Page 23 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

Noah

“ C ’mon, man. You won’t tell me anything? Not even his name ?”

Noah took another sip of his beer, rolling his eyes at Spencer.

Maybe that was an asshole move, but he wasn’t really in the mood for this interrogation.

For one, he was definitely bordering on tipsy.

For two, Spencer had been nonstop about it for at least half the night, especially now that Chase had disappeared on them (never mind that he was the one who’d invited them to this party in the first place).

And for three, Noah was fighting off a headache.

The house party they were at wasn’t well ventilated at all, and the heavy mix of pheromones they were swimming in was pushing at his sinuses in a way he always fucking hated.

He wished Eli was with him. Things might be better if Noah could shove his face into the crook of his omega’s neck and breathe in his refreshing citrus scent.

Or if he could grind with him on the dance floor, teasing Eli with light touches until he was begging Noah to leave, to go somewhere private and get handsy for real.

“Dude.”

Noah shook his head, trying to clear the fog of lust and too much beer. “What?”

Spencer narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m talking to you.”

“Talk to your date,” Noah told him, gesturing to the beta on Spencer’s lap, who was looking bored beyond belief while she sipped at her hard lemonade.

The three of them were pressed too close together on a small, overstuffed couch in the living room at the edge of the dance floor.

And while the beta Spencer was holding didn’t smell like strong pheromones, she did reek of pheromone-mimicking perfume.

Noah wouldn’t mind if she and Spencer went off to a new, private location so he could take a full breath without sneezing.

“She’s not my date,” Spencer said breezily, reaching around the girl to toss his empty red plastic cup onto a nearby table. “I just met her.”

The beta huffed. “Asshole.” She rose from his lap and gave him the finger, stalking off.

Just when Noah was starting to like her.

“Nice going.” Noah ruffled Spencer’s dark hair, frowning when his silken strands fell straight back into their stylish disarray. “Why the fuck does anyone give you the time of day anyway?”

Spencer shrugged. “’Cause I’m pretty. There’ll be others.

” He turned on the couch until he was facing Noah more fully, apparently unconcerned with his prospect for the night disappearing.

“Something’s up with you. You’re never home anymore.

You never hang out. And now you’re bailing on spring break. ”

Fuck, not spring break again. Spencer was like a dog with a bone at this point.

“I’m literally here with you right now,” Noah pointed out.

“What happened to bros before hookups?”

Noah pointed vaguely in the direction the beta had run off to. “When have you ever followed that mantra?”

Spencer blinked eyes that were bloodshot and hazy from too much booze and weed. “Yeah, but you’re like, better than me. ’S different.”

Well, that was just sad.

Noah grabbed the back of Spencer’s neck, pulling him close until their foreheads touched. Maybe he could get his point though by virtue of osmosis. “Dude. Listen—I really like him. But I’m keeping it private for a minute while we figure some stuff out. You will meet him, I promise. Just not yet.”

Spencer shook his head back and forth in Noah’s hold, not so surreptitiously managing to get his neck passively scent marked by Noah. He was always like that when drunk, trying to get as much touch or scent reassurance as he could get. “Is he married or something?”

Noah barked a surprised laugh. “No. Jesus.” He paused, cocking his head. “Well, he is divorced.”

“Really?” Spencer asked, perking up immediately.

It was annoyingly endearing how quickly he went from pouting to pleased.

All it had taken was a tiny crumb of information to placate him.

Noah was hit—not for the first time—by a wave of guilt for keeping his bestie at a distance.

“Why didn’t you say so? The ex giving you trouble? ”

“Not exactly.”

Although, Noah did have a bad feeling about Richard. It wasn’t just that the guy was clearly a dick, from the little Eli had said about him. It was also that Noah still felt like Richard was … around somehow. That he wasn’t done with Eli.

But maybe that was only Noah projecting. He wouldn’t be able to eject Eli from his life after a decade of having him; he knew that much.

But Noah didn’t say any of that to Spencer. He loved the guy, he really did, but Spence would not be able to keep his mouth shut about Eli if Noah shared anything else. It just wasn’t in his nature to be discreet.

Like that time he’d sprained his groin during a particularly athletic hookup and not only told every single person he saw but pulled his pants halfway down to show them the bruising.

Spencer opened his mouth, clearly about to pester Noah for more details, but he was interrupted by the crowd in front of them parting to reveal the dirty-blond curls of Noah’s younger brother Ash, followed by the hulking presence of his ever-present shadow, Ryder.

