He takes another swing. This time there's a little bit of pepper to it.
"No. Because when I woke up this morning, she was gone. Left me in the middle of the night."
"Me too," I say before I realize it.
Lincoln's eyes widen. "Knew it. You did hook up with her friend."
"I did. And she left me in the middle of the night. No number. No nothing."
"Her friend did the same thing to me. I've never had a woman do that to me before." I raise a brow at my cousin. "I know, right. Like, who wouldn't want this?" He smirks.
Dickhead. "Do we know anything about them?" I ask. Trying not to sound interested.
"Forget them." He throws his arm over my shoulder. "We are about to spend the next week cruising around the Mediterranean, inundated with beautiful women." He's right. But I'm not so sure I can forget about her.
We play another round. Then another. The competition between us heats up the way it always does. Hockey versus football. America versus England. Cousins who've been trying to one-up each other since we were kids. By the time we finish, I'm up by fifteen points.
"Best three out of five," Lincoln says immediately.
"We've already played three rounds."
"Because you knew I'd destroy you if we kept going."
"You literally just lost. Three times."
"Flukes. All of them."
We settle the bill and head back to the car.
The drive to Lincoln's place in Chelsea is quieter. We pull up to his building and head inside. His flat is exactly what I'd expect. Clean. Modern. Expensive. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Thames. Trophies and framed jerseys on the walls. A life built on success and discipline, not unlike mine. Lincoln grabs two beers from the fridge and tosses me one.
"Just checked the forecast for Monaco. Clear skies all week."
"Perfect." I grin, opening my beer.
Then his brows pull together for a fleeting moment.
"What?" I ask him.
"Nothing."
"Lincoln."
He glances at me. "It's nothing. Just ... I keep thinking about her. Polly."
Fuck. I know exactly how he feels.
"Why?" he asks.
"Why?" I repeat.
"Yeah. I can have anyone. I've been hit up three times today by three different women for a booty call." My brows rise as I sip my beer. "But all I can think about is her." He sounds very perplexed. "She was different, you know?" he continues. "Notlike the usual girls. She was funny. Smart. Gave me shit right back when I tried my usual lines.”
"Yeah," I say, trying to sound supportive.
"And then she just ... left. Didn't even wake me up to say goodbye. Most women wake me up by sucking my dick one last time. Hoping for me to invite them to stay, or that they might be the one to take me off the market. But I'm never that interested."
"You're a dick."
