AllFreeNovel
Share Us
* * *
Click here to take a look at Scarlett Finn’s other titles!
Available on all platforms!
* * *
Stalking links:
https://linktr.ee/scarlettfinn
TEST ME
ZEE IRWIN & BRITNEY BELL
Test Me © 2022 Zee Irwin, Britney Bell
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Created with Vellum
BLURB
Test Me
She's more than my professor. She's the sister of my best friend. But that’s not why she's off-limits.
I'm back after two tours of duty and ten years, finally reentering civilian life. A college degree seems a logical next step. As soon as I enter my first class and see who my professor is, all logic flies out the window. Soon I'm leaving more than apples on her desk, and she's tutoring me in private.
Now I’m being accused by meddling campus police of stalking her? No way, but there are other forces working against us. It's up to me to convince Mia we were always meant to be.
Everything from this point forward is a test of all my limits. Will she give me an A+ for extra effort?
1
TEDDY
Homecomings could be both bitter and sweet. I opened the door to the Delfino ranch house, not expecting what or who waited inside for me. “Surprise!” A chorus of voices rang out. Red, white, and blue Welcome Home decorations, plus some familiar faces, greeted me.
A smile split my face from ear to ear. I dropped my heavy duffle bag, with my entire life and everything I owned packed within, and took the hug from the nearest cousin standing next to me. “Hey, everyone. Thanks.”
Luc Delfino patted my back. “Good to see you home, Theo.” With salt and pepper hair—that was new since I’d seen him last—as the oldest of the Delfinos, he was the closest thing I had to a fatherly figure.
As soon as he released me, his brother, Jace Delfino, tugged me into a hug with more pats on the back. But then he ruffled my hair, teasing me like he always did when we were younger. “Yeah, Theodore, welcome back to this side of life.” They hadn’t changed much. The two men even sported sturdy frames, as if they’d kept up with their Marine Corps fitness regimens.
The rest of the party consisted of Jace’s wife, Lily, and Luc’s girlfriend, Emily. Another couple I hadn’t met before introduced themselves as Hank and Bella, with their baby Roman on her hip between them. The group greeted me warmly and welcomed me home just the same.
Two boys I didn’t recognize ran up to me and spoke in German. “Uh, what are they saying?” I peered down at the pair of gingers, twins if I had to guess.
Gilda, the Delfino’s long-time house manager, rushed in and shooed the boys away. “Sorry. These are my grandchildren visiting from Germany for the holidays, but welcome home, lad.” She reached up and pinched my cheek. I tried not to flinch, because the gray-haired, prim and proper German lady had always scared the hell out of me every time I visited the Delfino ranch growing up.
Luc’s voice boomed throughout the great room. “Hungry? Gilda prepared a huge buffet in your honor. I’ll bet you could use a drink too?”
I peered around at everyone and everything. The ranch house looked the same, homey and modern, yet always classy. The Delfino’s money and construction business didn’t hurt, helping to keep the house perfect like it belonged in the pages of a glossy home magazine of the rich and famous instead of on a ranch flanking the small town of Glendale Falls.
