Break Me

Date?

It had been a month since Emilia came to Ireland. Her family still called everyday wondering how she was. She told them great, enjoying her life, and having fun. Which was all true. She was an A honor roll student, she had friends, and even more important she could almost say she had her first boyfriend. Not that she told her father or brother's this.

They'd freak and assume that meant she was going back on how she was raised. Somehow her father had convinced Javier she was just inserting her independence and wouldn't make it through the year. That she'd be crawling back to him, and that boosted Javier's ego enough to call her.

They talked for five minutes with him cockily stating he'd take her back when she was ready to be his wife. Until then he told her he'd be having fun with some of his girlfriends from the hospital. Emilia had promptly told him to do whatever he wanted and that she didn't care.

She then blocked him from calling her again.

Emilia looked up as her friend Blair came into the room, "Hey, some of us are going pub hopping after class. You should come!" Emilia blushed, "Me and Carter are going to check out this art exhibition together." Blair smiled widely, like Emilia, Blair didn't know or care what Carter did in his past and thought he was great. She encouraged Emilia to continue talking to him. "Oooooh a date huh?" Emilia turned even redder in the cheeks, "No! It's just two friends going to the same place that they found out were going to go separately on coincidence."

Blair smirked, "Yeah you two have the hots for each other. Which is so cute! I bet Carter is a beast!" Emilia blushed so much she thought she was at risk for a nose bleed. She had been innocently thinking of Carter before, but one day when they all went down to the beach and he whipped out of his shirt all those thoughts were tarnished.

Carter was sculpted with muscles, abs, and tattoos. He represented everything her father didn't want for her. He worked in a bar, he had tattoos, and a criminal record. But for some odd reason Emilia liked him even more.

She hadn't asked or cared why Carter had a record and she didn't plan on asking. She was okay with him keeping that a secret. It couldn't be something he was okay with broadcasting and as his friend she didn't think she had a right to demand an explanation from him.

After class on Friday, Emilia ignored Cindy trying to get her attention and quickly tried to find Carter. Ever since Cindy realized Emilia hadn't headed her warning about Carter she'd been trying to put more s**t in her head.

But Emilia wasn't naive or stupid, she knew that whatever had happened between Cindy and Carter he had been the one to end it. Which of course is why Cindy was lurking around trying to throw stones at him and Emilia. But Emilia was smarter than Cindy and knew not to let his past dictate his future.

Their friendship.

Walking to the parking lot, Emilia found Carter by his solid black Camaro and grinned, "Hey!" Emilia ran and gave Carter a hug who hugged her back happily. Carter enjoyed their hugs more than he had enjoyed anything else, with anyone else.

Opening her door for her, Carter looked up seeing Cindy glaring at them while standing beside his cousin. Both had spent the month hounding him from hanging with Emilia. Marcellus was jealous because he had wanted Emilia and Cindy was jealous because she wanted him. It was just their luck that the people they wanted, wanted each other. Rolling his eyes at them, Carter got into the car and smiled at his little friend excited, "You ready for this?"

As Carter drove them to the exhibit, Emilia and Carter talked non stop. They were laughing and talking before they got there and walked around the exhibit holding hands the entire time. It had surprised Carter when Emilia had reached for his hand not to lose him in the large exhibit. When her cool, small fingers linked with his larger calloused hand Carter had looked back at her with a big smile.

When they had raved and admired the pictures in the show for a couple hours they went to his Uncle Nicholas bar and got dinner. Emilia was eating her burger and enjoying Carter's conversation when Nicholas walked over, "Hello Nic." She had first felt awkward calling an adult by his first name but he had insisted until she caved.

Nicholas winked at her and then smiled down at his nephew, "Hey son have you seen Marcellus? He was supposed to close up with me." Carter's face showed his irritation with his cousin as he said, "No, but I'll stay uncle." Nicholas shook his head, "No it's okay, I'll call in Paddy. He needs the extra time. If you see that asshole cousin of yours, tell him he's on my s**t list would you?"

Carter agreed and they both watched Nicholas go behind the bar. "Marcellus is an ass." Emilia commented looking at the handsome older man. "If I had a father like him I'd never treat him so poorly." Carter nodded in amen, "Exactly! I didn't even know my dad and he treats his like crap. With everything Nicholas does for him!"

Emilia looked at her friend concerned, "You never met your father?" Carter shook his head, "No, I didn't. My mother...she didn't know who he was and then she died. When I was thirteen I was moved here to live with her mother. She died when I was sixteen so Nicholas took me in." Emilia reached for Carter's hand, "I'm so sorry Carter." Carter looked into the sincere brown eyes that seemed to peer into his soul.

They made him want to come clean about everything. The sweet doe eyes attached to the beautiful, sexy female making him wish for more. "I'm actually-." The door suddenly slammed closed and they both looked up to see Cindy draped on Marcellus with another female. The three of them scowled at the couple holding hands. Marcellus stumbled to them and started to say something foul, but then his father appeared. "Oh so you finally show?"

