Artful Deceit (Lily Larkin Mysteries #6)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

In the middle of August, summer on the Isles of Scilly came to a screeching halt. For Lily, the disappearance of warm, sunny days was disheartening in more ways than one. First, there was a noticeable drop in the number of customers at the ice cream shop.

It also meant her romantic picnic with Flynn was postponed.

They’d had other dates – dinners, and evenings in the pub – but nothing that matched the idea of sitting on a secluded beach to watch the sunset together.

After a week of waiting for the weather to improve, Flynn arrived at the ice cream shop with his backpack on his shoulder and a picnic blanket slung over his arm.

“Really?” Lily asked, glancing outside. “You think it’s picnic weather?”

“It didn’t rain at all today,” he said, catching her lips in the briefest kiss.

“It’s overcast and chilly,” she said. “And the sand will be damp.”

“Now you’re just making excuses.” He glanced around the shop. “Did you have any customers today?”

“A few. Not many.”

“Was Jessica here?”

“No. I told her to take the day off.” She plucked idly at the fluff on his picnic blanket. “I honestly don’t think it’s picnic weather.”

“Maybe not an outdoor picnic.” His lips twitched into a smile. “I thought we could have an indoor one for now.”

“That sounds better than sitting on a damp beach.”

He kissed her again. “I’m going upstairs to set this up.”

“I’ll tidy up. I shouldn’t be long.”

Half an hour later, she went upstairs to find Flynn had moved the furniture in the living room and set up his picnic blanket in the middle of the room. A plate of sandwiches sat beside a bowl of salad and a quiche.

“Thank you,” she said, accepting a beer from Flynn as he strolled out of the kitchen.

“The weather will probably pick up again soon,” he said, tilting his head. “We’ll have that sunset picnic at some point. I promise.”

She nodded and took a seat at the edge of the blanket.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting beside her and setting a hand on her knee.

“The weather is bothering me,” she said grumpily.

“I know you grew up on the continent, but I thought you’d lived in the UK long enough to be used to it.”

“I am. It’s not just the bad weather though. It’s what it signals. The summer is ending, and everything is changing. I don’t know if I’m going to like winter here.”

He took a long swig of his beer. “You’ll be okay.”

“I know.” She tried not to think about the thing that really bothered her – Flynn’s imminent departure to London in two weeks. “Everything will be all right. The weather is just depressing me.” With a sigh, she switched her attention to the food. “This looks great.”

Flynn filled her in on his day as they ate. While he made an admirable effort to keep the conversation light, the atmosphere wasn’t as relaxed as it could have been. Increasingly, when they were together, Lily couldn’t ditch the sense of desperation she felt over him leaving.

The thought of it made her want to dig her heels in and refuse to let it happen. As though she had any control over it.

When the picnic was cleared away, Lily left Flynn loading the dishwasher and wandered back to the living room, checking for any stray dishes. Finding nothing, she went to the window and stood looking out at Porthcressa Beach.

Clouds covered the moon, and only a few stars were visible in the hazy sky. Light from the buildings along the promenade spilled out to cast shadows along the top of the beach.

Lily was in a trance when Flynn appeared behind her and sneaked his arms around her waist. Sinking into his embrace, she savoured the feel of his solid chest against her back and the distinctive scent of him that surrounded her.

When his lips landed on her neck, she tilted her head and exhaled a breathy sigh.

No doubt he’d go back to his place soon. For reasons she couldn’t fathom, he’d decided their relationship should go slow. Considering he was leaving in a fortnight, it seemed like a waste, but it also didn’t seem to be something she could argue with without looking desperate.

“Are you okay?” he asked in her ear. “You’ve been really quiet this evening.”

She hugged his arms against her, wishing she could pause time. “I’m okay. Thanks for the picnic.”

“You’re welcome.” His breath tickled her ear. “I don’t really want to go home.”

“Don’t then,” she said automatically, then cursed herself for inviting a conversation she’d rather not have – about why he wanted to take things slow.

“Okay,” he said instead.

She shifted, feeling the rough stubble on his chin graze against her forehead. “Okay, what?”

“I won’t go home,” he whispered. “If that’s okay?”

A smile teased her lips, and she felt her mood lighten in an instant. Slowly, she turned and looped her arms around his neck. “What happened to taking things slow?”

His brow wrinkled. “We did that, didn’t we? I’ve taken you on several dates where I was the epitome of a gentleman.”

“That’s true.” She ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his head. “Somehow I just thought that the ‘taking it slow’ thing was going to get dragged out longer.”

“I waited a week,” he said, eyes sparking as he pulled her flush against him. “That’s seven times longer than I’d usually go before sleeping with someone. And that week felt incredibly slow to me.”

Her stomach turned a somersault. “I commend your restraint.”

“You should.” He kissed her slowly. “It took an insane amount of willpower.”

Her smile only lasted a moment, wiped away by the intensity of their kiss.

With his willpower out of the way, months of pent-up frustration were let loose. Lily couldn’t get enough of him, and the feeling was clearly mutual as they tugged at clothes and explored each other in a tangle of hands and lips and limbs.

They’d shifted to the bedroom with only their underwear remaining when a sudden noise brought Lily back into the real world.

“Is that your phone?” she asked, breathing hard.

“Yeah.” He shifted slightly, his hand reaching for his discarded jeans.

“Why the heck is it so loud?”

“In case I get a call.”

She squinted. “Work?”

“Yeah. We’re kind of on-duty round the clock. If there are any issues during the night, we need to be available.” With no luck finding his phone, he shifted to sit up and sifted through his clothes.

“I think it’s in the kitchen,” Lily said, eyes following the sound. “How often do you get called out at night?”

“Never.” He stood and crossed the room. “But sometimes my mates call me when they’re on a session. I’ll shut it up.”

“Hurry,” Lily muttered as he left the room.

A moment later he was back and frowning at the phone, which continued to ring in his hand.

“What’s wrong?” Lily asked.

“Sorry. Just a sec.” He swiped his finger over the screen and moved the phone to his ear. “Sarge?”

Briefly, he closed his eyes. “A what?” He let out a small laugh. “Yeah. I thought that’s what you said. I’m not at home. You can pick me up from Lily’s, but we’ll need to stop at my place if you want me in uniform.” There was a pause while the sergeant spoke. “See you in a minute.”

“What’s going on?” Lily asked, sitting up to watch Flynn hastily pull his jeans on.

“I have to go,” he said, snatching his T-shirt and pulling it over his head.

“I guessed that. How come?”

“Burglary.” He shoved his arms into his T-shirt. Not bothering with his socks, he moved into the hallway to push his feet into his trainers.

“A burglary?” Lily asked.

“That’s what the sergeant said.” With a hand cupping her jaw, he kissed her. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she said as he moved away.

In the doorway, he glanced back, his gaze roaming over her before he released a frustrated groan and made a dash for it.

“Flynn!” she shouted when he was halfway down the stairs.

“I’ll call you later.”

“Yeah, but you––” She gave up, since he clearly wasn’t stopping to listen.

The living room pulsed with blue light as she walked through to peer out of the window. From there, she watched Flynn step into the police Land Rover before they sped along the promenade.

A small smile pulled at her lips as she thought of Sergeant Proctor telling Flynn his T-shirt was on backwards.