Page 25 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

Eli

“ I ’m just saying you’re acting shady.”

Eli pulled the phone away from his cheek so he could make a face at it, never mind that Faith couldn’t see him on the other end. “Just because I don’t want to introduce you to my brand-new boyfriend means I’m acting shady?”

“Yes, it does,” she said, as snippy as she’d been the entire call so far. “Because he’s not even brand-new anymore. It’s been months. And I’ve already met him. This would be a second meeting. Liz wants to make him dinner,” she added, unashamedly pulling out the big guns.

Eli tucked the phone back between his cheek and shoulder so he could keep editing his PowerPoint as he tried to talk Faith down from her meet-Noah-right-this-second crusade. “You’re lying. Liz can’t cook to save her life.”

“Fine. Liz wants to order takeout and put it in fancy serving dishes and pretend she cooked.” Eli laughed, but Faith wasn’t placated. “Is this just a sex thing, then?”

“No!”

“Are you still worried he’s not serious?”

“No …”

Noah had made it pretty clear he was into Eli in a major way. So clear that even Eli, with all his overthinking, couldn’t mistake his alpha’s intentions.

But what does a twenty-one-year-old know about intentions?

Jesus. Eli really wished he could turn that stupid, skeptical part of his brain off.

“Eli …,” Faith prodded.

“It’s just … complicated, okay?”

The problem was, Eli still didn’t have the guts to tell Faith that Noah was his student. He didn’t think he’d be able to handle her disappointment with him. If the person he trusted most in this world thought he was a genuine creep …

Plus, it seemed hypocritical to stress the importance of secrecy to Noah and then go blabbing to his own sister.

But either way, Eli wasn’t handling this conversation well.

Secrecy just wasn’t in his wheelhouse—it was getting to him.

It was getting to Noah, too, judging by how mopey he’d gotten last week over the phone when Eli had strong-armed him into going to a party without him.

Well, mopey by Noah standards, which meant he’d still been sweet as pie and absurdly easy to cheer up. But still …

And it wasn’t going to get any easier for them, at least not anytime soon. Eli was getting closer to his heat, and his body was letting him know, mainly by telling him he should be touching and scenting Noah every single second of every single day.

Which meant the lecture he was about to go to was going to be hell. Eli couldn’t even wear one of Noah’s shirts under his sweater to get him through the thing, for fear of someone catching Noah’s scent on him.

“Eli. Eli .”

Oops. Apparently Faith had been calling his name. Eli cleared his throat, hopefully projecting full innocence. “Yes?”

“Permission to truth-bomb you?”

Eli saved his PowerPoint edits and closed his laptop, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. “Since when have you ever needed permission?”

“Good point. Here goes.” She gave a dramatic pause. “Noah is not you. And you are not Richard.”

Eli winced. Ouch. “That’s not what I meant by complicated.”

“Too baaaad,” Faith singsonged. “I’m bringing it up anyway. Because if you’re keeping him at arm’s length because of the age thing … Just know you’re not exactly unbiased in that department.”

“Why are you so adamant about him anyway?” Eli asked. It wasn’t like Faith to push him into dating. Into leaving the house more often, yes. Into trying to get a little human touch once in a while, sure. But not into shackling himself to another alpha. “You liked him that much?”

He could almost hear her shrug over the phone.

“He had good energy, sure. But also …” Faith let out a sigh.

“I hoped after you and Richard separated that you’d spread your wings a little.

Let yourself grow and play and experience new things now that he wasn’t there closing you off at every angle.

But instead you became … smaller. It was all work, work, work and nights at home.

I want you to open your world up, Eli. You deserve it. ”

Oh god. The sincerity had arrived, and it was painful. Painful and accurate. “And you think jumping into another relationship is the key?”

“I think the way this Noah kid had you blushing and flustered and off-kilter at the bar was the most out of your comfort zone I’ve seen you in a long time.

And I think some people find it easier to be brave when they have a person in their corner.

I think, from the very little you’ve told me about him,” she said, in a tone that made it clear how she felt about that, “he seems like the kind of guy who wants to be in your corner.”

Eli was … genuinely speechless.

“Eli?” Faith prompted. “Did you hang up on me?”