Marcellus turned to him, "Sorry pops, I was-." Nicholas turned and looked at Cindy and the other girl drunkenly talking. They stood by the door partially hidden by the shadow from the busted light over their heads. "Oh I can see quite clearly what you were doing. How about you just go home. You have a game tomorrow." Marcellus scowled at his father but didn't argue. He took Cindy and the other girl with him, but not before throwing Emilia and Carter a nasty look.

When he was gone, Emilia softly looked at Carter, "Hey, you promised me a tour of your art studio! When can I see more of your work?" Carter looked away from where his drunk ex and dumb cousin had went to and smiled, "I did didn't I? Come on." They waved bye to Uncle Nicholas and Paddy who was now manning the bar with him.

"Bye kids be safe!" He yelled out as they left out into the fall Dublin air. It was crisp and cold, but felt pleasant at the same time.

Carter drove Emilia to his loft an hour away from the campus and when they walked on the first floor, he turned on the light. Emilia gasped seeing his paintings, sculptures, and drawings. She walked through the room obsessing over his talent, "Oh my god! You're so good! You should be in a museum yourself!" Carter blushed, "Thanks love." Emilia turned to him and smiled widely, "Are you blushing?" Carter shook his head, "No." Emilia smirked, "You so are!"

Carter caught her by the waist making her breath hitch, "So what if I am?" Emilia looked up into the intense blue eyes, and as her fingers on their own accord, gently touched Carter's abs. Carter's eyes seemed to darken like storm clouds and just when he thought he was going to finally get his chance to shoot his shot, the door bell rung.

Pulling away quickly with burning cheeks, Emilia looked away as he rushed to his door. Opening the door, Carter looked to see Aidan looking at him amused. Closing the door behind him, Carter hissed, "What do you want?" Aidan smiled, "Come now don't be like that cousin. How are you?" Carter huffed, "Tired of you and everyone else thinking it's cool they can show up to my place. Go away and stay away, did I not make that clear?"

Aidan whistled, "That's a lot of hostility cuz-o. Is it because of the hot little American in your place? Does she not like this part of your blood line?" Carter scowled at him, "I don't have another blood line. Look just piss off, whatever you want I don't have." Aidan smirked, "On the contrary, you do." Carter looked at him annoyed as his cousin casually leaned back and began smoking a cigarette, "Uncle is getting out of jail. He's coming home soon." Carter looked at Aidan and saw he was being honest, "Fine. Tell him thanks for s**t and he's psycho."

With that Carter went into the house. Before he could slam the door Aidan slammed his foot in the doorway. "Come on, he just wants to see you!" Carter scowled at Aidan, "And I said no!"

Carter moved Aidan's foot and closed the door. Locking it behind him, Carter walked back into the first floor studio but it was empty. Looking up the stairs he saw his apartment light on and walked up. Seeing Emilia had kicked off her heels and was walking around his apartment, his jacket still draped over her shoulders, did something to him.

Carter smiled a little and whispered,"Took this as an opportunity to snoop?" Emilia looked up from his music collection and smiled, "Only to find out you can cook, have excellent taste in music, and clean up your place without needing to be told." Emilia turned to him and looked at him with mock suspicious eyes, "So what's the catch?"

Confused Carter asked, "Meaning?" Emilia snorted as she walked around Carter's living room, "A college man with a job, but no beer bottles, no half naked girls running around, no empty pizza boxes even. So why single? With a resume like that you should have your pick of girls." Emilia looked him over, "And considering I know you, I can say that unbiased."

Carter felt himself heat up at Emilia's look over and smiled, "I guess I am just not everyone's type." Emilia smiled,"I've seen you with your shirt off, you're everyone's type Carter." Carter laughed, "Oh and what about you?" Emilia looked at him confused, "What?" Carter shrugged, "Don't think I don't know Freddy O' Brian and Oliver Massey asked you out. You said no, but you're okay with hanging out with me. Why is that?" Emilia hummed embarrassed, "Okay so I haven't been completely honest about myself I can admit."

'I haven't either love, no hate here.' Carter thought. But Emilia sat on his couch thinking. "I...was raised in a very sheltered home. My father refused to let me go and do anything. I was homeschooled up into college and they refused to let me go anywhere, do anything without them. This is my first taste of freedom in my life."

Carter stared at her shocked, "Yeah it was pretty messed up. But I learned from it, grew from it, but I do know a bad guy from a good guy. And while Freddy and Oliver weren't bad, I knew I didn't feel for them like how I feel for you." Carter looked at her hopefully as she rose from the couch and approached him slowly. Carter caught her by the chin and rose her face up to his. "I was hoping you'd say that." Carter then pressed a kissed to Emilia's awaiting mouth. Emilia moaned in shock as an electric current seemed to rush through her.

Gasping, Emilia moaned again as Carter's tongue coaxed hers out to play. They stood in his apartment, making out with a fiery eagerness that left them light headed. When they pulled away, they rested their foreheads against each other. Panting both smiled at each other widely.

As they began to discuss the change in the air, a car that had been sitting in waiting cranked up. As it's driver pulled out, angrily, another car watched them go confused.