Chapter Sixteen

oOo

Summary: Will the proud music teacher eventually find love with the beautiful kindergarten teacher or will he forever come second to the football coach? Rated M.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.


Noah sighed in annoyance at the message Kurt had left on Friday morning. Kurt had sounded a little snippy and he understood; still it wasn't his fault that Daria Strando was hot for him. He hadn't led her on at the party and he hoped that was not what Kurt was upset about.

Once again they were going on a date, this time to a place of Kurt's choosing and he'd got Jamie to babysit for him. Rachel had offered when Finn – the big-mouthed twit – had told her after overhearing Puck on the phone. He had declined the offer quite politely, telling her that Judith liked when Jamie came over as she rolled around on the floor with her before bath time.

As he got ready for the date he wondered how he could squeeze in some one-on-one time – okay, making out time – with his gorgeous lover as he was so horny after not being with him in days. He was hungry for Kurt's feel and taste and he hoped he wouldn't have to spend a portion of their date assuring his lover of his indifference towards the Strando woman.

By the time Kurt came around to pick him up, he was in a much better frame of mind, having watched Judith and Jamie chase each other around the living room, laughing and yelling. He left money for them to get pizza and assured Jamie that he would be back by ten o'clock the latest. Her mother would pick her up again and he was really grateful for how accommodating she was.

When Kurt rang his doorbell, Noah hurried to open it, stepping out quickly before Judith could catch a glimpse of Kurt. If she did, they would spend long minutes with her engaging 'Mr. Kurt' in a rambling conversation about her activities. He loved the way she loved Kurt but he just wanted alone time with his delicious – boyfriend? – without having to restrain himself.

Kurt grinned, surprised at the way Noah had lunged out the door and he guessed the reason immediately. He pretended that he was going to reopen the door to say 'hi' to Judith and laughed when Noah grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Hi, Noah, happy to see me?" His voice was a purr as he smiled teasingly at the other man. He gasped as his mouth was taken in a brief, hard kiss and he stared at Noah, his eyes wide. "Okay, then, I guess we better leave…"

Noah grinned as he dragged Kurt towards the elevator. "I can't wait to get you alone, babe; it's been like forever!"

Kurt stared at him again and then burst out laughing. "Sheesh, what are you, like 17 again?"

Noah backed him up to the wall by the elevator doors, grinding his body against Kurt and enjoying the gasp of arousal that escaped him. He dipped his mouth to Kurt's neck and licked a stripe up towards his earlobe before murmuring. "You make me feel 17 again, that's what."

Kurt pushed him away and shook his head as if at a naughty little boy. "Baby, you have to wait to get dessert, you know that." He slipped under Noah's arms that had been bracketing him and dashed into the elevator that had arrived unbeknownst to the other man. "Are you coming… or what?"

Noah grinned at his playful lover and sauntered into the elevator to join him. "Not yet, apparently."

Kurt laughed at him before moving back into his arms, pressing his lips against Noah's as the doors closed.

By the time they reached the foyer, however, they had separated, trying to look presentable to anyone that might be waiting on the elevator.

Kurt chuckled, grabbed Noah's hands and headed out to the parking lot. When they settled into the car, Noah glanced curiously at Kurt.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going on this fine Friday night?"

Kurt shook his head no. "This is payback, sweetie, oh yes," and he smirked at Noah's tiny pout. "You know you look just like Judith when you do that, right?"

Noah straightened his face as he threw Kurt a haughty look. "Who do you think she learned it from?"


Kurt and Noah chatted and laughed as Kurt drove them for roughly 20 minutes, Noah trying all the time to figure out where they were going. Finally Kurt turned into the parking lot of a low, rustic-looking building and grinned at Noah as he parked.

"Welcome to the best little steakhouse in all of Ohio!" He grinned as Noah looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. The building looked like a remake of an old ranch house, complete with long wooden rails where you could imagine cowboys of days past hitching the reins of their horses. He turned back to Kurt with one eyebrow raised.

"Huh, I never took you for an old-west-loving type… more New York or L.A., I suppose."

Kurt grinned at him as they got out and he locked the car with a click of his key-ring. "Ah, I have hidden depths, cowboy."

Noah sauntered up to him, his hands shoved deep into his front pockets so that the placket strained across his considerable package. Kurt's eyes were riveted until Puck bumped his shoulder with his.