Oh, fuck yes. Noah grinned like a dope, rising from the couch to envelop his brother in a bear hug, making a bro fist for Ryder behind Ash’s back. “Ash! Ryder! What’re you two doing here?”

Ash allowed the hug for approximately two seconds before he pushed Noah off, and Noah settled back on the couch. “Spence texted.”

Noah glanced at Spencer, who gave him a look of wide-eyed innocence.

Ash snapped in Noah’s face to get his attention. “Hey. You. Where the fuck have you been?”

“What do you mean?” Noah asked, frowning at him.

It had been a while since he’d been on the bad end of his brother’s temper, and he hadn’t missed it.

Ash was still unpresented—a rarity at nineteen—but Noah wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up an alpha.

He may have been built like a beta—he was shorter and slimmer than Noah, more wiry than muscled—but he had the alpha aggression down pat. Especially when provoked.

But when the hell had Noah provoked him?

Ash started listing on his fingers. “You don’t answer calls. You barely text back. I’ve stopped by the house three times, and every time, this dickhead”—he gestured to Spencer with his thumb—“is the only one there to tell me you’re out. Again.”

“Uh …” Noah tried to think clearly. He knew he’d missed a call or two, but he hadn’t thought he’d been that absent.

“You doing drugs or something?”

Noah could only laugh. “What the fuck, Ash?”

“I told you, Asher darling,” Spencer drawled, kicking a foot out to tap Ash’s calf. “He’s seeing someone.”

Ash flipped Spencer off without looking at him. “No, he isn’t. Because Noah would tell me if he was seeing someone. Wouldn’t you?”

“Uh …”

Ash’s eyes narrowed. “I take that back. Who is it?”

“I told you that too,” Spencer said cheerfully, apparently pleased as fucking punch to have an ally in the give-Noah-a-hard-time department. “He’s being super cagey.”

Noah let out a growl. “Spencer, I swear to god …” He leaned forward, giving Ash his most plaintive gaze. “Look, it’s super new, and I’m keeping it to myself for now. I’ve just been at his place a lot, I guess. I’m sorry I disappeared. I’ll do better.”

Ash stared Noah down for a long moment. His eyes were light brown, but they had a ring of black around them, and when he focused all his attention on someone, they were intense as all hell.

“Fine,” he said eventually. “But I want to borrow the car soon. We want to head to Flag, see the snow before it melts.”

Spencer sat up out of his slouch. “Ooh, snow trip? That sounds—”

“You’re not invited,” Ryder snapped. He’d stepped out from behind Ash—not that Ash’s form was capable of covering much of Ryder’s bulk—to glare at Spencer.

Noah had known the guy since he’d been a scrawny, malnourished kid, so he wasn’t affected by the whole “mean alpha” thing he had going on, but he could see why some might be intimidated.

Along with the deep, alpha bark, Ryder had dark hair shorn close to his scalp and an impressive collection of tattoos on his muscled arms. The only person he was ever remotely soft with was Ash.

Plus, his pheromones were something else.

Spencer scowled back at Ryder, but he could only keep it up for a second before he dropped it, his eyes lowering in submission. “Fine. Jeez, wouldn’t want to be stuck with you two, anyway.”

“Don’t be a dick,” Ash told Ryder mildly, without an ounce of real censure. His gaze landed on Noah again. “Okay, then?”

Noah shrugged. “Yeah, take the car. Whenever you want.”

“Good. I’ll text. You’ll answer.”

And then Ash disappeared back into the crowd, Ryder at his heels.

Spencer laughed, the sound almost manic. “Dude. Ash is such a hard-ass sometimes. How hasn’t he presented as an alpha yet?”

“Because his designation is officially ‘mouthy little shit,’ that’s why.”

Spencer laughed again, clearly feeling the booze. “I’d let him move in with us just for the entertainment value if Ryder wasn’t always with him.”

“Ryder’s chill unless you’re an asshole. You just have a way of pissing him off.”

“I piss everybody off.”

“At least you’re self-aware.”

But apparently Spencer was feeling pouty again, because he lurched off the couch with a frown. “I’ma go find Chase,” he muttered. “Everybody disappearing all the damn time …”

He shuffled off into the crowd, and Noah let him go. It was best to let Spencer either drink or fuck his way out of whatever maudlin pit he was falling into. Trying to talk him out of it never seemed to work.

Noah waited where he was for a while, thinking maybe Spencer would find Chase and they’d end up with all three roomies on the couch, but when Spencer didn’t come back, he stood and started wandering the house until he found a small laundry room that was unoccupied.

The booze and late hour were getting to him, and he was feeling a little dizzy, on the edge of too drunk.