“Faith, you can’t make me cry before my lecture.” Eli let out a thick laugh. “Goddamn.”

“Ooohh, I hit it out of the park, didn’t I?” Faith couldn’t have sounded more delighted with herself if she tried.

“Don’t be cocky about it. It’ll ruin the effect.”

“Fine. I’m hanging up while I’m flying high. Your wise, wisdom-y, wizened older sister.”

Eli hung up before she could. That was what she got for being smug.

He lingered at his desk, considering her words. He hadn’t thought of himself as closed off since the divorce. Just … focused, maybe. On work. On rebuilding.

Although, what exactly had he built in the year since Richard had officially left? All Eli really had to show for that time were some dead herbs and a lot of lonely nights.

Eli thought of Noah’s vision of the kind of couple he wanted to be—quiet and intimate and selfish; wasn’t that what he’d said? The kind of couple that lived the life that suited them in the moment. The kind that valued flexibility as well as a firm foundation.

They could really do that, couldn’t they? This could be real, what he had with Noah. Really real.

They just had to get through the semester.

And then …

And then Eli would make it all up to Noah, with everything he had in him.

Eli couldn’t exactly go to college parties with him, even when Noah wasn’t officially his student any longer, but he’d invite Noah’s friends over to the house, let them use the pool and spend time all together.

And he’d take Noah to Faith’s for dinner and let Faith rib him mercilessly.

He’d meet Noah’s parents and hope they didn’t murder him on sight.

And when Eli’s own parents got back from whatever European retirement tour they were currently on, they’d do the perfunctory boyfriend meet, just so Noah knew exactly how much he mattered.

They’d be a real couple. They might even get married someday.

And instead of that thought terrifying Eli like it rightfully should, it made butterflies erupt in his stomach. The good kind, made of spun sugar and fairy dust and whatever other nonsense the good kind of stomach butterflies were made of.

Eli packed his workbags and walked to his lecture in a sort of daze.

As he opened the door to the lecture hall, he sternly reminded his body that they could not leap on Noah the moment they saw him.

Or leap on him at all, for that matter. There would be no leaping whatsoever.

Nor could they steal whatever clothes Noah might be wearing off his body and shove them under their shirt. They had to wait. To be patient.

But it wasn’t Noah’s salty-fresh pheromones greeting Eli as he entered the hall. Instead it was the heavy, tobacco pheromones of his ex-husband.

All Eli’s daydreams popped in an instant.

Fucking Richard was in his classroom.

It took everything in Eli to contain his groan.

Stupid, smug Richard, all pressed and polished in his suit, leaning against Eli’s podium like he had a right to.

A number of students—and more than one of Eli’s TAs—were making hopeful eyes at the undeniably handsome alpha.

Eli wished he could tell them to avert their gazes before an entire decade of their lives was stolen away from them, but he didn’t want to sully his reputation as a professor by spouting crazy nonsense at his students.

He’d wait until he had tenure for that.

Noah was nowhere to be seen yet, thank fucking God. But since there were other students in their seats already, Eli couldn’t open with the line he wanted to, mainly, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Instead, he had to settle with, “Richard. What brings you to my lecture hall unannounced?”

Mature. Professorial. And totally inadequate to the helpless rage Eli felt.

He was too close to his heat for this fuckery.

His emotions were heightened, and he wanted his alpha, the one who made him feel safe and seen and held.

Not this businessman hussy with no concept of the finality of signed divorce papers.

And Eli’s pheromones were loose enough in preheat that Richard was able to scent Eli’s annoyance, his eyes crinkling in the corners as he gave Eli a condescending smile. “No need to get your hackles up, Lijah. I was simply—”

“In the neighborhood?” Eli finished for him, plopping his bag on the podium with a raised brow. “Having lunch with the dean, perhaps?”

“Why, yes.”

“Lotta lunches these days.” Eli lowered his voice as he handed his laptop to a TA to get set up. “An illicit affair, maybe?”

Richard only laughed, like Eli was being charming instead of irritable. “We’re rearranging his portfolio, is all. You know he’s not my type.”

“But his secretary, perhaps?”

