Page 29 of Lawless in Leather

That might be true but Raina had read the contracts before she’d signed up and she’d made sure the girls would still be paid a good chunk of their salary for the gig if the Angels did get canceled. Cheerleaders might get screwed over in some other sports, but she’d been determined that wasn’t going to happen on her watch.

Dancers worked damned hard and they deserved to be paid for their efforts.

“Alex Winters isn’t the type to give up easily,” she said, trying to sound reassuring.

“Let’s hope his partners agree,” Marly said. She hitched a shoulder. “Can you check my harness at the back? It feels like it’s twisted.”

“Sure, turn around.”

Marly did and Raina reached between the wings to run her fingers along the straps. One section had folded over; she smoothed it into place.

“There. All done.” She turned back from the wings and found herself face-to-chest with Malachi Coulter.

She’d avoided him since he’d come to the club. Since that kiss. It had been easy enough to do. Everything at the Saints had been frantically busy these last few crazy days, with no time for socializing. Just for wondering why he hadn’t come to find her.

But absence, it seemed, hadn’t made the body grow less fond. Her pulse went into double time. She stepped back and almost ran into Marly, who blocked her with a well-placed hand between her shoulder blades.

“Hello, Raina,” Mal said.

She tilted her head back to look at him. He wore a sharply cut dark suit—in the glaring light of the tunnel, she couldn’t tell if it was black or navy or a very dark gray—and a white shirt and a Saints tie. The suit outlined his shoulders and the long lines of his body with loving precision. His hair was, for once, tamed, combed back from his face, and he’d shaved the stubble he usually sported, leaving the strong clean angles of his face on display. And all those angles seemed to lead to his mouth. That delicious mouth that she’d been trying so hard not to think about.

The mouth smiled at her below brown eyes glinting with something that might have been him remembering their kiss, too.

Her mind went blank.

He’d looked pretty good in jeans and T-shirts. Dressed up, he was pushing all her buttons. Bad boy in good guy packaging.

“Um, hello,” she said when she remembered how to speak. “What are you doing down here?”

“Came to see that everything was okay.”

“We’re good,” she said. “Maggie came down to see us in the locker room.”

“And the guys went through the security stuff with all of you?”

She nodded. “Yes. Chen explained everything.”

Above them the crowd roared suddenly and she figured the inning had come to an end. Which meant any minute now she was going to get a cue and the Angels would be on.

“I think they’re about to play our song,” she said to Mal. “If you’ll excuse me?”

“You’re welcome to come up to the owners’ box, after,” he said.

“Thanks. Maggie already invited me.” She didn’t say that she’d tried to wriggle out of it as gracefully as possible—she’d figured that Mal might be there.

She looked at the dancers, who were starting to do the nervous little things that dancers did before they went on. Stretching and jogging in place and flexing hands and feet. Tugging at costumes and fussing at the tall white wings. Ana made her way up to the front of the tunnel and the rest of the squad lined up behind her.

“We’re about to go on,” Raina said, and Mal stepped back somewhat reluctantly. Raina made herself focus on the girls. “Okay, ladies. This is your big moment. So go out there and show them what an angel looks like, okay? Whatever happens, just smile and, for God’s sake don’t stop dancing.” God, she wished she could go out with them, but she couldn’t coach from the sidelines. No, she had to stay here in the mouth of the tunnel and let them do their thing.

“We’re good,” Marly said as she moved into her place behind Ana. “You go talk to the nice boss man some more.” She winked at Raina and flicked her blond curls back into place.

“I don’t need to talk to the boss man,” Raina said. “I’ve got you all to wrangle.”

“Everyone needs to talk to a tall drink of water like him,” Marly said.

“Well, then, feel free.”

“Sweetie, that man has barely looked at any of us the entire time we’ve been training. He does, however, do a lot of looking at you.”

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