Page 58 of Overeager

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’snotallowed. 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.