To Win a Rebel

Chapter Eleven

“Maybe I should be the villain?” Molly asked, wriggling in the costume. Nate must have purchased a size too small, because it was hard for her to move. There was no way this could even be called a costume. She refused to believe it was anything of the sort. It hit mid-thigh and the jacket didn’t even close, so most of her breasts were on display. She wore a bra, and the costume itself also had a built-in bra, but it was still indecent. She was pretty sure her ass was on show as well. The pair of glasses Nate gave her did not do anything to cover her body. “Seriously?”

“You’re sexy and this is what tonight is supposed to be about.”

“And you’re in what? Leathers? You look like a sexy biker, like from a gang or something.”

“And trust me, this is the look I am going for.” He looked toward her and winked. “Are you loving it?”

She stepped toward him, and then wrapped the cuff around his wrist, before securing it to her own. “Yeah, I am.”

“Should I toss the keys?” Nate asked.

“No, no, don’t. Just in case I have to go to the bathroom, and it’s not one of those unisex things, I’m not going to the bushes. Not happening.” She wrinkled her nose. “Do you think we should even go?”

“Yeah, we’re going.” He reached out for her and pulled her in close. “And you’re not getting out of it. Tonight is all about having fun. Me and you.”

“We could have fun at home?” she asked. “You, me, and I’ve got some more toys.”

Nate groaned. “And I would love to, but you’ve never been to a Halloween party, and it is now my mission to get you to one so you can have some fun. Stop distracting me, woman.” He pressed a kiss to her lips.

She had hoped he would get distracted by the kiss, but nope. Nate was focused.

Grabbing her key, she didn’t bother with a purse, as Nate had told her to leave it. She didn’t know how they were supposed to pay for drinks, but he’d gone to more parties than she had.

They stepped out of her front door. There were no little kids around going trick-or-treating, and she’d been out of candy as the last child came to her door. Now, it was time for the parents to have their fun.

Molly tried to hide the fact she was freezing as they made their way toward the town hall. Nate must have noticed as he tried to remove his jacket, only for it to get caught by the cuffs. He flicked the catch of them, and then draped his jacket across her shoulders.

“You’re going to get cold.”

“Nah, I’m fine.” He took hold of her hand, and she fell a little more in love with him in that second.

They arrived at the town hall, and the moment they stepped through, it had gotten warm, so Molly gave him the jacket back, but he shook his head.

“Keep it, just in case you get cold.” He still held her hand.

Spooky music was playing, and people were already on the dance floor. She loved the costumes. Some people were dressed up as celebrities, and there were a lot of ghouls and monsters, as well as a lot of sexy costumes. Molly was not the only cop, but she was the only one attached to a villain.

Nate put the cuffs back around his wrist, and they made their way to the bar. “Tell me, drink or dance first?”

Did she want to get a little courage first to be able to dance?

“Drink,” she said.

She’d not been good with lots of alcohol—even though she did have a bottle of beer on their first date—but maybe one glass would help calm her nerves. Nate ordered them a drink, and seconds later, he placed it in her hand. She smiled at him and then took a sip. It tasted fruity, but she knew it had the strong stuff.

“Come on, let’s show you everything.”

Several people stopped them, complimenting their costumes. Molly was pretty sure her chest was lingered upon, which she didn’t like, but she also wasn’t going to scream at the rudeness of people.

This was a party to have lots of fun, and that was exactly what she intended to do. They saw Randy and Bethany, and they stopped and talked to them. The couple were dressed as angels, which she found adorable.

“Randy’s idea,” Bethany said. “He believes with the monsters we put up with, we’re a couple of angels.”

With that explanation, Molly couldn’t help but laugh, as it did sound so true.

“You asked?” Randy asked.

Molly looked from Randy to Nate, and then she was moved on quite quickly. “I thought we were going to be hanging out with them?”

“We will, but let them, you know, mingle, while they’re alone. You and I are going to dance.”

She had no choice but to laugh as he spun her around and led her onto the dance floor. He seemed to be acting like a crazy person, but the moment they were on the floor, he pulled her into his arms.

It was like he’d bribed the DJ, as the number went slow and spooky. Nate pulled her into his arms, and she tilted her head back to look at him.

“Are you having fun?” he asked.

“Yeah, I am. What was Randy talking about? What do you need to tell me?” Molly asked.

