Page 49 of Overeager
Noah
“C’mon, man. You won’t tell me anything? Not even hisname?”
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 hewas 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, shedidreek 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. Youwillmeet 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.Hewouldn’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 wouldnotbe 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.
