Harvest Moon (24 page)

Money and rank have their privileges
, Aaron mused silently. “Don’t worry,
Princesa
, they’ll be here.” Nodding, she rested her head against his shoulder.

Aaron was not as relaxed as he appeared. Two days ago Sebastião woke him up with the report of another fire. This time more than a hundred acres were destroyed before the fast-moving blaze was extinguished.

When the people who worked in the fields reported to work that morning, he gathered them all together and lectured them sternly about smoking. No one—and he reiterated,
no one
—was allowed to smoke anywhere on the da Costa property. A single infraction was cause for immediate dismissal.

“There they are!”

Aaron stood up, staring at a tall, attractive couple as they followed a baggage handler. Their resemblance to Regina was startling—especially her brother.

Arianna Cole spotted her sister and raced ahead of Tyler, her arms outstretched, while he slowed his pace and stared over his
broad shoulder at a beautiful, dark-skinned Brazilian girl who flirted shamelessly with him as they passed each other.

Regina hugged her sister, then kissed her cheek. “I’ve been pacing the floor waiting for you guys. Welcome to Bahia.”

Arianna pulled back, her clear, green-flecked brown eyes surveying her older sister. “You look beautiful.”

Regina wrinkled her nose. “I look fat.”

“Pregnant women are supposed to gain weight.” She examined Regina’s rounded face, softly curling short hair, fuller breasts, and the hint of a rounded belly under an exquisitely tailored bright orange linen smock over a pair of slim black slacks. “You look better pregnant than not.”

Arianna’s gaze shifted to the tall man standing several feet behind her sister, arms crossed over his chest. Her eyes widened when she noticed that there was something about the man that reminded her of her own father. “Is that Aaron?” she whispered
sotto voce
. Regina nodded, smiling. “Good grief! He’s hot!”

Shaking her head in amusement, Regina directed her sister over to Aaron. “This is Arianna. My very talented sister just earned a spot in our next Olympic swim team.”

Aaron smiled at the teenage girl, his teeth showing whitely under his moustache. Leaning over, he placed a kiss on her cheek. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Congratulations on making the team.”

Arianna flashed a bright smile. “Thanks.”

Tyler walked over to Aaron and extended his right hand. “Thanks for having us, Dr. Spencer. Tyler Cole.”

Aaron shook the proffered hand, then pulled Tyler to him in a rough embrace. “None of that Dr. Spencer business, Tyler. It’s Aaron.”

Tyler nodded, offering him a smile so reminiscent of his older sister’s. “Okay, Aaron.”

Dropping his arms around the shoulders of the Cole siblings, he smiled at them. “Welcome to Bahia. Regina and I will give
you time to settle in, rest up, and get used to the heat. Then after that it’s party time.”

“When does Carnival begin?” Tyler asked.

“It starts up around Friday, but by Saturday it’s in full swing. And for four full days all business stops for what becomes a street party.”

“Is it only at night?” Arianna questioned.

“It’s all day and all night,” Aaron replied.

“Hot damn!” Tyler whispered under his breath.

Aaron gave him a sidelong look. “Did you come to party, or did you come for the girls?”

“Both,” he said, flashing his attractive shy grin.

Regina laughed. Her very serious brother had finally discovered the opposite sex. She had begun to give up on him, because in the past he’d much preferred reading a book to interacting with girls his own age. Tyler was his father’s son. He had inherited his height, astounding masculine beauty, and the famous male Cole charm.

Her brother and sister had planned to stay a week, and a week was enough for Regina, because having them with her would counter her occasional spells of homesickness.

A
aron helped Regina and Arianna into the Range Rover before directing the baggage handler to store the Coles’ luggage in the cargo area. He tipped the man, then slipped behind the wheel beside Tyler.

