Page 15 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

Noah had been able to sweet-talk a regular into moving down the bar so Eli could sit across from where Noah ended up the most during his shift—the glass washing station. It meant they could chat while Noah washed dirty glasses, or when he had a little downtime between the busy rushes.

Which, frankly, wasn’t often enough—Noah would have liked to stay glued to Eli’s side the whole night, not just catch him in snatches—but it was better than nothing.

Eli started off stiff and reserved, but Noah was able to coax him into talking about his work, and it didn’t take long for Eli to get super into it, telling Noah all about his time working on his doctorate, and the research he still hoped to do.

Noah had been right, of course—Eli was smart as hell.

And determined. And passionate. He was almost shy about it, modest in a way that had Noah suspecting someone had made him feel guilty about his ambition in the past. It wouldn’t have been unheard of.

There were still plenty of people in the world—mostly alpha assholes—who thought omegas belonged in the home.

Still, the thought of anyone making Eli feel bad about how fucking awesome he was had Noah wanting to punch something.

His unhelpful violent inclinations aside, Noah ate it all up. He wasn’t a scholar himself—he was more practical than academic—but it was cool as hell that Eli was.

What Noah ate up even more was the little flash of possessiveness Eli revealed when someone tried to slip Noah their number after all. Eli let out the cutest omega growl Noah had ever heard, death-glaring at the beta woman who’d dared try to pick Noah up.

But Eli’s growling cut off abruptly when Noah grinned and told her he’d actually just started seeing someone, his death glare replaced by a sweet, embarrassed flush.

Cute. As. Fuck.

Noah had been worried about his own possessiveness, nervous that he might be fending off interested alphas on Eli’s behalf all night.

But a sweet omega regular had taken the stool next to Eli, and she and Eli chatted amiably whenever Noah was occupied, sharing cat stories and rolling their eyes in tandem at any alpha who dared approach.

It was all fucking perfect.

Except, of course, the downside of Eli staying the whole shift was that, even with Noah plying him with waters in between drinks, by the end of the night he was tipsy as fuck. More than tipsy. Full-on drunk.

By the time Noah had clocked out and ventured to Eli’s side of the bar, Eli was swaying in his seat, his delicious citrus pheromones blossoming in a way that meant he wasn’t even trying to keep them under wraps.

Noah put an elbow on the bar, grinning when Eli twisted eagerly to face him. “Hey, there.”

Eli blinked at him blearily. Fuck, he really was a lightweight. “You’re done already?”

“I am.”

“Oh.” Eli’s lower lip pushed out into a delicious pout. “So we say goodbye now?”

“No.” Noah shook his head. Fuck if he was going to let Eli try to get home alone in his inebriated state. “I’m taking you home.”

Noah caught Eli’s new omega friend glaring at him, and he held up his hands in surrender. “Not for that. I’m just getting him home safely.”

Eli’s pout intensified. “Why not for that?”

Jesus. Did Eli want … that ? Noah tried to ignore the unhelpful pang of lust, but he couldn’t stop himself from brushing a lock of Eli’s hair back from his face. “Because you’re sloshed, baby.”

“Me?” Eli held a shocked hand up to his chest, like he was offended at the very thought of it.

“Yes, you,” Noah told him with a laugh, tugging him gently off the stool and steering him away from the bar. “Come on.”

He was able to get Eli into the passenger seat of his car without issue, and he pulled up the GPS on his phone. “What’s your address?”

“Noah, you can’t drive .” Eli’s voice lowered to a whisper, like there was someone else in the car who could hear. “We’ve been drinking .”

Noah bit back another laugh . “ You’ve been drinking, Eli. I’ve been working, remember?”

Eli blinked at him owlishly. “Oh.”

It took another few minutes of adorably addled segues before Noah got an address from Eli, but then they were off.

It wasn’t long before Eli’s head started rolling against the seat, his eyes barely staying open.

He was going to be out for the count soon.

Noah could only hope he could get him inside before they were past the point of no return.

Bonus points if Eli didn’t yak in his car.

The house matching Eli’s address was a cute single-story number with a walled-off yard.

Noah got Eli out of the car with minimal coaxing, and after some finagling, Eli entered the gate code for him, leading Noah past a small inground pool and to a side door, where he fished out his keys, letting them into the house.

It smelled like him, tart and delicious and homey.

Noah was trying to be nosey, but it was tough with all the lights off, and he didn’t know where the switches were. And then suddenly he had an armful of Eli, his omega peering up at him through dark lashes. “Are you going to kiss me now, Noah?”

Noah let out a slow breath, reining in his pheromones, which had swelled with Eli’s question. “I’d like to,” he said, his voice full of regret. “I really, really would. But I’m afraid we need to get you into bed.”

“Oh.” Eli frowned down at his feet, then his eyes widened. “ Oh .” He whirled out of Noah’s arms, heading off in what was presumably the direction of his bedroom, stripping off his clothes as he went.

Noah was temporarily rooted to the spot, mesmerized as Eli revealed more and more skin, and it took him longer than he would have liked to jump into action, running forward and stopping Eli right before he tugged off his underwear. “Maybe keep these on, babe.”

Eli’s brow furrowed, his hands on his waistband. “Why?”

“Because you’re sloshed, remember?”

“But you’re not.” Eli’s hand shot out, dancing down the front of Noah’s jeans, and Noah was only just able to grab his wrist before Eli got to his dick. Eli stared at him beseechingly. “We can still make it work.”

So Noah wasn’t a rocket scientist or anything, but it was becoming increasingly clear Eli was a horny drunk.

Fuck. Why did he have to be a horny drunk? Why couldn’t he have been a mean one? Or a sloppy one? Or literally any other kind that didn’t involve him trying to seduce Noah when Noah was already hanging on to his morals by a mere frayed fucking thread.

“You’re killing me, you know that?” When Noah was sure Eli wasn’t going to try to grab his dick again, he placed his hands on either side of Eli’s head, meeting his warm brown eyes intently.

“Listen. If you still want me in the morning, I will do anything you want me to. Swear to fucking god. Any. Damn. Thing.”

Eli swayed in Noah’s hold. “Even knot me?”

Noah raised his eyes to the ceiling. Horny god give me strength.

He cleared his throat. Cleared it again. Cleared it a third time. “I think we should stop speaking now,” he finally said. “You’re gonna get me into trouble.”

“I’m the one in trouble,” Eli mumbled, pouting shamelessly. “I’m the teacher, remember?”

But he turned and walked into his bedroom, flopping face down onto a king-size bed.

God, he had a cute fucking butt.

Noah averted his eyes from it long enough to maneuver Eli under the sheets, covering him with the blanket, and Eli burrowed down immediately, until every inch of him was covered. Could he even breathe? Was he going to suffocate under there?

But a moment later, he popped his head out, blinking at Noah again. “You’ll stay?”

“I’ll stay,” Noah told him, shooting a text to his roommates to let them know he’d be out all night, and immediately silencing his phone before the inevitable flood of questions.

The truth was, Noah wouldn’t leave for anything in the world.

He settled next to Eli on top of the covers, still fully clothed. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable position to sleep in, but he didn’t really trust himself to be pressed up against Eli in his underwear. Like his body might make a move without his permission.

It wasn’t something that had happened to him before, but this was Eli. All bets were off.

“Promise,” Eli murmured. His eyelids started drooping, and he opened them with visible effort. “Promise you’ll be here in the morning.” He frowned, even as he lost the battle and let his eyes fall closed. “Last time you were gone.”

“I promise.” Noah turned on his side, stroking the hair back from Eli’s face. “I’ll be right here.”

For as long as you’ll have me, Eli Miller.