"Those are depths I've got a vested interest in, sweetlips," he said with an exaggerated cowboy twang. They laughed as they stepped up onto the planks of the boardwalk and Kurt moved ahead to push open the heavy wooden door.

Noah stopped just behind Kurt and tried to adjust to the barrage of sound made up of people laughing, chatting, shouting orders and someone plonking on a piano that needed some tuning. Kurt laughed at Noah's amazed expression and nodded when he leaned in to say directly into Kurt's ear: "Damn, I feel as if I've gone back in time!"

He watched the – he assumed they were servers – girls in the shortest daisy dukes he'd ever seen with their red-checked blouses tied beneath ample bosoms. The whole place was a cliché on a scale he'd never seen before and he couldn't help enjoying it. He almost expected to see sawdust on the floor and a madam sitting at one of the small round tables watching her 'girls' with a hawk's eye.

"Come on, there's an empty table over there!" Kurt had to yell and he dragged him behind him towards the back that was a little darker than the rest of the room. Noah's eyes fell to the way Kurt's jeans hugged his ass lovingly and he felt a surge of pride that he was with him. Kurt strutted towards the table with his head up and his chin stuck out, practically daring anyone to say anything to him and damn, but he was hot!

The place was crowded but not overly so and as Noah wound his way between the tables and around the servers, he thought he recognized a couple of faces. He was distracted, however, by the sight of not only a jukebox but a small raised dais with a microphone stand before it. Oh no, he groaned, not karaoke!

By the time he caught up to Kurt, the other man was seated and looking about quite perkily. Noah wondered if he could get away with spinning his chair around and straddling it in a macho fashion but he gave up that idea for sitting closer to Kurt.

"What's this place called, babe?" He had to lean closer to talk but he didn't mind because Kurt didn't only look good, he smelled great, too. Noah wanted nothing so much as to nibble on the smooth collar bones peaking over the white vest Kurt was wearing beneath his tight blue button up shirt.

Kurt saw the way Noah's eyes kept straying down to his shirt that he'd left unbuttoned at the top and he grinned at him. "Stop undressing me, Noah, it's positively indecent." He grinned as Noah's eyes jerked up to his. "This is called 'Shorty's' but they don't need a sign because everyone around here knows about it."

Noah sat back and it was then that the delightful odor of barbecued meat finally registered. He was about to ask Kurt how often he came here when a server sauntered (well, parts of her bounced) up to them and she asked quite animatedly what kind of beer they wanted. Apparently they didn't offer anything else although Noah would have thought whiskey would have been on offer, given the setting.

Kurt ordered two of what they had on tap and Noah nodded his affirmative. She smiled, popped her gum (lord, the cliché was killing him) and told them they'd be right up and then she would take their orders.

"I suppose there's only beef on offer here as well?" Noah knew he was being a little supercilious but he just couldn't seem to help it. Kurt grinned at him and nodded.

"Oh, yes, but this is barbecue the likes of which you have never had, I wager."

Noah's eyebrows shot up and he stared at Kurt before guffawing. "'Wager'? Are we going to talk all 'cowboy' the whole night, babe?"

Kurt threw his head back and laughed, genuinely amused by Noah being thrown off balance by the ambiance of the place.

"No, I don't reckon you do, big guy," Kurt said mockingly and watched as Noah cracked up. He joined him and then they finally sobered, Noah looking around appreciatively.

"It's actually not too bad, once you get over the culture shock," he said now and then looked up as the bounce returned with their beer. She placed two large, brimming steins before them and then flicked the menu that she had been carrying out from under arm. She placed it before Noah with a flirty little look and told him to take his 'tahm'. Kurt choked back his sudden laughter and watched as Noah's eyebrows flew up at her twang. He cleared his throat and, without looking at Kurt ordered two rib-eyes and a double order of fries for both of them. He didn't know why they had a menu when all they served was beef but he guessed there were different sizes of steak one could order.

She whisked the menu away when he had finished and winked at him before strutting away, her backside swaying exaggeratedly for their benefit. Well, Kurt's benefit because Noah was sitting with his back to her but, of course, it was lost on Kurt. He had eyes only for Noah who was looking particularly sexy in black jeans and a black shirt opened to show part of his chest and a silver and turquoise pendant on a black cord.

