Read Online The Academy - Friends vs. Family by C. L. Stone - Free Book Online Page B

head up between the beam and the wall of the
platform. “What’s so funny?”
    I tilted the flashlight around to hold it like a candle between
us, lighting up the area with a gentle glow. “Gabriel,” I whispered, “he...”
    “Is a fucking handsome guy. He already knows, Trouble.” Gabriel
smirked. “Luke, tell me we can take out that beam right there.” Gabriel swung
his flashlight at the exposed 4x4 that split the opening. I had to go around it
to crawl into the platform.
    “Hm,” Luke said. He borrowed the flashlight from my hands. He
checked out the beam and the surrounding wood. “Maybe.” He started to rise,
putting a hand on my shoulder to steady himself as he crawled onto the platform.
Luke leaned into me, and kept himself close. His chest was pressed at my back.
His breath tickled my neck.
    I pressed myself against Gabriel to give Luke more room. My
insides flipped around. Being so close and in near darkness with these two left
me blushing.
    Gabriel rocked back, leaning up against one of the other beams
surrounding the platform. His strong arms around my waist dragged me along.
“Yes? No? What?”
    “It doesn’t look important,” Luke said. He stood, finding where
the wood disappeared further into the roof structure. He swung the beam of
light around, reaching up above his head, trying to touch the ceiling above us.
“Probably can take it out,” he said. “Not today though. It’ll take some work
and we’re running out of time.” He crouched down again, his chest again close
to my back and his face close to mine. “The space is small.”
    “Good enough for her,” Gabriel said. I felt his lips moving
against my forehead. It was way too crowded with three people. “You should walk
the house and see if anyone can hear us.”
    “You go,” Luke said.
    “Call North.”
    Luke pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “I’ll call Nathan.
North’s run off to our house to grab another door.” He paused with the phone to
his ear. He leaned his head forward, bumping his nose into my cheek. I twisted
my head to smirk at him and he was grinning. “Nathan?” he asked, looking right
at me as he talked. “Walk the house, see if you can hear me talking to you.
Well stop being busy, we need to test this attic space.” He pulled the phone
from his face a little. “Start talking so he can hear.”
    I twisted my lips, rolling my eyes. “Luke,” I whispered.
    Behind my head, Gabriel started singing the theme song to Friends .
Luke started laughing, joining in. Gabriel’s voice was golden, but Luke’s voice
was polished, too. I was giggling so hard, I pressed my forehead against
Gabriel’s shoulder, smothering myself and breathing in the scent of a light
fruity and spice musk. My shoulders shook as I laughed.
    “What?” Luke stopped singing to talk on the phone. “Well I mean
how much? Where?” Luke motioned to Gabriel, spinning his finger like he wanted
him to keep going.
    Gabriel started singing again, repeating the chorus as Luke
rattled questions off to Nathan.
    Luke hung up. “Okay, he can hear us on the back stairs and in the
laundry room. We need to soundproof.”
    “We should do that to her room, too,” Gabriel said.
    “But then she couldn’t hear anyone coming,” Luke said.
    “God damn it,” Gabriel said. He shifted his legs, moving me in the
process until my body was tucked neatly into his chest, his hands against my
back. “Fuck all this. Let’s just take her.”
    “Gabriel,” I whispered.
    A chop landed on my head again. “Shush,” Gabriel said. “Men are
talking.”
    I laughed, and I poked him in the ribs. He was always picking on
me, but I secretly loved it. He was fun and amazing.
    “Ow,” Gabriel said, letting go of me with one hand to rub at his
ribs, feigning hurt and grinning.
    “Hey,” Nathan called from the attic door. “You’ve got Sang back
there?”
    “Maybe,” Luke called back.
    “Get her out of there. Dr. Green said it’s not good for her