Page 57 of Overeager
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 theex-husband,hewas 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 gotto 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, barelydodging 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 likehim, not that dick he called an ex-husband. A reminder that he wasNoah’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?”
