Fight for You

Chapter Four

Avery

“What is this place?” I asked as we climbed out of Troy's truck and I saw the words ‘Air Time’ across the building we were walking towards. I'd never seen it before, as it was outside of city limits, and I was generally too busy with school to explore. Before meeting Troy, I typically spent my evenings studying or lost in a book.

But he had definitely broadened my horizons and livened up my days. Over the past three weeks, my gorgeous, amazing boyfriend (oh, how I loved that title, which I slipped up and used on our second date, but Troy loved it, so I used it every chance I got) had taken me to dinner, movies, and my favorite, walks in the park.

We both loved strolling by the lake and taking in the fall colors of the trees. They were even more beautiful with Troy by my side. Everything was. I'd never been happier in my life. He treated me with respect and kindness. He listened intently when I prattled on about math and codes. He showed patience and pride as he continued to teach me fighting techniques. He always made sure I ate before our lessons, and cheered me on during them.

But the most wonderful thing of all, if I had to only choose one, was how thoughtful and gentle he was when it came to intimacy. Troy was satisfied with taking baby steps with me. We kissed a lot, and even worked up to frotting together and some touching. The first time I grinded against his long, thick cock, I began to spiral, but Troy talked me down, easing me into a better head space with calm, sweet words.

For the first time since my step dad hurt me, I was thinking about sex in a positive light; even with hope in my heart. It was something I wanted to try again; but only with Troy. His patience and care had made me comfortable enough to consider it.

Plus, I trusted that if we tried and I wasn’t able to, he wouldn’t get mad at or resent me. I trusted him with my feelings. I was falling hard and fast for the guy. That also increased my sexual appetite; I loved him, and I wanted to share that love with him in every way. When the time was right, and he felt the same things for me, I was ready to try.

“You’ll see,” Troy answered as he opened the door to the building. He was such a gentleman, always opening doors and pulling out my chair. “I think this place will be a lot of fun. If you like it, we can come back often; it’ll help increase your endurance.”

I was doing well with my defense training. I was picking up the moves quickly and learning the techniques. My main problem was that I got tired easily. I wasn’t used to a lot of exercise, and it didn’t take much to tucker my body out.

We walked inside and I smiled at the sight of wall to wall trampolines. Hell, there were even some on the walls, which kids were throwing themselves onto before landing on the bouncy floor. The place was full of mostly children, although there were a few adults (including us). Troy didn’t seem to mind, though; he was examining the place with an excited grin.

That was another thing I loved about him; he had an adventurous spirit and wasn’t afraid of judgment about things he wanted to do. He jumped into life with both feet and didn’t waste time on what other people thought.

“What do you think?” he asked, turning his attention to me.

“I think it looks like a blast.”

He beamed through a, “Great!”, before pressing a kiss to my temple. He never shied away from showing me affection. At first, it took some getting used to; I’d hidden my actions away from prying eyes for a long time. But I felt safe with Troy. He would protect me from anyone, in any situation. “I’ll go get our tickets.”

Troy paid for our entry, as usual. I never expected him to cover all of our expenses, but I appreciated it so much. All of my time was consumed by full time classes, so I wasn’t able to hold down a job. I received a full-ride scholarship to college due to my grades in high school, and I was living off of the surplus, after courses and books were paid for.

We stopped at a row of shelves to remove our shoes, and Troy emptied his phone and keys from his pockets. “Shall we?”

“Let’s do it.”

He held my hand to help me keep balanced as we walked out onto the trampolines. The mat was springy beneath my feet, and I chuckled at the way it dipped much lower beneath Troy.

“I double checked for a weight limit before we came,” he admitted with a smirk. “I wanted to make sure my big ass wouldn’t rip these things.”

“I love your big ass.”

A laugh rumbled deep in his chest, but just as he leaned in to thank me with a kiss, the trampoline shifted as someone else jumped onto it with us. I got knocked off balance, and fell onto my butt just as I saw a cute, curly-haired kid bounce past us in a blur.

