrielle, I could have been a criminal or something and you would have been easy prey for some man to accost you!”said the owner of piercing blue eyes that stared at her angrily.

Rielle couldn’t believe her eyes and she threw herself into his arms forcing him back on the bed as she nearly strangled him in her joy. That happiness was cut short when another stinging slap was applied to her other cheek and she pushed herself off of him angrily rubbing her bottom with both hands displeasure clearly written on her face.

“Ouch damn it! Are you trying to piss me off?  Because it’s starting to work, the only man accosting me is you!” She gritted out her initial pleasure now tempered.

K.C. looked up at her indignant expression and slowly smiled, his eyes warming.

“Come here and I’ll kiss it better.” He promised with a wicked leer.

After six weeks without anything but a dull ache in her nether regions Rielle found herself immediately set upon by a core that had a mind of its own, a clit that was throbbing in Morse code and nipples that came to attention beneath her shirt.

K.C.’s reaction was a bit more obvious and she saw the pulsing that was going on in his charcoal cargo shorts. Rielle was so very tempted to jump on his sprawled form and rip off the black t-shirt he was wearing but managed to ignore that very physical response at least for the moment.

Rielle stared at him, taking in the shorter blond hair, scruffy look and the new lines that had not been on his handsome face the last time she had seen him. He looked like a man who had been doing some soul searching and come to some decisions.

After careful scrutiny she turned away and walked with heavy feet to sit on the papasan chair in a corner of her room. K.C. raised his head to watch her go, enjoying the swinging of her sexy butt and then sat up with a sigh that turned into a grimace as he adjusted himself discreetly.

He was not sure whether he was happy Gabrielle had ignored his suggestion, even though he knew that they really should clear the air between them before they did anything else. It had been tough having those taut cheeks in his hands as well as the rest of her plastered all up on him after being without her for so long only to have her go.

It had been even tougher going home and having to tell his grandparents that he had done something so stupid and caused Gabrielle to put their relationship on hold.

“I got in on the final flight last night and nobody knows except Lewis and he picked me up from the airport in the Rover. Jarrod doesn’t even know I’m here.” He said, answering the question he knew she wanted to ask.

He had been  lucky to get on the flight with all of the weather channel personnel who had come down to report on the Category 2 Hurricane that was on its way to St. Sebastian.

“How is your family? I’m sure your Mom couldn’t have been happy with you for coming down here right now?” she asked softly fixing him with a steady green gaze.

“Mom is doing well, we’ve had a few days where she was really angry or depressed but she’s making steady progress. We’re all really proud of the way she reacted when Dad told her Roebuck was dead. She’s hoping that the island doesn’t suffer too much damage in the storm because she’s even more determined to come down for Christmas and my grandparents and uncles along with their families are coming too so this is going to be a very special holiday. ” He replied a happy look on his face.

Rielle was pleased that Frederika was still moving forward on her journey of coming to terms with the past and glad that she had such a great support system.

“So you came down to check on the hotel?” she asked an eyebrow arching.

She uncurled her legs, looking down at the hands she had clasped on her thighs as she waited for K.C. to answer.

“No, I actually stopped by briefly but Lewis has taken care of securing the buildings and the house on the hill was safe too because he wasn’t sure if I’d make it. I came down to be near you Gabrielle." K.C. revealed his blue eyes intent on her face.

"I sent the letter to Jarrod last week not knowing a storm would be coming this way and told him to give it to you today so that you would get it after work. I hoped you would call after you read the letter but I didn’t expect you to hang up on me before I could get a word in.” He said softly.

Her head came up sharply halfway through his speech, she saw the shadows in his blue eyes and Rielle looked away first. The pain she saw there was so raw and she wanted to comfort him.

“My parents always told me that how a person looked on the outside didn’t matter; it was what was in their heart that counted. I found out that some people don’t think that way went I got to high school though. My appearance is only a small part of who I am but it seems to be the thing most people pay attention to." K.C. revealed.

"When I gave you my business card and Chris checked the website I made the assumption that you had seen my mother’s name and picture as well and had no problem with me being multi racial.” He told her with a solemn expression on his tired face.

Rielle nodded remembering her relief that K.C. was who he said he was and not some jerk looking to score with an island girl. She’d been pursued by that type before and Gabrielle had no interest in falling victim to one of those men.

“When I offered to introduce you to my parents and you talked about being nervous and why I realized that you didn’t know. I couldn’t see how I would be able to tell you after so much time had passed. I made a weak attempt to tell you before we went to meet them but the truth is I didn’t get any further because I was afraid.” K.C. admitted freely his expression one of self disgust.

Rielle couldn’t hold herself back from going to him, she finally got up and went to kneel on the cream carpet in front of him her hands resting on his thighs.

“K.C., I forgive you. I know what happened wasn’t done maliciously and I’m guilty of jumping to conclusions which didn’t help the situation any. I should not have done that. Will you accept my apology?” she replied, her eyes anxious.  

K.C. looked down into her nervous expression and felt his heart thudding wildly as he slid to his knees to face her and he took her cold hands in his.

“I am in deeper with you than I’ve ever been with any other woman in my life and I let everything I had learned about you go out the window. Apologizing in the letter wasn’t enough. I’m sorry that I let my past experience affect us that way. Can you forgive me for not having faith in you like I should have? Can you trust me again Gabrielle?” he questioned looking intently into her eyes.

There was something elemental in the air as the impending storm gathered energy before it prepared to wreaked havoc and affected everyone.

K.C. watched her dark head nod, her green eyes sparkle with tears and he dragged her into his arms, relief coming in waves as he heard her whisper yes over and over again.

Her breath was warm against his chest, her grip no less fierce than his and they remained that way for a few minutes. K.C. finally pulled back to look down at Gabrielle, his big hands framing her face as she smiled up at him tremulously and he swooped down to kiss her.

He had thought he would never taste her passion again and when Gabrielle responded to him as she had always done K.C. rejoiced. His cock was thumping wildly against her weeping core, his hot hands found their way into her stretchy pants to cup her panty covered skin and his fingers clutched at her bottom convulsively.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck and her legs slowly found their way about his trim waist as he took her weight easily on his spread thighs. He didn’t know who was shaking more, the pent up relief and passion combining to make them both anxious. 

Rielle was moaning into his mouth as she began to rub herself against him frantically, her pace picking up speed as the urgency took over. The heat threatened to burn away all common sense while their tongues dueled in her mouth but the sound of loud knocking on her front door penetrated K.C.’s brain first.

He pulled away with an agonized groan, his eyes now the dark blue that Rielle had feared she might not ever see again as she stared up at her lover.

"You know I'm going to hold you to kissing it better later?" she told him with a sultry look.

K.C. groaned as she slithered off of his lap, manhandling him in the most delicious way before she walked to her doorway and looked back in expectation, a little something extra in her step.

What could he do but get up and follow? But first he had to make sure his black t-shirt covered him in some sort of decent fashion because he was in a very indecent state and he didn't want to frighten anyone.