Richard’s mouth pursed into a disappointed moue. “Lijah …”

Eli was disappointed in himself, actually. Not for the dig about the secretary—that had been perfect—but for playing into this whole thing at all. He needed to get Richard out of here, not vent his anger. “I have a class to teach, Richard.”

“I know.” Richard flashed white teeth. “I was thinking of observing. I do so miss watching you work.”

Of all the bullshit … Eli contained his huff but only barely. “Funny, because I remember you pressuring me to stop.”

“I may have been … hasty, Lijah.” Richard stepped closer, his pheromones pulsing just on the edge of inappropriate.

“There was no reason for you to leave your career. Nannies exist for a reason.” He placed a hand on Eli’s lower back, and Eli was too startled to stop him as he leaned down to say in a low voice, “Like I said, I’ve missed you. ”

And of course, just as Richard was pressed into him, whispering in Eli’s ear like some sort of welcome guest, Noah walked in.

He didn’t notice them at first—too busy chatting with his beta friend, Chase—but he looked over before taking his seat. He always looked over before taking his seat, like he couldn’t resist laying eyes on Eli as soon as he could.

Eli watched in horror as Noah froze mid-step, the smile dropping from his face as his nostrils flared. No doubt he recognized Richard’s pheromones—they were distinct.

Please sit down , Eli begged in his head, brushing Richard’s hand off his back. Please sit down and let me explain later.

But Noah stood where he was, barely ten feet from the podium, practically vibrating with tension. “Do we have a guest lecturer, professor?” he asked, his voice stilted and unnatural.

Richard raised his head in surprise, noticing Noah for the first time, a genial smile already on his lips. “Just a visitor, son.”

Jesus. He couldn’t possibly have sounded more dismissive.

“One who is leaving ,” Eli said desperately.

“Lijah …,” Richard chided, although his voice was warm—putting on a show for their audience, no doubt. “Not even five minutes for your husband?”

Fucking hell.

As Eli rushed to correct, “ Ex -husband!” as if that was really going to help anything—a surge of dark, bitter pheromones filled the air. Like a beach after a storm, salt and seaweed and decay.

Noah had never smelled like that, not once since Eli had known him. It was heavy and stifling, a clear alpha warning.

Richard wrinkled his nose. “Back in my day, students had a better handle on themselves.”

A loud rumble filled the air. Dear god, was Noah growling ?

Eli had to put a stop to this. He put a placating hand on Richard’s arm, trying to distract him from the damning noise.

“Richard. Please. I have a class to teach. You have an … intimidating presence. Some students aren’t used to that.

” He looked over to Noah, pleading with his eyes as he ordered, “Mr. Teller, please take your seat.”

He wasn’t sure if Noah would have, if not for Chase tugging on his arm, practically dragging him away.

When all this was over, Eli was going to buy that beta flowers.

Richard leaned into Eli again, murmuring, as if it was some kind of joke, “I think someone’s got a crush on teacher.”

Now that Noah was safely seated and out of Richard’s eyeline, Eli took his hand off Richard’s arm, hissing, “I need you to leave . You’re distracting my students.”

“I see your preheats are the same as ever. Moody, Lijah?”

Now it was Eli’s turn to let out a growl. It was horrible of him. Completely unprofessional. And he could hear students whispering in the background, no doubt eating up all this drama.

But he hated being railroaded like this. He had thought signing the divorce papers would put an end to this dynamic. What right did Richard have, to show up and humiliate Eli in front of his class? His omega studies class, no less?

His next words made it out through clenched teeth. “If you don’t leave in the next five seconds, I’m calling campus security. This is your final warning.”

Richard blinked at him in surprise, and Eli almost laughed. Had Richard really thought that even after a year apart, Eli would have forgotten to grow a backbone? Or was he really going to force Eli to put his money where his mouth was right now and call security on him?

But then Richard was leaving, walking out the door with one last disappointed shake of his head.

Eli cleared his throat, trying to get control over himself and his now completely wayward pheromones. He couldn’t look at Noah, even as he faced the rest of the students. He was too afraid of what he’d see.

Too afraid to witness what he might have just ruined.

“All right, class. Apologies for the … distraction. Let’s get started, shall we?”