“Brady, be careful!” a voice called out. Troy helped me onto my feet just as a tall, handsome man appeared before us. “I’m so sorry; my son is a wild child. Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m just fine,” I chuckled. “I’m glad he’s having fun.”

“Daddy, come on!” Brady yelled from the distance, where he stood next to another handsome man, with matching curls.

“Duty calls,” the man said with a smile. “Have a good day, guys.”

“You too,” Troy and I both answered as he bounced away and scooped up his son, holding him upside down as the little boy squealed with delight.

“Cute kid,” Troy said, and I nodded my agreement. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow in question. “Do you want kids?”

Over the past few weeks, we’d discussed everything from our favorite things to our future career and life goals, but we hadn’t broached the subject of children. But I was happy he asked; I wanted to discuss everything with him.

“I do one day,” I answered with a shrug, making him smile. “I want to be secure in a good career and relationship, but then I would love to adopt a little one and give them the best life possible.” I wanted to shower a child in need with all the love I never felt.

“That’s beautiful, and I feel the same way.” He bumped my shoulder with his. “You’ll be a great dad one day.”

“So will you.” Troy had the confidence, strength, and compassion that any child would be lucky to have on their side. “Come on, let’s jump!” Plus, he liked to visit trampoline parks.

He moved to the trampoline next to me, worried that if he jumped on the same one, he’d send me flying into next week. It took a minute for me to get used to the sensation, but soon, I was bouncing like a pro.

It wasn’t long before we were trying to impress one another with tricks. I touched my toes mid-air, and then Troy executed a perfect front flip. I tried to do the same, and while I made the flip itself, I landed on my ass instead of my feet. He said it still looked good, though.

It didn’t take much time to realize what he was saying about increasing my endurance. My lungs and thighs burned, and my heart was racing. But, this was more fun than it was work, so it pushed me to keep going and enjoy myself.

Troy told me to count the lengths of my breaths to make them three seconds in through my nose, and the same out through my mouth. Focusing and counting helped keep my breathing pattern from going erratic. I would remember to apply the technique during my fighting lessons. He was one smart cookie.

After making sure there weren’t any small children on the trampolines ahead of us, Troy and I raced across them, jumping over the barriers between each bounce pad. He won each time, given the length and power of his legs.

“I can’t believe you didn’t let me win a single race,” I whined when we reached the end of the line for the last time.

“I'm sorry,” he told me with a fake pout. “Would a kiss make you feel better?”

“Definitely.”

He puckered for a moment, but when his lips morphed into a smirk, I knew I was in trouble. Troy leapt from his own trampoline and landed right next to me. I launched backward, squealing and flailing my arms, scared for my life until I made a soft landing in a pit full of foam squares. I sank quickly as they devoured me, and just as I began to fear again, a strong hand grabbed mine and pulled me free from their clutches. Troy laughed as he placed me on the mat next to the pit.

I tried to keep a fake angry face as I told him, “You're such an asshole,” but it didn't last long, and I dissolved into laughter as well.

“What's that? You want my asshole? Come get it, baby.” When I didn't laugh, Troy's smile disappeared. “I'm sorry, I was just kidding around. You know I'd never push or-”

“I know,” I cut him off. “I'm not upset. It's just…I've been thinking about it…a lot, actually, and…I think I'm ready; physically, at least.”

“Thank you for telling me, and I'm glad you're feeling comfortable with me. But I want you to be emotionally ready as well.”

He truly was the best. “I'm actually waiting until you're emotionally ready.” When he furrowed his brow, I explained, “I want to wait until you love me.”

“I respect that,” he replied with a nod, “But who says I don't love you?” My heart raced when he added, “Avery, I've been drawn to you from the moment we met. And as I've learned how sweet, smart, and strong you are, I've only fallen for you more. It's been hard to keep it to myself, but I didn't want you to feel pressured. But yes, Avery, I love you.”