“Soon,” he said.

“Is it bad?”

“It’s not bad.”

“Is it good?”

“I think it is,” he said.

She chuckled, but that didn’t help abate her nerves. Was he going to break up with her? Is that what this was?

Molly rested her head against his chest as the song kept playing. She didn’t know how she felt at the thought of him wanting to break up. She tried to scramble her thoughts, to find any kind of indication he was done with her.

Shut up, Molly.

She tried to calm her thoughts. While she’d been on the verge of telling him she loved him, it would seem Nate was ready to call it a day.

****

The cuff dangled from Nate’s wrist as he looked over the buffet table. It all looked delicious, just as it did every year. The local bakery and diner worked together to create an endless supply of spooky concoctions. Sausage mummies, a coffee cheese spread, complete with disposable spoons so no one double dipped. Mummy hair with spaghetti. There were labels titling each item, and then underneath a small description of what they were.

All looked delicious.

With two plates in his hands, he was about to take an assortment of food. He and Molly were starving.

“Well, hello, handsome,” Rachael said.

Before he even knew what was happening, the plates were pulled out of his hands, and he didn’t have time to react as she pressed him up against the wall.

“What the fuck?”

Women had attacked him in the past, but he’d also been drunk, and he’d been single. He was trying to find the right time to propose to Molly, and Randy, with his stupid big mouth, might have spoiled it.

He knew Molly was nervous about what he wanted to talk about. Fuck, he wanted to propose to her in an elaborate, story-worthy way. He wanted her to think about her books, and in all honesty, he wanted to put them to shame in how he proposed.

“You’re playing hard to get, I can understand that. You want me to chase you.”

He put his hands on Rachael’s shoulders, and he wished he could smell alcohol on her breath, but there was not a damn thing wrong with this woman, other than she clearly couldn’t accept he was with another woman.

“Stop,” Nate said. “I’m not playing hard to get. I don’t want you. I never wanted you.”

“Please, you and I both know it makes sense, you and I being together. Not you and that fat little bitch.”

“Do not ever call her that!” Nate growled out each word, feeling the anger fill his body. They had already started to gain an audience, and then Rachael suddenly screamed as she was jerked away.

“Yeah, do not ever call me that again, and next time, don’t attack my man. Nate doesn’t want you,” Molly said. “Get it through your head, there are plenty of other men out there. Stop chasing after mine.”

There was silence and Nate realized that the music had been turned off. Molly jerked as a round of applause ensued.

Nate looked around to see a lot of people had witnessed this.

“I’m going to sue you,” Rachael said, suddenly getting to her feet and glaring at her. “For assault.”

“You do that, I will do the same to you, and let’s talk about the harassment as well,” Nate said. “You think I won’t? Come after my woman, and I’ll make you pay.”

There were a lot of cheers. Rachael had upset a lot of men and women in town. No one was on her side, with how she’d treated everyone. Seeing that she was not going to win this, she scrambled out of the room, and Molly turned toward him as the music started to play.

Nate cupped her cheeks. “Thank you.”

“What’s this?” Molly asked, holding up the velvet box. “I was waiting in line for the bathroom, and I got cold, and so I shoved my hands in my pockets, and I found this, and I … what is this?”

Nate took the engagement ring from her and lowered to one knee.

Bethany and Randy were close by, and he reached for Molly’s hand.

“I want to marry you, Molly. Shit, fuck, that is not what I meant to say. I love you. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I didn’t think I deserved you. You’re a special kind of woman, Molly. The kind of woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Will you marry me?” He had been practicing his speech for a long time, and he didn’t even use it. It had failed him.

“You’re not breaking up with me?” Molly asked.

“Breaking up with you? Why would I do that? I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. I want to grow old with you, have lots of kids, but in time. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Molly didn’t answer, but cupped his face and kissed him.

Nate wasn’t sure if this was a yes, but he had a feeling it might be.

“Is that a yes?” Nate asked, when she broke the kiss.

“Yeah, it’s a yes, because, Nate Sinclair, I love you more than anything in the world, and I have for quite some time.”

And now, there was a different kind of applause, as he slid the engagement ring on her finger, wrapped his arms around her waist, and then spun her around the room, knowing she had just made him the luckiest man in the whole freaking room.