Kurt sipped his beer and pretended to ignore the way Noah was eye-fucking him from across the small round table and licked his lips delicately when he was done drinking. Noah's eyes were riveted then to his lips and Kurt curved them in a little smile.

"So, does that eye-catching pendant have a special meaning?" He lifted his eyes seductively after pointedly staring at the pendant.

Noah leered at him. "Not particularly. I just like the way it looks."

Kurt smirked back at him, his voice smoky and Noah had to lean forward a bit to hear him over the noise. "I like the way it looks, too" so much innuendo in the simple words that Noah knew he was not referring to the pendant's beauty.

They stared at each other until they were jerked back to awareness of where they were when the juke box roared to life. Of course, it was all country music but Kurt was familiar with the place and he grinned when Noah's eyes widened.

"Damn, and it gets worse!" They laughed and then sipped at their beer which was actually quite good. Noah picked up a couple of the peanuts still in their shells and broke them open, offering Kurt some. Kurt shook his head, taking a few more sips of his beer and then sat back to gaze around the room.

When their food arrived Noah had to admit that Kurt had chosen the perfect place. Hot, delicious, greasy food, cold flavorful beer, laughter and music all around them – it was great.

They made short work of the perfectly barbecued meat and Noah wondered if they catered. He would have to remember to check because he might just want to have a get-together one day at his place and he was not going to spend a lot of time cooking a ton of food when he would rather hang with his guests.

Finally they sat back, Noah eyeing the way Kurt was licking a finger and his eyes flared. Before he could say anything, however, someone jumped up onto the tiny stage, grabbed the mike and the karaoke part of the evening began with a rebel yell. The laughter and noise increased and Kurt grinned at the wary way in which Noah was staring around at the other patrons. Both women and men were stomping their feet and clapping along with the music, to the great amusement of the guy trying to sing.

After he was done, a couple of women tried in quick succession and then a slightly older man came on. Noah was pleasantly surprised when he started because the old guy was really pretty good. His mellow voice did more than justice to a song that had been popular quite a few years back. As Noah recognized the words, he turned in his seat to stare at Kurt, willing him to understand.

Good morning, beautiful, how was your night?
Mine was wonderful with you by my side
And when I open my eyes and see your sweet face
It's a good morning, beautiful day

I couldn't see the light
I didn't know day from night
I had no reason to care
Well since you came along
I can face the dawn
'Cause I know you'll be there

Good morning, beautiful, how was your night?
Mine was wonderful with you by my side
And when I open my eyes and see your sweet face
It's a good morning, beautiful day

I never worry if it's raining outside
'Cause in here with you, girl, the sun always shines

Good morning, beautiful, how was your night?
Mine was wonderful with you by my side
And when I open my eyes and see your sweet face
It's a good morning, beautiful day
Good morning, beautiful day
(Good morning, beautiful)
It's a beautiful day
(Good morning, beautiful)
Good morning
(Good morning, beautiful)
What a beautiful day
(Good morning, beautiful)

Kurt smiled into his eyes, knowing that Noah was silently dedicating the song to him amidst the crowd of people facing the stage, listening and cheering the singer on. He slowly reached a hand across the table and brushed the back of Noah's hand briefly. On impulse, Noah grabbed it, squeezing gently and with a slight tilt of his head, he indicated the door. Understanding flared in Kurt's eyes and he nodded once.

He asked for the check and when the girl brought it, she looked a little surprised that Kurt was paying for dinner. When she'd taken care of it and come back with both the card and the receipt, she gave Noah a little wink, thinking the two men clearly weren't on a date if Kurt was paying for dinner. He rolled his eyes as Noah showed her his sexy smirk and watched as interest flared in her eyes.

However, Noah turned from her when Kurt rose and then he looked at the girl, shrugged as if he had to leave but was doing so reluctantly and strolled out behind Kurt.

"Whew, there's a lot on offer back there," he commented as he stepped off the boardwalk onto the hard-packed dirt of the parking lot. He watched Kurt whose purposeful stride made Noah's eyes go once more to his backside. Boy, Kurt always could fill out his jeans well, he remembered from high school.

Kurt made a scoffing sound and glanced over his shoulders as he unlocked the car electronically. "Nah, there's nothing special back there, in my opinion," he threw over his shoulder and slid behind the wheel. As he buckled up he eyed Noah, admiring the way his muscles strained the material of his black shirt.

