Claimed by My Brother’s Best Friends

Chapter 14 Near Discovery

The sound of heavy leather boots stomping down the hallway floorboards sent a wave of absolute terror through my body.

Luis reacted with terrifying speed. He released my thighs, grabbed the red rose from the nightstand, and rushed toward the glass balcony doors. He unlocked the latch quietly, stepped outside into the cool night air, and closed the glass door behind him. He lowered his tall frame over the stone edge, hanging by his hands just underneath the balcony floor in total darkness.

I scrambled onto the edge of my mattress, frantically tying the belt of my silk robe over my bare waist. My hair was a messy disaster, my lips were bright red and swollen from his fierce kisses, and my heart was beating so fast I felt sick.

The bedroom door handle jiggled violently, and the door swung open wide without a knock.

My brother Nathan stepped inside, his large frame filling the doorway. His sharp face was pale with anger, and his dark eyes swept across every single corner of my dark bedroom like a hawk hunting prey. He looked at my messy bed, then at the open balcony curtain, and finally locked his gaze onto my trembling face.

"Isabelle, who were you talking to in here?" Nathan asked, his cold voice cutting through the heavy silence of the room as he looked around suspiciously.

"N-nobody!" I stammered out, my voice squeaking slightly as I hid my shaking hands behind my back. "I was just... I was reading out loud from my book to help me fall asleep!"

Nathan took three slow, intimidating steps toward me, his heavy boots making a dull thud against the wooden floorboards. He stopped right in front of my bed, staring down at me with deep mistrust.

"Reading out loud?" Nathan echoed sneeringly, his eyes narrowing to small slits. "It sounded like a man's voice in here, Isabelle. It sounded like you were whispering with someone."

"You are just paranoid, Nathan," I lied, forcing myself to look straight into his eyes even though my knees were shaking violently under my silk robe. "There is nobody in here. Look around! I am all by myself."

"If I find out you are hiding someone in this house, Isabelle," Nathan growled softly, stepping even closer until his shadow completely covered my body, "I will ruin them. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Nathan. I understand," I whispered, holding my breath.

Outside the window, I knew Luis was hanging over the edge of the stone railing by only his fingers, completely invisible in the pitch-black night. If his grip slipped, he would fall two stories to the hard stone patio below. My chest heaved with heavy gasps of air as I tried to keep my brother's attention strictly focused on me.

Nathan let out a long, dark sigh, rubbing his temples with his big hand. He looked toward the balcony doors, noticing the slight gap where the glass was not fully latched shut.

"Why is the balcony open?" Nathan asked sharply, pointing his finger toward the glass. "It is freezing outside."

"I... I wanted some fresh air," I answered quickly, taking a small step forward to block his path toward the window. "My head was hurting from all the noise earlier."

Nathan stared at me for three agonizing seconds, his jaw clenched tight. He looked like he wanted to search under the bed and behind the long window curtains. The absolute silence in the room was suffocating. Every single second felt like a painful eternity. My body was still burning from the intense heat of Luis's hands, and the fear of getting caught made my skin feel completely prickled and sensitive.

"You need to go to sleep, Isabelle," Nathan said in a low, tight voice, turning his body back toward the open doorway. "Tomorrow morning, we are all having a serious meeting downstairs. No more games."

"Okay, Nathan. Goodnight," I breathed out, letting out a tiny, hidden sigh of relief as he took a step back toward the hallway.

I thought he was finally going to leave the room and close the door. But as Nathan turned his shoulders to exit, his sharp eyes suddenly caught something sitting on top of my dark wooden nightstand, right next to my bed lamp.

He froze dead in his tracks.

Nathan walked back over to the nightstand, reached out his hand, and stared directly at a second glass of cold water sitting right next to mine. The glass was covered in fresh, glistening water drops, clearly poured only two minutes ago for a visitor.