Slipping on a pair of sunglasses against the rays of the fiery Brazilian sun, he waited patiently until he could maneuver out of the traffic jam at the Salvador airport. The area’s population had almost doubled with the influx of tourists for Carnival. While the festivities surrounding Rio’s Carnival had waned over the years, the reverse had not been true for Bahia. It had become one of the most spontaneous street festivals on the face of the earth. It was not only spontaneous, but uninhibited, and unadulterated fun. He had stayed away for the past three years because seeing everyone celebrating with such fervid abandonment had reminded him of how empty his life had become. He had existed for his medical research, and nothing more. But now he awaited the birth of his child; a child who would give him a purpose for existing beyond his career.

He took a quick glance at Tyler Cole’s perfect profile. “Your sister says you’re thinking of a career in medicine.”

Tyler smiled. “I am.”

“What schools have you considered?”

“I’m thinking of applying to the big ones—Harvard, Yale, Stanford. Where did you go?”

Aaron smiled. “Johns Hopkins. If you think about attending, let me know and I’ll write you a letter of recommendation.”

“Would you do that?” There was no mistaking the excitement in the younger man’s voice.

“Of course. It’s the least I could do for the uncle of my son or daughter.”

“Do you know what sex the baby is?” Arianna asked from the backseat.

“No.” Regina and Aaron had spoken in unison.

“Why not?” she asked.

“Regina doesn’t want to know,” Aaron replied, glancing up at the rearview mirror.

Arianna sucked her teeth. “I think I’d want to know.”

“So would I,” Aaron concurred.

“It’s going to be a boy,” Tyler predicted.

Reaching forward, Regina patted her brother’s shoulder. “I think you’re right.”

“If it is a boy, then Daddy is going to lose his mind,” Arianna stated with a big smile. “He’s already set up a stock portfolio for the baby. All he’s waiting for is the name.”

Aaron wanted to tell Arianna that he could afford to provide for his child, but swallowed back the words. He had to remember that his son or daughter was also a Cole, and the Coles had established their own traditions. On the other hand, he intended to establish a few Spencer traditions which would be handed down from one generation to another. The land he owned was still known as the da Costa estate, even though the last of the
da Costa line ended with Leonardo. After the birth of his son or daughter he would officially change the deed to read Spencer.

Regina showed Arianna to her bedroom. “This is it,” she said, gesturing with a slender hand.

Arianna walked slowly into a room where a massive, four-poster iron bed dominated the space. Panels of antique ivory lace floated around the bed, offering furtive glimpses of lace-trimmed pillows, shams, and bolsters. A pedestal table cradled a vase filled with a profusion of fragrant white and pale pink flowers. A Chippendale-style chest-on-chest and a burgundy brocade armchair and matching footstool were nestled in a corner near a door which opened to a full bath.

“This house and everything in it is magnificent, Regina. I hate to say it, but you’re a better decorator than Mommy.”

“Bite your tongue, Ari,” Regina teased. “I can’t take credit for anything you see here. Aaron’s aunt was mistress to these treasures long before I arrived.”

Closing the door softly, Arianna leaned against it. “When are you going to become the mistress?”

“Say what?”

“When are you going to marry Aaron?”

Regina felt a rush of heat suffuse her face. “Who told you to ask me that? Mommy? Daddy?”

“I’m not going to answer that. You can tell me to mind my own damn business—”

“Arianna Cole!”

Pushing off the door, Arianna threw up both hands. “Don’t act so shocked. I’ve said worse. Back to my question. When are you going to marry Aaron? Even though I’m not sexually active, I know when a man loves a woman. I’ve seen Mommy and Daddy together enough to know. And your Dr. Spencer has it real bad.”

Tilting her chin, Regina stared down the length of her nose
at her younger sister. “If you know so much, then you’d see that I love him.”

“Love him enough to marry him?”

“Yes.”

“What’s stopping you?”

“He hasn’t asked me—lately.”

Arianna’s mouth dropped open. “Lately?”

“We’ve had a few squabbles, and even though we live under the same roof we’ve been somewhat estranged.”

“Which means?”

“He sleeps in his bedroom, and I sleep in my bedroom.”

Rolling her eyes upward, Arianna shook her head. “You’re both too old to play games.”