Noah finally clicked his seatbelt locked and looked at Kurt and agreed. "Yeah, you're right, nothing special." His eyes were dark as he lounged back in the seat, tilting his head back in a way that was pure invitation.

Kurt's eyes lingered on his mouth, noting the fullness of his bottom lip and then suddenly he was unlocking his seatbelt and surging across the centre console. His mouth landed gently on Noah's but the kiss was fierce and sweet. Noah parted his lips for Kurt's questing tongue and he groaned, lifting one hand to hold Kurt's face close.

The sound of a passing vehicle brought them back from the kiss and they pulled apart, staring at each other. Noah licked his lips and Kurt pecked him a quick one before sitting back in his seat and buckling up again.

It was after nine already and Kurt knew that Noah had a baby sitter who needed to get home so he reluctantly started up the car and pulled out. They headed back to Noah's place in near silence, Kurt's mind on the fact that the kiss was way too short and he definitely missed the feel of Noah's body on his.


There was a slight but definite sexual tension in the car by the time they got back to the condo and when Kurt pulled into a vacant parking spot, they both unlocked their seatbelts. Noah didn't wait this time; he simply reached for Kurt and hauled him into his lap. It was a tight fit but they were too hungry for each other to care.

Kurt groaned into Noah's mouth as he felt the other man's large hands kneading the muscles of his ass. The action made him grind down onto Noah's lap that was starting to show serious interest in the proceedings and both men groaned at the feeling.

Noah pulled his mouth away to nip at Kurt's collarbones that had been tempting him the whole night and Kurt felt over heated, as if he could just strip right there in his car. He threw his head back as Noah's insistent lips left damp sucking kisses on his neck and he ground down more into his lap.

"Oh, god, Kurt, I wish I could fuck you right here," Noah's voice came, hoarse and pained as his hips surged up under the weight of Kurt's ass. Kurt gasped, a low, strangled 'yes!' escaping him. Noah's hands roamed up from Kurt's butt and, longing to feel skin, he yanked his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. He slid his hands up his back, reveling in the feel of the hot, silky skin and then moved them back down to his ass again. Really, he did not know where to put his hands because he wanted them everywhere. Kurt squirming and grinding on him didn't help his clarity at all, either.

When they finally broke away, panting and with swollen lips, Kurt noticed how fogged up the car's windows were and started laughing. Noah noticed too when he looked up and joined him, shaking his head at their antics.

"Oh, god, we're both 17 again," Kurt chuckled. He wasn't doing stuff like this at 17, though, but it wasn't because he hadn't wanted to. He simply hadn't had the opportunity, due to a serious shortage of out and proud gay teens. He shifted off of Noah reluctantly and watched, breathing hard, as the other man fixed his clothes.

Finally, Noah looked over at him, his reluctance to leave plain to see and Kurt leaned forward to run a soft hand down his cheek. "I'll see you and Judith tomorrow?" His voice was soft and slightly hoarse and Noah closed his eyes against the pull. He just wanted to sink in, to surround himself with Kurt and wake up with him every day.

He nodded though, smiling softly. "You're taking your life in your hands by taking that kid shopping, y'know. Don't say you weren't warned."

Kurt chuckled, his eyes roving over Noah's face but he shook his head. "Hey, champion shopper, here. I can handle one five-year-old!"

They laughed softly and then Noah leaned in for one quick kiss before pulling back and exiting the car. "Sweet dreams, beautiful, and I'll call you in the morning."

Kurt waved and watched him walk into his building before he started up the car and headed for home. He couldn't get rid of the little smile that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on his face and he shook his head at himself.

The more time he spent with Noah, yes and with Judith, too, the more he felt like he was closer to saying the words to the handsome, amazing man who clearly loved him. He hadn't been annoyed with him over the Daria situation so much as he was just really pissed off with her ways.

The smile faded a bit as he thought about the woman and her pushiness but for once he was not going to let anyone get in the way of someone he wanted. Especially when the feelings were mutual, there was no way he was letting Noah slip through his fingers. Ohio mightn't recognize their union but one day he was going to put a ring on that.

With that thought he burst out laughing, wondering when his life had turned into a series of old music videos. Ring on it, indeed.

.

TBC

.

A/N: Steve Holy did the first known recording of 'Good Morning, Beautiful' and I really don't know if he wrote it. I love the song, no matter who sings it.

PLEASE REVIEW!