Page 26 of Overeager (Extra Credit #1)

Noah

T he day had started out so well too.

Noah had been jazzed—he was going to spend the night at Eli’s tonight, and they were going to have a discussion about heat expectations. He knew it was supposed to be, like, a serious, adult conversation, but he couldn’t help the fact that it was also going to be so fucking hot.

He hadn’t been able to get the dirty thoughts out of his head ever since Eli had said he was going to be … needy.

Which was kind of ridiculous to obsess over—most omegas were needy during their heats, to some extent, at least.

But this would be Eli. His Eli, needing Noah on a basic, primal level, more than he ever had before.

It was heady as fuck. And Noah had known there was no way the discussion was going to end with anything other than them doing filthy, filthy things to each other.

So Noah had walked into class on a happy, horny cloud, chatting easily with Chase, who’d proven how well he could keep a secret by just how not weird he was every time they entered the Omega Studies lecture hall.

And then Noah had scented them—those strong, tobacco pheromones that had been lingering on Eli’s skin a few weeks ago.

The pushy businessman, Eli had told him.

Except as soon as Noah had looked over and seen the man—the definition of tall, dark, and handsome—looming over Eli, his hand on Eli’s lower back, possessiveness in every inch of his body language, Noah had known.

This was Richard. The ex-husband.

And now Noah was frozen in the middle of the classroom, unable to take another step.

He couldn’t make a scene; he knew that. He’d fuck everything up for Eli if he did. But Noah couldn’t make himself walk away either. Not while that dickhead was standing over Eli like he had a right to, pushing his pheromones at him like he had any. Fucking. Right .

“Do we have a guest lecturer, professor?”

Noah didn’t recognize his own voice, the tense, gravelly edge to it. Chase was whispering at him urgently, telling him he needed to go sit down.

And Eli just looked … Well, he clearly wanted Noah to sit the fuck down too.

And then the ex-husband spoke to Noah, smug and dismissive as all hell. “Just a visitor, son.”

Son? Son ?

Fury raced through Noah’s veins, hot and swift, even as Eli insisted Richard was leaving.

Eli, who hadn’t told Noah that Richard was back, sniffing around.

And Noah couldn’t even blame him, at least not if he was thinking clearly.

Alphas could be weird. Territorial. He knew he wouldn’t have handled the news well—he would have ached to scent Eli every day before school, just in case the asshole appeared again.

Which Noah wasn’t allowed to do. Because they were a secret.

He should have realized anyway, shouldn’t he? Of course Richard was back. Of course he’d walked away only to realize there wasn’t anything better than Eli out there for him.

Noah would almost feel sorry for him, if he wasn’t currently resisting the urge to rip the guy’s throat out with his teeth.

And then Richard called himself Eli’s husband—present fucking tense.

Noah lost it.

His pheromones surged, heavy and thick and bitter as hell.

He hated this man. He didn’t care if it was immature or stupid.

He hated him. Hated that he’d gotten a decade of Eli and had been willing to fuck it all up but somehow still couldn’t slink all the way off into the horizon like the pest he was.

Hated that Eli and Richard looked good together, standing there with their matching dark hair and eyes and their fucking age appropriateness.

Hated most of all that even though Richard was the ex -husband, he was the one allowed to be up there with Eli. Touching him. Scent marking him.

Claiming him.

Richard said something smarmy, and Noah was growling.

Here was the scene he wasn’t allowed to be making.

But even worse, here was Eli placating Richard, a hand on his arm and a plea in his voice.

And then Eli was turning to Noah and calling him Mr. Teller, asking him to sit down. To leave Eli there with Richard.

Noah supposed he should be grateful for Chase pulling him to sit down.

He wasn’t sure what he would have done otherwise.

Probably jumped over the podium and thrown Eli over his shoulder, abducting him to somewhere safe and private where Noah could scent mark every inch of his perfect, soft skin, where he could erase Richard from Eli’s body and his mind and …

Well, it didn’t matter. Noah wasn’t allowed to do any of those things.

He watched like a hawk, vibrating with tension in his seat, as Eli told Richard to leave. Noah’s omega was no longer placating the handsome alpha. He was fierce instead, letting out an omega growl that had Noah’s chest rumbling with satisfaction.

But that feeling didn’t last long, even as that asshole finally left and Eli started his class, composed and professional.

Noah could hear the whispers around him. The “Who was that?” And the “Oh my god, so hot.” The “Did you know Professor Miller was married?”

The gossips were loving this. Loving the thought of their pretty omega professor being swept off his feet by the handsome, repentant alpha who’d just walked out the door.

It hurt.

It hurt to sit there, Noah’s omega right here and yet worlds away, smelling for all the world like his ex-husband and not Noah. It hurt to pretend to be strangers when Noah needed reassurance the most.

It just … hurt.

Noah got to the house before Eli.

It was unsurprising, considering he’d driven like a bat out of hell, and he’d known Eli would need to at the very least pack up his laptop and dismiss his TAs.

For that matter, Eli technically still had office hours, but Noah had a feeling he’d cancel them.

A feeling that turned out to be justified when Eli burst through the door ten minutes after Noah’s arrival, barely dodging Deadly dancing between his feet as he cried out, “I’m so sorry!”

They needed to talk about it. They 100 percent needed to have a serious discussion. But first …

Noah prowled toward Eli and gathered him in his arms, rubbing his face against Eli’s cheeks, his neck, his shoulders, stroking his hands over Eli’s back, his arms, his wrists.

Scent marking the motherfucking life out of him.

Eli—wisely—went completely limp in Noah’s hold, even letting out a tiny, relieved sigh that did a little something to soothe Noah’s raised hackles. It was a reminder that Eli wanted to smell like him , not that dick he called an ex-husband. A reminder that he was Noah’s , not Richard’s.

