Oh, there was a part of her like that, but the woman had a tough exterior. “Are you afraid I would take advantage?”
“Not on purpose. She’s just different.”
Yeah, he got that. The fact that his father seemed to know so much about her was a little odd to him.
“And before you ask, I know because Judith kept me apprised of everything that was going on with Lila. Well, until she died.”
“When did that happen?”
“About two years ago.”
“About the time Lila went on the run?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re right. Maybe it was because I hadn’t heard about her being burned until months later.”
“You were getting ready for your transplant. That took up all of our time.”
“True. It still bothers me that I had no idea.”
He heard the guilt his father held and he could understand it. Autumn’s mother had never told Sam that he had a daughter, not until she needed to get her away from the cult. This probably reminded him of that.
“Come on, let’s eat and talk things over. I’m sure El has already lined up a flight set for tomorrow.”
He headed to the kitchen completely unprepared for the sight he would see. El had his arm draped over Lila’s slight shoulders as they leaned against the cabinet. She was sipping some coffee. The edges of his vision turned red.
El smiled at him. “Morning.”
Ian wanted to smack that damned smile off his face. Instead, he walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee, then pushed El out of the way so that he could take his place by Lila’s side.
El laughed, but Lila was looking at him as if he’d lost his mind. Maybe he had. Who knew? Either way, it was this or he beat the shite out of El.
“Lila should be able to fly by tonight,” Jenner said.
“Where are we going?” Lila asked.
“Oahu. Better to hide,” Ian said.
“True. I wouldn’t have come to Kauai if it hadn’t been for you. I do like this island the best though.”
He looked at her. “You do?”
“Less people. Oahu is best for hiding because the number of people on that island. Here, people notice. But I do love this island. It has feral chickens. How could I not love it?”
He felt the corners of his mouth curve. Her bicolored eyes sparkled as she took a sip of her coffee. Ian’s entire body seemed tuned into her, but when she looked at him, he lost all thought. Need rushed through him as his hand tightened on his coffee cup. His father cleared his throat. Lila’s face flushed.
Ian gave his father a dirty look for embarrassing Lila. The stern expression from his father reminded Ian of getting caught doing things as a kid that he had been warned against.
“Breakfast. I assumed you would want to sit inside,” his father said.
True. He would rather be out back on the lanai. It was always gorgeous out there, but it would leave Lila exposed. Still, the idea of sitting there with Lila while they enjoyed his father’s pancakes would have been delightful.
What the bloody hell was going on in his mind? He couldn’t seem to go more than a few seconds before he started thinking about her naked. Or doing weird things like…wanting to hold her hand.
They all settled at the kitchen table. His father at the head. Lila sat down beside his father on his right. Ian sat next to her. Jenner and El sat opposite of the two of them.
As they dug into their meal, El talked about their transport off the island. “I called in a friend to get a jump to Oahu. He suggested we do it later in the day which is a good idea. It would be easier to sneak you into Honolulu.”
“Not a Dillon plane?” Lila asked.
