Aidan Read Online Free PDF

about, but he was offering to take her to a pub, and she was sure there’d be lots of loose tongues in there, and hopefully she could gather the information she needed to help save her sister.
    “Thet sounds good te me,” said Tasgall.
    Effie just scowled at him. “Dinna ye need te go fetch our supplies so we have somethin’ te eat tonight?”
    When Aidan turned to look at the man, Effie motioned with her head for him to leave them alone.
    “I’ll meet ye at the pub in a wee bit then,” Tasgall said, nodding and hurrying away.
    “Well then,” she said, releasing a deep breath and brushing the leaves and dirt from her clothes, “shall we go and get us some o’ thet mountain magic?” She grabbed on to Aidan’s arm, and almost laughed when he jolted in surprise.
    “All right,” he said. “Let us go get te ken each other better.”
    He led her to the pub, and once inside, she saw a bunch of rowdy Scots gathered around a table hooting and hollering as two of the men arm-wrestled. Coins hit the table as people placed their bets, and the roar in the room grew.
    “What’s goin’ on?” she asked.
    “Oh, thet’s jest me friends foolin’ around, havin’ had too much te drink as usual.”
    She watched a dark- haired man with two different colored eyes collecting the bets as a big, ugly old Scot with rotten teeth arm-wrestled another very handsome Scot with dark hair and bulging muscles. The latter won the arm wrestle and jumped up and shook a fist in the air in triumph. Then the pubkeeper passed out drinks for everyone. Aidan grabbed one and downed it in one move, then took another off the server’s tray and handed it to her.
    “Try it,” he said. “It’s mountain magic. But until ye’re used te it, ye’d –”
    She downed it the way he had, and plunked the drinking vessel back down atop the server’s tray. Then she felt it.  Fire raging like a hot poker in her throat, blazing a trail down her chest all the way to her stomach.
    “- better jest take a sip,” he added, a little too late.
    She clutched her throat and gasped for breath, bending over, feeling like she was going to die.
    “Are ye all right, lassie?” he asked, patting her on the back. His squirrel scampered off his shoulder and down her arm to the drink board, scaring her out o f her wits. She jerked upward quickly and ended up falling into his arms.
    She felt the heat of his embrace, as his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner. His strength was evident, and she felt more protected than she’d ever felt in her entire life. She was short, and he was tall, and her head rested against the bare skin of his chest peeking out from his untied leine.
    “I tried te warn ye,” he told her with a smile.
    “I’m fine ,” she gasped out in a breathy voice. “Jest fine.” Her head dizzied and she held on to him as her body swayed.
    “Aida n, ye take on Ian now, as he’s been undefeated all night,” shouted out the man with two different colored eyes.
     
    Aidan was going to object to the challenge, until Effie urged him on.
    “Come on, do it,” she said.
    He looked down to her, and noticed the dazed look in her eyes from the potent whisky.
    “I dinna think so,” he said, which only earned him shouts from the drunken crowd.
    “What’s the matter, afeard te let me see those big, bad muscles?” Effie snaked her hand under his leine and squeezed the top of his arm. “I like the feel of it,” she said with a big smile. Aidan knew it was the whisky talking, but he never turned down a chance to impress a bonnie lassie. And if he played his cards right, he may just have this one in his bed by tonight.
    “All right,” he said, sitting down and facing Ian.
    “Who’s the lassie ye picked up?” asked Ian, clasping hands with him as Onyx started counting down for them to start.
    “Her name is Effie.”
    “If she’s a hoor, mayhap ye’ll share her when ye’re done?”
    Effie leaned up against the back of him, and he could tell