Aidan by Elizabeth Rose Read Free Book Online Page B

from up at the top of the cliff.
    As darkness started to cover the land , she looked upward to see three naked men diving off a cliff into the waters below – not far from where she was. They were laughing, shouting, and having fun. She knew immediately it was Aidan and his friends.
    “What the hell are they doin’?” she asked aloud. It was dangero us enough to dive off a cliff during the day, but to do so when it was nighttime was only something a madman would attempt.
    She decided to get dressed and head back and start the meal, but when she stepped naked from the water, she was greeted by a low growl. She looked up to see some sort of wild animal, possibly a wolf or a hound. She wasn’t quite sure what it was in the dark, but it was very large. It had its head lowered as it moved into the moonlight, enabling her to see it better. It had long legs and very long, scraggly grayish hair, and she could barely see its eyes. It was moving quickly toward the dead birds. When it saw her, it looked up and showed its teeth, then changed its direction. The thing looked gaunt and possibly injured, as it had dried blood on its fur and limped when it came toward her.
    She didn’t know what to do. Her clothes as well as her weapon were on the other s ide of the animal. She’d never be able to get to them before it attacked her. She should have backed up and slid back into the water for safety, but if so, she knew the animal would probably steal both of her birds. She couldn’t have that. She was hungrier than hell since Lord Ralston hadn’t fed her much. Besides, she wanted Aidan to like her, and she wanted to impress him with what she’d caught for dinner.
    So inste ad of walking away from the animal, she shouted at it, waving her arms in the air, and daringly moved forward.
     
    * * *
    Aidan was already swimming, making his way toward shore when he heard Effie shouting. He looked through the darkness and spotted her on the shore just a short distance from them.
    “Haud yer wheesht,” he called out to his friends. “I think Effie is in trouble.”
    Onyx and Ian stopped their splashing and looked toward the shore as well.
    “Is she naked?” asked Ian, squinting his eyes, trying to see through the darkness.
    “Aye, I think so,” said Aidan. “But what the hell is s he doin’?” Then he saw the animal coming toward her, and instead of backing away, the fool girl was going straight for it. “She’s bein’ attacked!” He swam full force through the water with his friends right behind him. He made it to the shore first, being the best swimmer of the three of them, and ran down the water’s edge as fast as he could to save Effie.
     
    Effie made her way closer to the dead birds on the ground, planning on grabbing at least one of them before the wild animal stole them, when out of nowhere, Aidan darted out from the darkness, hitting her like a stone wall, taking her down with him into the water. The water splashed over her head and she sputtered for breath.
    “What t he hell are ye doin’?” she shouted, now down in the water with Aidan’s body – his naked body - covering hers.
    “I’ll protect ye, lassie. Jest stay here.” He jumped to his feet and headed toward the animal, taking it down to the ground as well. He had no weapons on him, no clothes, no anything, but wrestled with it as if he were doing naught but arm-wresting another Scot at the pub.
    Then his friends darted out of the shadows as well, both of them naked, too. She just sat there in the water with her mouth open, as the moonlight spilled over their bodies. Each of them just as fit as the next, and she could only think this was one of her lusty dreams. No woman she knew would ever be witnessing what she was seeing in front of her very eyes.
    The animal growled and snapped at Aidan, and twisted, kicking up its legs as Aidan tried to hold it down.
    “Aidan, put it in a headlock,” shouted Ian.
    “I’m no guid at headlocks the way ye are, Ian.