“And you’re not old enough to understand the dynamics. I suggest you take
siesta
, because we’re going to Salvador later tonight to eat. Then tomorrow night we’re throwing a pre-Carnival party. Our neighbor has cousins visiting from the Dominican Republic who are around your age. They will probably want to hang out with you and Tyler.”

“Cool!”

Regina wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, cool. Did you bring something to party in?”

“I have a few outfits.”

“How would you like to go to a beauty spa with me tomorrow morning? You can have your hair trimmed, get a manicure, pedicure, facial, and massage. And if we have time we can always visit a few boutiques to pick up a few more party outfits. Remember, Carnival is four days of nonstop fun.”

Arianna executed a dance step, spinning around on her toes. “Yes!”

Aaron sat across from Tyler Cole, silently admiring the younger man’s enthusiasm. Tyler had elected to forego
siesta
when he urged him to talk about his research projects.

“What are you working on now?”

“We have two projects going at the same time,” Aaron replied. “Several of the doctors have developed an oral antiviral agent which has been used experimentally in children and adults with meningitis to shorten the course of the disease.”

Leaning forward on the sofa, Tyler rested his elbows on his knees. “But viral meningitis, unlike the bacterial version, is not life-threatening.”

“You’re right about that. But the picornaviruses are small viruses that, once inside the body, can travel to many different tissues, causing disease, inflammation of the heart muscle, otitis media or inflammation of the middle ear, meningitis, and the common cold. And viral meningitis also causes incapacitating headaches that can last two weeks or more.”

“What’s the drug’s reaction time?”

“Most patients feel better on the first day, and many had their painful headaches disappear within a week. Most patients in the study recovered within nine days instead of taking the usual fourteen for the infection to run its course.”

“That sounds exciting.”

“It is for infectious-disease doctors,” Aaron confirmed. “I’m personally involved in a project where we have successfully developed a bandage that can stop severe bleeding in seconds, potentially saving thousands of lives on battlefields and highways. I received a grant two years ago from the U.S. Army after I’d sent a proposal to the Pentagon for funding to develop the experimental bandage and a related foam and spray that contain freeze-dried clotting agents in concentrations fifty to one hundred times greater than human blood.”

Tyler wagged his head in amazement. “Have they begun using it?”

“Clinical trials are to begin in a couple of months at an army hospital in Texas, where the bandage will be applied to the gushing wounds from prostate removal surgery.”

“What will the foam and spray be used for?”

“The foam is intended for bullet wounds and other punctures that bleed from deep inside the body, while the clotting spray is for seeping wounds like severe burns and torn muscle.”

Tyler continued with his questioning. “What did you use for the clotting process?”

“A protein called fibrinogen and the enzyme thrombin.”

“Isn’t thrombin derived from plasma?”

Aaron nodded, smiling. There was no doubt Tyler Cole was a brilliant student and would probably gain admission to any college he selected. “When the fibrinogen and thrombin come in contact with blood, they instantly begin forming a sticky lattice called fibrin that adheres to live tissue and eventually becomes a scab.”

“Oh, man, that’s incredible.”

“We are pretty excited about it. By the way, what branch of medicine are you interested in?”

Tyler shifted his sweeping black eyebrows. “I don’t know yet. I’ve thought about obstetrics, but I keep vacillating between that and epidemiology.”

“Have you considered pediatrics?”

Tyler registered Aaron’s smug expression. “You’re a pediatrician, aren’t you?”

Smiling broadly, he nodded, then glanced at his watch. “We have some time before we have to be ready to go out for dinner tonight. How would you like a tour of the hospital and research institute? Maybe seeing everything up close and personal will help you make up your mind.”

Tyler sprang to his feet, then seemed embarrassed by his eagerness. “I’d love that, Dr.…Aaron,” he said, correcting himself quickly.

“Wait here for me. I have to let your sister know where we’re going.”

Aaron took the stairs two at a time, then made his way down the hallway to Regina’s room. Knocking lightly on the door, he pushed it opened. A tender smile curved his mouth when he saw her lying on her side, facing the open window.

