8. Izzy

We made it to the hotel, and I was officially lying across a large luxuriously comfortable bed in my outfit from the plane. I didn't exactly remember how I got here, but I imagined Maddox or Oliver carried me.

At this point in our friendships, I wasn't even embarrassed, just surprised either could handle my weight and were able to get me up here.

I fluttered my eyes a few times before meeting Oliver's worried gaze.

"Maybe a bit less next flight?" His attitude did nothing to help the pounding that threatened to break apart my skull.

"Yes, boss man. You know how heights are for me though."

His features softened. "I know," he finally expelled.

He long since knew not to question me on why; when he visited home from his military tour, I suddenly hated heights. The last time he tried to push me on it, I wouldn't talk to him for a week.

He moved to the side of the cushioned bed and leaned fully over me, his hair tickling my face as he appeared to have an internal battle. He finally settled on, "I'm worried. About you and about you going to the reunion."

His lips were inches from my face and my gaze caught on their shape. Focused on what they would feel like. On how he would taste.

I jerked further back into the bed and grunted at him. I was so horny that even horribly hungover, my ever-active sex drive was holding the reins.

He stood back up to his full height, towering over me with an emotionless mask shrouding his features. There was another reason he was the face of our company past his good looks, he was a master at hiding any and all of his inner thoughts.

That was most definitely not a skill set I excelled in. Which is why he would be the one in charge of mingling at the reunion. Which, again, had me questioning why I even needed to go.

The reunion.

There were two distinguishable men that might be there.

One that I would run from and one that I wanted to run to.

Oliver knew this reunion wasn't on my top priorities list. What I had kept, even from his protective self, was that there was a bit more to why I didn't want to return. And I was trying my best to not let it slip, because he would lose his ever-loving shit.

Oliver treated me as a damsel in distress at the best of times and the worst of times. I swear he thought I was made of thread. One hard tug and I would be frayed for life.

I attempted my most grumpy face. Eyebrows screwed up, lips pursed, air blown into my cheeks.

Oliver laughed at me. "Are you practicing as an anime cat girl?"

I growled and launched a pillow under me at him.

He dodged it easily.

"That was my mad face, you jerk!"

Oliver nodded his head comically slowly. "Sure, sure. Well, as you know, the reunion is tomorrow night, so ready yourself for that. But first, she-who-must-not-be-named has arrived. She has been screaming at me for hours to let her in here to torment you."

"Yara?" I sat up excitedly forgetting my hangover. While we talked almost daily, I hadn't been face-to-face with Yara in months. "Why didn't you lead with that, you big oaf?" I launched another pillow at said oaf a bit more aggressively than the last.

The movement lifted my blouse up over my belly while simultaneously jiggling my titties more than should be possible.

Instead of dodging this time, his eyes caught on the movement and I suddenly became self-conscious.

The pillow hit him in the stomach with a thunk before dropping to the ground.

"I know, I need to get to the gym with you and Maddox."

His gaze darkened, and a face I had never seen before adorned his features. His hands tightened to fists. A shiver crept up my spine and I almost felt scared. Of Oliver? I blinked my eyes and whatever I thought I saw, was gone.

"I told you; you are perfect exactly the way you are, Isobel." Oliver's voice held no room for argument, his eyes holding mine in a trance. They were fathomless dark abysses that seemed to want to convey more to me than I could understand.

"Oh no, not my birth name. Dad is MAD," I joked uncomfortably, trying to get away from whatever this was.

It had the wanted effect and Oliver flashed his teeth in a grin. "I'll let the gremlin in."

He offered me one more indecipherable intense look before turning and heading to the door.