“I love you too,” I answered quietly. Troy kissed my lips, not caring who saw. It, paired with his words, lit a fire in my belly. There was no longer a doubt in my mind that I was ready for the next step with him. “Maybe we should go to my place.”

Troy gave me a wicked smile. “We can do that, but first, I'm going to get you something to eat. You burned off a lot of sugar and calories and I want to make sure you're okay.” He always put my needs above his own. Oh yes, I loved this man.

I nodded my agreement and he helped me onto my feet. We stopped back at the shelves to put our shoes back on. “There's a cafe next door in this strip mall,” Troy said as he took my hand. “Want to eat there?” I nodded again. Whatever got us home sooner. He led me out to the sidewalk, but stopped and patted his pocket. “Shoot, I forgot my phone. I'll be right back.”

He hustled back into the building, and I looked at the yellow and white striped awning over the cafe next door, reading Blissful Bites. The place looked cute and cozy; through the window, I could see several round tables with white tablecloths.

“It figures your fruity ass would eat at a place like this,” a familiar but unwelcome voice said from behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned around to find Brant approaching, with Riley on his heels.

“Nah,” Riley chimed in with a chuckle. “He doesn't eat food; he just swallows cum all day. He's here searching for a dick to suck.”

“How charming,” I replied sarcastically. Their words didn't bother me; I'd lived through so much worse, so insults just rolled off my back.

“Are you trying to hit on me?” Riley asked with a disgusted look. “I'm not a cock gobbling fag like you.”

“How fucking stupid are you?” I snapped back. Okay, most of the time words rolled off my back. But these guys were too much. I was just minding my own business, and here they showed up trying to start trouble, disrespecting me and also insinuating I would ever try to make a pass at one of these shit goblins.

“What the fuck did you just say?” Brant spat, his face screwed up in anger. “I guess we need to teach you to watch your mouth.” They both stomped towards me, and I instinctively dropped into the defensive stance Troy taught me while Riley laughed.

“Are you serious? We’re gonna snap you like a twig.”

He and his crony flinched when from beside us boomed, “Get away from him.” This voice soothed my nerves and let me know everything was going to be okay. Troy wedged his body between me and my aggressors, who both did a double take at the sight of him. “I said step away.”

Riley puffed out his chest and drew himself to full height, which was still several inches shorter than Troy. “This has nothing to do with you, so you can step away.”

“This has everything to do with me,” Troy argued. “You’re harassing my boyfriend. So, you can either get the fuck out of here, or you can deal with me; your choice.”

I didn’t miss the way both of them grimaced at the word boyfriend; I’d seen that very look on my stepdad’s face. But luckily, probably due to Troy’s size and presence, they stood down. Brant nudged Riley and said, “Come on; these two ass lickers aren’t worth it.”

When they walked towards the sporting goods store next to the cafe, Troy took a step after them, but stopped when I put my hand on his back. “Don’t worry about them,” I implored. “ They’re not worth it.” I was positive Troy could rip them apart, and I didn’t want him getting in trouble. The duo had left, so I just wanted to get back to our day.

“Those are the two from school,” he gathered, and I nodded. “Will you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Have campus security walk you to your classes.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I tried to argue, but Troy remained stone faced.

“I do. I don’t trust those assholes. They stepped up on you in broad daylight where anyone could see. I’ll put a call into the college tomorrow and give them a heads up to watch out for these guys. I wish I could walk you to class myself, but I don’t want you to be in a position where they could catch you alone.”

His expression softened and he cupped my cheek in his palm. “I know you can kick ass if you need to, but it’s better to stay out of that situation entirely. I know I’m overprotective, but I love you, and I want to make sure you’re safe. Can you do this for me?”

I would feel silly making the request to security, but when he put it that way, it was impossible to deny him. “For you,” I replied with a nod, and he thanked me with a gentle kiss.

“Come on, sweetheart; you need to eat.”