When Eli was as covered with his pheromones as he could possibly be—short of Noah fucking him right there in the front hallway—Noah dropped his head onto Eli’s shoulder. “I hate him,” he murmured, ragged and worn. “I’ve never hated anyone before, but I fucking hate him.”

Eli stroked Noah’s curls with a tentative hand. “I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”

“You lied,” Noah accused, though there was no real heat in it. “Before.”

“I did.” Eli wrapped his other arm around Noah’s waist, holding Noah against him. The angle was awkward with their height difference, but Noah didn’t care. “I didn’t want him to—to ruin things just by existing, I guess.”

Noah huffed a breath against Eli’s neck, his hands landing on Eli’s hips. “You think I can’t handle your history?”

“I think you shouldn’t have to, this early on.”

That was wrong. Eli was wrong. Older didn’t always mean wiser, did it? “Why is he around now?” Noah asked, feeling like he already knew the answer. “He wants you back?”

Eli’s fingers never stopped their stroking. “I don’t know. I don’t know why he would, after everything.”

“I do.”

Eli let out a short laugh. “You’re biased, sweetheart.”

Noah groaned, his fingers tightening around Eli’s hips. “I hated seeing him up there with you. I hate that he’s allowed to touch you in public.”

Eli leaned back to look at him, raising his hands to cup Noah’s face. “He’s not though.” His brow furrowed as he stared into Noah’s eyes. “He’s not allowed. I was caught by surprise. It’s not going to happen again.”

“If he wanted you back, would he have a chance?”

Eli gave him a wounded look. “You have to ask?”

Something eased inside Noah. “No.” He shook his head. “I don’t.”

He had already known, hadn’t he? But he couldn’t have helped asking either.

After what he’d seen and who he’d scented.

He circled his thumbs over Eli’s waist. “I’m sorry.

But trust goes both ways, right? You need to trust me too.

As a full partner. You need to—need to tell me things.

Yes, you have some baggage. But I’m not a child. I can handle it.”

“I know. I—” Eli stopped mid-sentence as Noah’s phone rang.

Noah silenced it without looking, and it immediately rang again. And again.

Eli’s lips curled into a wry smile. “Maybe you should check who it is?”

Noah sighed, but he took a hand off Eli’s waist to look. Ash was calling.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

The car. Noah was supposed to have left it at campus for his brother.

He picked up on the next rang. “Hey. I’m sorry, I—”

Ash cut him off. “Who do you know who lives on Elm?”

Something sank in Noah’s gut. Eli’s house was on Elm. The house they were at now. “What? Why?”

“We called a car already. We’re on our way.”

“How the fuck do you know—”

“That stupid friend tracking thing you set up on my phone.”

Of course. Noah had insisted on it when Ash had arrived on campus. He’d wanted a way to find him if anything happened to him. It had been silly, overprotective older brother stuff.

But now Ash knew where to find Noah. Here. At Eli’s.

Noah released Eli from his grip and dug his keys out of his pocket, turning toward the door. “Listen, I’ll come to you.”

“Too late,” Ash said flatly. “We’re here. I see the car. And I’ll see you in less than a minute.”

It sounded like a threat. Noah supposed it kind of was.

He looked helplessly to Eli, whose brow was furrowed in concern. “My brother’s about to be here.”

Eli’s swallow was audible in the quiet of the house. “Your brother?”

“I promised him the car.” Eli’s face paled, and Noah rushed to reassure him. “Listen, he’s never taken Omega Studies. He shouldn’t recognize you.”

A firm knock on the front door rang out. With one last look at Eli, frozen there in the hallway, Noah opened it to reveal Ash, looking annoyed as hell, with Ryder behind him. They both carried backpacks filled to the brim.

“Hey,” Ash said. He looked immediately past Noah’s shoulder to nod at Eli. “You’re the boyfriend?”

Eli cleared his throat, his arm raising in a half wave. “Hello.”

And then Ryder made a small, surprised noise. “Professor Miller? I had you last semester.”

Jesus. Fuck.

Noah and Eli froze at the same time. They couldn’t have had a more deer-in-the-headlights reaction if they’d tried.

Why the fuck hadn’t they just hidden Eli in his room? Would Ash really have insisted on meeting him? Noah could have just told him his boyfriend was in the shower.

Ash bristled, drawing up to his full height as he looked between them. “What the fuck?” He stepped into the house, zeroed in on Eli. “You’re a teacher. Are you his teacher?”

“Ash.” Noah stepped in front of his brother, blocking Eli from his view. “It’s not like that.”

“What’s it like?” Ash bent sideways to scowl at Eli from around Noah. He pointed a finger. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing with my—”

It was too much. Richard’s presence in the classroom earlier. Ash shouting at Eli now. Eli, who was so fucking close to his heat it was setting Noah’s teeth on edge to even have Ryder—an alpha he knew and trusted—around him in such close quarters.

For the second time that day, Noah’s pheromones surged. This time they were aimed at his brother. “ Out ,” he growled. “Fucking now .”

Ash dropped his hand, his rage melting immediately into hurt. Noah had never yelled at him before, never once used his pheromones against his little brother.

Ryder instantly had an arm over Ash’s shoulder, glaring at Noah like he was an asshole as he pulled Ash away, shutting the door behind them.

Noah was an asshole.

He looked helplessly at Eli, whose face was distressingly blank. “I’m going to go handle this.”

“Of course,” Eli said faintly.

“I will be right back.”

“Uh-huh. Sure.”

Noah went out the door, hoping to explain things to Ash in a way that wouldn’t mess up Eli’s life. Or his own relationship with his brother.