Unknown (Unknown Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

sometimes used his gel-soap too, just to smell him throughout the day.
    The way Rylen held me, turning his face to put his cheek against my forehead now, made me feel like this was about more than just keeping me warm. Like he’d needed a loving touch. How long had it been since I’d hugged him? Since anyone hugged him? I slowly released my arms and let them slide around to his back. I tried to keep a little space between us, but Rylen pulled me to him and my boobs pressed against his chest. I held my breath at first, afraid I might hyperventilate at the sensation. I let my fingers splay out against his back, and then I scratched the spot right in the middle.
    He gave a groan and kicked a leg, making me laugh.
    “Ew!” came a kid’s voice from the doorway. “Are y’all gonna do it?”
    Rylen broke away so fast I stumbled back a step. A round boy stood behind the screen door. Heat burst into my cheeks as I registered what the boy had said. I’d heard in school that Rylen’s aunt got her three kids back. This must be the fifth grader, Marcus.
    “Don’t be disrespectful, Marc. This is my friend Amber.”
    “Aaaamberrrr,” Marcus said, making kissing sounds and grotesquely circling his tongue.
    A younger boy and a toddler girl pushed beside Marcus, staring out from the behind the screen. Man . . . they looked like they really needed baths. It hurt my heart.
    Rylen made a move forward, like he wanted to teach his cousin a lesson, but I grabbed his arm. A man in a ratty T-shirt with long hair came to the door and pushed his way through the kids. He shuffled out and past us, ignoring us, boots kicking up dirt, and went to the side of the house. Then proceeded to stop and pee on the wall. Rylen turned away and closed his eyes, his jaw locking. The tiny girl came out in her bare feet, dirty nightgown dragging the ground. She came straight to Rylen, and he picked her up. She laid her head on his shoulder and stared at me through stringy locks of blond hair.
    “Macy, this is Amber,” Rylen said. Macy stared at me silently. “How ‘bout I give you a bath tonight, Mace.” Still, she said nothing. Just clung to Ry and watched me carefully.
    In that moment I had a flash of the future, of Rylen as a man holding our child in his arms. A flush of surprise and embarrassment ran through me. Were these the kind of thoughts other thirteen-year-old girls had when they looked at boys? Is this what Mom meant when she told me hormones would make me feel strange and confused sometimes?
    “Who’s out there?” came a woman’s scratchy voice from inside.
    Rylen locked his jaw and set down Macy. “Go on in. I’ll be there soon.”
    “You should go,” Rylen whispered to me, but it was too late. His mom swung the screen door wide and let it clatter shut behind her. She sauntered down the cinder block steps with a red plastic cup in her hand, eyeing me. Mayella was curvy and probably killer-gorgeous in her prime. She swished bleached hair from her eyes and looked me up and down.
    “Well, look at you. You’re growin’ up real nice, aren’t you Autumn?”
    “Amber,” Rylen corrected.
    “Hi, ma’am,” I said quietly.
    “Don’t ma’am me. I ain’t that old.” She watched me over the rim of the cup as she drank.
    Sir and Ma’am had nothing to do with age in our household. Military personnel and their families were just sort of conditioned to call everyone that.
    She looked at Rylen. “You be careful, boy. Remember what I told you. Girls who think they’re better than you . . . they’ll eat you up and spit you out. You might be a catch right now . . .” She raised her cup and it sloshed. “Mr. Good-Looking Star Quarterback. But that ain’t gonna last.”
    Rylen’s face tightened. “Yeah, Mama. Got it. And I’m not the quarter back no more.” He turned his head to look at me with blank eyes and said again, “You should go. I’ll be over once I get Macy to sleep.”
    A huge, ratty knot formed in my stomach. I wanted