Aidan by Elizabeth Rose

And this is no’ a person, it’s a damned animal with sharp claws and even sharper teeth.”
    “Jest let it go,” called out Onyx, coming toward the animal with a big stick in his hand. “I’ll get it.”
    “Nay, I got it handled,” Aidan called back, and Effie thought it was for her benefit that he refused to let it go. Then he did something that both surprised and amused her at the same time. He leaned over, his long, blond hair falling over his face, and he . . . bit the animal on the ear.
    The animal whimpered, and he let it go. Then he got to his feet with his arms spread out wide. His friends were doing the same. Aidan’s bare doup was facing her now, and she realized he had muscles everywhere on his body, and not a bit of fat. He was the perfect image of a woman’s fantasy man. His friends may have been as mesmerizing, but since her eyes were fastened on Aidan, she really wouldn’t know.
    Then the chattering of a squirrel was heard and Effie saw Aidan’s pet, Reid , making its way toward him over the ground.
    “Go away, Reid,” shouted Aidan. “Shoo, afore ye are this beast’s dinner.”
    And the n to her horror, the animal lunged at the squirrel. It may have caught the squirrel if Ian hadn’t picked up the dead grouse and thrown it as a distraction. The animal stopped, its head low, its eyes focusing on Ian. She thought for a moment it was going to attack him, but instead, it grabbed the dead bird and quickly limped away.
    That angered Effie, as there went half their dinner. So, not caring that she was naked, she got up out of the water and stormed to the shore.
    “What the hell did you do thet fer?” she shouted at the men.
     
    Aidan turned around to see Effie standing there in the moonlight, naked, and looking like a goddess of the sea. Her small form didn’t matter, as she made herself look intimidating with a scowl on her face and her hands on her hips. Her red locks were wet and the strands stuck to her chest, sending water droplets running in rivulets over her firm, perky breasts. Her nipples were cold and taut, and the nest of red hair between her firm and shapely thighs was just as red as that on her head.
    All three men just stood there staring with their jaws dropped open, and then Aidan realized that she was seeing his friends naked as well. He didn’t like any of this. He took a step to block her, and looked over to his friends.
    “Go get our clothes, and we’ll meet ye back at the camp.”
    “O’ course,” said Onyx, turning to leave. But when Ian was still standing there, he reached over and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Ian, this one isna yers.”
    Aidan didn’t turn back around until they were gone. And when he did, he felt the slap of a sting to his face.
    “What was thet fer?” he asked , his hand going to his cheek.
    “Fer givin’ away our dinner.” Effie stormed over to the dead crow that was being inspected by Reid. The squirrel scolded her and scampered away as she picked up the bird by the feet. “I caught this as well as a grouse. But now thanks to ye three, that wolf is goin’ te be eatin’ better than us tonight.”
    “ Thet was no wolf, sweetheart. It looked te me like a wolfhound tho, and I think it was wounded.”
    “Whate’er it was, it has our dinner.”
    “Well, ye’re welcome thet I saved yer life twice in one day,” he said. “And I wasna the one who gave the grouse te the hound, if I must remind ye. That was Ian.”
    “Ye three are fools!” She stormed over to her clothes and started to don them. Aidan would have loved to look at her perfect, alluring body longer, but she quickly h id it from his sight.
    “Why do ye say thet, lassie?”
    “Becooz ye’re standing there naked, arena ye?”
    “And so were ye.”
    “But I wasna divin’ off the cliffs in the dark. Ye coulda killed yerself.”
    “Nay. We do it all the time.”
    “In the dark?” She was fully clothed now and pulled on her shoes as she spoke.
    “It’s more o’ a