Page 2 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

“Sure,” he said magnanimously, taking a big gulp of champagne. “Come on up.”

“Awesome!”

The guy climbed out of his tub, and Eli’s eyes widened. Had he made the right call? The guy was … big. Much bigger than Eli had thought—he must have been slouching down in the water. But standing tall, he was built like a professional swimmer, with wide shoulders and a trim waist.

And his shorts were almost as small as Eli’s.

Covered by the water, he’d seemed kind of harmlessly cute—besides the devastating smile—but it was quickly becoming clear he was on a whole different level of hot.

Eli was going to make a fool of himself.

But his new friend was already tugging on a pair of snow boots over his wet feet and walking up the hill in no more than his shoes and those teeny swim trunks.

Too late to back out now.

Eli took a few quick gulps of champagne while he waited to hear the footsteps coming up the deck. He wished he’d brought the bottle with him. He wasn’t sure why he was like this—totally fine in a lecture hall in front of hundreds of students, but nervous as hell in more intimate social situations.

Richard had never been able to understand it—why someone so confident in his work needed to be “coddled” (as he so delicately put it) at a dinner party. It was a funny thing for him to be annoyed by, because a stereotypically submissive omega was exactly what he’d wanted in the end.

Hypocrite , Eli thought, but there was no bitterness in it. Not anymore.

And it didn’t matter either way because in the next moment, there was Eli’s new neighbor approaching—grinning broadly in greeting—and Eli had to fight not to swallow his tongue.

Like, damn. This was the kind of guy Eli had never spent much time with, not even when he was younger.

Or maybe especially not then, when he’d been bookish and shy and completely lacking any sort of confidence.

“Hey,” his neighbor said, all wet and bare-chested, while Eli did his best not to stare at his nipples. “I’m Noah.”

“Hi.” Eli gave a stupid little wave, his eyes firmly locked somewhere around the guy’s forehead. It seemed like a safe spot. “Eli.”

“Thanks for the invite, man.” Noah didn’t seem to suffer from any of Eli’s shyness.

He toed out of his boots and climbed in, his half-empty beer in hand.

A glass bottle too. A certified rule breaker, this guy was.

He sighed loudly, spreading his arms out to the sides, tanned chest on full display. “Fuck, that feels good.”

No drooling , Eli reminded himself. Close your damned mouth.

He took a sip of his champagne, if only to have something to do. He was 90 percent sure this guy was an alpha—with that build, how could he be anything else?—but the chlorine from the hot tub was making it hard to pick out his scent.

Which was good, really. It meant Noah wouldn’t necessarily clock Eli as an omega right away either. He could think Eli was a petite beta. Maybe. Possibly.

It wasn’t like Eli was ashamed of being an omega, but the lack of clarity gave a certain freedom to the situation. It didn’t have to be … charged, Eli being alone in a hot tub with a potential alpha.

They were just two friendly neighbors on vacation.

He realized Noah was watching him, and coughed on his champagne bubbles.

Noah grinned. He had dimples on both sides, which seemed frankly like too much. Save some charm for the rest of humanity, right?

“So what brings you to Sedona?”

“A little solo vacation,” Eli told him, aiming for light and airy but probably falling about a mile short. “And, um, a celebration.” He shrugged a shoulder. “Career’s going well.”

“Right on.” Noah grinned at him again. “Good for you, man.”

Eli relaxed a little. This was easy enough. Noah was super friendly. He cleared his throat. “What—what about you?”

“Just a little refresh before my spring semester. Business classes are kicking my ass.”

Eli relaxed a little more. If Noah was going for his MBA, he was a grad student.

Not quite as young as Eli had thought, then.

The beer was legal, at least, even if it was in a glass bottle.

“And you were supposed to have a buddy with you?” Eli asked, trying to get into the neighborly spirit. “Or—a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

He flushed, hoping Noah would think it was the heat from the tub. Why was he prying? And so fucking obviously?

But Noah laughed easily. “Just a buddy. Bummer he couldn’t make it. But it’s nice to make new friends, huh?” He lifted his beer in a little cheers.

Eli met him halfway with his plastic cup, unable to help his own grin. God, how long had it been since he’d made a new friend? He was on good terms with the other professors, sure, but it had been a while since he’d spent time with anyone outside of work or his sister.

They talked for a long time, the sun setting around them. Eli learned Noah was from Southern California originally, although he was studying in Phoenix. (The same city where Eli taught, actually. But Eli’s school didn’t have an MBA program, so he didn’t bring it up.)

Noah was from a big family, with lots of siblings, and maybe his seemingly innate confidence had something to do with that.

He asked Eli fun, easy questions. What he’d done or not done around Sedona (nothing besides fear for his life in his car).

How he dealt with the Arizona heat summer after summer (air-conditioning and his own pool).

Whether superhero movies were classic or overrated (both, depending on the movie).

When it was dark, the light from the hot tub the only thing illuminating their faces, Noah met Eli’s eyes, smiling warmly. “So you’re celebrating, huh?”

“Yeah. The career stuff and also—” Eli cleared his throat “—my, um, divorce was just finalized, after a whole drawn-out thing.”

“Oh.” Noah blinked. He had surprisingly thick, sooty lashes, considering his fair hair. “Damn.”

“Yeah.” Eli frowned down at his empty cup. “Thirty-four and already divorced. Kind of—kind of a bummer, huh?” he asked, echoing Noah’s earlier phrasing.

“I’m sorry,” Noah told him, sounding sincere. “But hey, you’re way ahead of me.” He scooted closer, his voice turning low and conspiratorial. “Wanna hear something that’ll make you feel better?”

“Hit me,” Eli told him, matching Noah’s low tone.

Noah made a show of looking around from side to side, as if someone might have been listening in, before leaning in close. “I’ve never been with anyone at all,” he admitted. “I’m still a virgin.”

Eli couldn’t help it—he choked on his own spit. “ You ?” he finally asked, once he’d gotten a hold of himself.

“Yeah.” Noah grinned at him, showcasing those dimples again, apparently not at all offended by Eli’s surprise.

“You’re lying.”

Noah gasped in mock outrage. “Why on earth would you accuse me—your new, dear friend—of lying?”

“Just …” Eli waved a hand, trying to encompass all that … appeal with only a gesture. “I mean, look at you.”

Noah’s grin dropped, and he cocked his head, moving effortlessly into seriousness. “But it’s about more than just looks, right? It’s about … compatibility. I’ve got a very sensitive nose.” He tapped the bridge of it in demonstration. “Maybe I just haven’t found someone whose scent I like.”

Eli shifted in place, trying to figure out what to say. It was a little taboo, to talk about pheromones with a near stranger. Or maybe that was just his age talking. Maybe the younger generation talked about pheromones with each other casually, and he was just being some sort of fuddy-duddy.

Noah was still much closer than he’d been at the start of the night, and Eli suddenly had to fight the urge to try to catch his scent. It would have been useless anyway, unless Noah was pumping his pheromones out willy-nilly.

“ You smell good though,” Noah said quietly.

Eli’s mouth dropped open. “You can tell? Even with the chlorine?”

“Yeah, I can tell.” Noah’s gaze had turned oddly intense at some point in their conversation, a new measure of heat in it as he asked, “You’re an omega, right?”