Page 37 of Artful Deceit

He kissed her again, and that was all the convincing she needed.

“Yes,” she agreed. “Let’s go.”

Sadly, it wasn’t that easy to get away. Len insisted they stay and drink shots, which Flynn wriggled out of due to being on call, but Lily had no such excuse and got swept up in knocking back ouzo with the group of men. They got dragged into card games after that, and since it was all actually pretty entertaining, they ended up staying for another hour.

Finally, it was Len who got everyone moving.

“Kicking out time, I’m afraid,” he said at half ten. “It’s past my bedtime. Us old people can’t stay up into the early hours. Off you go, the lot of you.”

He waved away offers to help tidy up, and Flynn was amused by Lily’s alcohol-fuelled smile by the time the two of them ambled away down the road.

“Do you want to stay at my place?” he asked hopefully.

“I prefer my place,” she said, bumping against him.

“I don’t have my uniform at your place,” he pointed out. “So either we need to go to mine and get it, then go to yours. Or we just go to mine.”

“I get the impression you’re hinting it will be easier just to go to yours.”

“My bed is also comfier than yours.”

“True,” she agreed. “But your place doesn’t have ice cream.”

“Funnily enough, it’s not something I keep in stock these days.”

“Strange, that. Are you on some kind of health kick?”

He tugged on her hand, drawing her closer. “Are you drunk?”

“Tipsy,” she said.

“Let’s swing by the pub.”

She frowned. “I don’t want to drink any more.”

“Not to drink. I just want to check it’s all quiet down there. With Sergeant Proctor under the weather, and PC Hill away, there’ll be no one doing the usual patrol down there. I don’t want to get settled at home and then get called out to a bar brawl.” This time when he got Lily alone, he didn’t want any interruptions.

“How many bar brawls have you seen while you’ve been here?”

“I believe there’ve been two calls to the pub, but PC Hill went to deal with it both times and it was all sorted by the time he arrived on the scene.”

“Not very likely then.”

“When I absolutely don’t want to get a call, you can guarantee that’ll be the time I do. Like the other night.”

“Pub it is then, if you insist.”

“Just to clarify, you’re not drinking any more alcohol.”

“Really? Since when are you the boss of me?”

“Since I don’t want you passing out on me when I get you home.”

A smile curled her lips. “Fair call. I won’t drink any more.”

Instead, they sat at the bar with glasses of water, chatting with Seren and Noah while they cleaned up the pub.

Once Flynn was satisfied there wouldn’t be any trouble, they wandered back outside, and he followed Lily’s lead when she turned the corner to the harbour. When she stopped to watch the moonlight dance on the gentle waves, he slipped his arms around her waist, and she leaned contentedly with her back propped against his chest.