The Sleeper's Harp (The Arcane Artifacts, #1)

Chapter 21 - Swimming

Slipping in to use the bathroom, I took a few minutes for myself, checking my reflection before heading back out. Bastian was already out back. Electric lanterns that mimicked gas were lit along the house's back facade, paired with decorative lights that lined the pool's perimeter. The place glowed with warmth.

A sound system trilled the electric guitar solo I knew from Maroon Rage in the background. I smiled. He'd done that on purpose, no doubt. It wasn't too loud. I could still enjoy the crickets and other nighttime noise.

Bastian stood at the table where we'd had lunch, his back to me. He had a bottle of wine in hand, twisting the opener into its cork. I approached, watching the way his muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched as he worked. A flare of boldness stole over me. I came up behind him, wrapping my arms around his torso, splaying my fingers over his rock-hard abdomen, the eight-pack hiding beneath the T-shirt. Still in my boots, I was able to reach the back of his neck; I planted a kiss there.

He hummed, pleased.

"What did you pick?" I asked, leaning around his shoulder to look at the bottle in his large, capable hands.

"Thought you'd like a pinot noir."

"I would. Good choice."

"You'll enjoy this one, been holding on to it for a while. Snagged it at a wine auction."

I froze. "A...a wine auction? They have things like that?"

He chuckled, pulling the cork free with effortless grace. He didn't slosh any from the bottle like I did on occasion. I dropped my arms so that he could fill our glasses. The red liquid trickled out, pooling up. I watched, my eyes fixed in place. "They've got auctions for everything under the sun, Sugar."

"Right." I swallowed, throat suddenly parched. He filled each glass with a perfect pour, not a single drop wasted as he turned the bottle to avoid dripping, setting it into the ice bucket on the table.

I smiled. He liked his pinot noir chilled like a white. So did I.

"Got this one for a steal, actually. It's a six-thousand-dollar bottle, but I practically stole it, for two."

I choked, backing up several steps. "Two?! You mean, like, two hundred?"

"Two thousand, Sugar. Told you, been holding on to it for a while."

I gawked, glancing between him and the bottle. This wine would be wasted on me. Well, not entirely. I treated myself to a fifty-dollar bottle...occasionally. But I'd never had one that cost more than a hundred and fifty, and that had been a special occasion last year, a gift from Eaden on my birthday. I huffed. "I'm gonna to have to tell Eaden I feel short-changed."

He huffed, lifting the glasses, handing me one. "Cheers, Sugar."

"What are we toasting to?"

He hesitated and then—"To forgetting the past and embracing the future. To making worthwhile exceptions." His eyes glittered with meaning. My stomach flopped.

I nodded along, ignoring the lighthearted feeling rising in my chest. "To worthwhile exceptions," I chanted, clinking my glass against his, then took a sip. Light, crisp flavor exploded on my tongue. I swished it around a moment, before swallowing. Then I took another sip. Bastian watched me, eyes darting over my face, eager. I exhaled, then smiled. "God, this is so smooth!"

"Good, yes?"

I took another sip. There was no chance I'd recognize any of the flavors. I wasn't anything close to a sommelier. But I could tell it was the best wine I'd ever tasted—I knew that much, at least. "So freaking good. I could get in trouble with this." It went down smoothly enough that I'd drink the whole bottle before realizing it was gone.