“Have you come to share
siesta
with me?” Her sultry voice sent a warming shiver down his spine.

He walked around the bed and sat down beside her. “You should’ve asked me before I promised Tyler that I’d take him on a tour of the hospital.”

She placed a hand over his. “I’ll take a rain check.”

“Will that rain check be valid for other than
siesta?
”

She lifted an eyebrow. “What are you asking?”

Leaning over, he pressed his mouth to hers. “How about tonight?”

“I’ll let you know,” she whispered against his parted lips.

“When?”

“Tonight.”

Increasing the pressure on her mouth, he cradled her head between his palms and drank deeply, temporarily assuaging a gnawing thirst he had been forced to endure for weeks.

“Tonight,” he repeated, reluctantly pulling away. Running a finger down the length of her delicate nose, he winked at her. “I’ll see you later,
Princesa
.”

Regina stared at him, holding his gaze as he stood up and backed away from the bed. She waited until he closed the door behind his departing figure, then closed her eyes. She lay motionless, enjoying the feel of the tiny life moving in her womb. A feeling of peace invaded her as she imagined holding a nursing child to her full breasts. Then she fell asleep, a gentle smile mirroring the peace she had discovered since Aaron Spencer had walked into her life.

“Aaron, please help me put my necklace on.”

He took the length of glittering diamonds from her fingers
and looped it around her neck, securing the clasp. “We wouldn’t be late for our guests if you hadn’t wanted to stay in bed,” he whispered close to her ear.

“Oh, now it’s my fault
you
wanted to spend the afternoon in bed.”

Curving an arm under her breasts, Aaron eased Regina back to lean against his chest. “It’s your fault that I’ve had to undergo a long and agonizing period of abstinence. So don’t blame me if I got carried away. Do you want to have another go at it?”

“Behave, Aaron,” she chided softly.

“I am.”

Turning in his loose embrace, she raised her face for his kiss, and she wasn’t disappointed when he left her mouth burning with a passion that rekindled her desire all over again.

Pushing gently against his chest, she moaned softly. “Go and greet our guests. I’ll be down as soon as I repair my makeup.” She had to run a comb through her hair and reapply her lipstick.

Aaron had waited twenty-four hours to redeem his
rain check
. They had shared
siesta
, and each other’s bodies, for the first time in more than a month. She had been humiliatingly conscious of his scrutiny when he stared at her naked body before placing a large hand over a pendulous breast. She looked very pregnant, with and without her clothes. There were times when she did not feel very attractive, and she feared Aaron would not find her attractive or desirable. Her fears were unfounded, though, when he closed his eyes and traced every curve of her body with his fingertips as if he were a sculptor idolizing his creation.

Their lovemaking was tender, passions tempered, until it finally exploded in a soaring ecstasy that had been building for more weeks than she could remember. The rush of sexual fulfillment had rendered her unable to move as her breath had come in long, surrendering moans of amazing completeness. Then she
slept for hours, long past the time when she had allotted to prepare herself for the pre-Carnival party she and Aaron planned to host for her brother, sister, their friends, and neighbors.

She retouched her mouth with a shimmering copper lip color, then ran a comb through her professionally coiffed hair. The image staring back at her reflected a woman in love. She literally glowed: her eyes and flawless skin competed with the length of flawless diamonds draped around her neck.

She had elected to wear midnight-blue silk—sleeveless top with a scoop neck banded in satin, and matching silk slacks. Her shoes were low-heeled, navy-blue patent leather pumps with satin bows. Her jewelry was Aaron’s mother’s wedding ring, his Christmas gift necklace, and a pair of diamond stud earrings she received from her parents to celebrate her sixteenth birthday.

Checking her reflection for the last time, she went downstairs to join her guests.

Taped music blared from a sound system set up around the courtyard and pergola. Regina and Aaron had catered a sit-down dinner for twelve following a buffet where platters of fish and meat appetizers and potent drinks to wash down the spicy fare were served by silent, efficient waiters.