Page 25 of Lawless in Leather

Luis was watching her with amusement in his eyes. He was obviously drawing the same sort of conclusions about her discomfort as Brady had.

Double damn. Or even worse words that she wasn’t going to let herself think because she might just start saying them out loud.

Swearing at Mal wasn’t exactly an option, either.

She turned back to Mal, who was waiting patiently. “Okay, you heard the man. I have five minutes.”

“You could just go now,” Luis said. “Mal and I can talk computer at each other and you won’t be bored stupid.”

“I speak geek,” Raina said. She’d had to learn it. Running a business was easier if you understood computers.

“This will be über-geek,” Luis said.

She frowned at him. He looked unrepentant. There was no graceful way to say Okay, but don’t tell this guy all my secrets, so she made a frustrated noise and said, “Fine. Mal, don’t keep him too long, we have a busy night ahead of us here, so Luis has plenty to do.”

“Understood,” Mal said. “I have to be on my way soon anyway.”

Thank goodness for that. One small thing that was going her way, at least.

“I could just send you a picture of the wings. Send it to all three of you,” she offered.

“Might as well look while I’m here.” The dimple in his cheek flashed again. “Go on, or Blue Hair will be reading you the riot act.”

“His name is Brady,” Raina said. “And he works for me.”

Luis snorted. “Don’t you always say that a wise dancer doesn’t piss off her choreographer?”

“Maybe. But who said I had to practice what I preach?”

Mal grinned at that. “Consistency builds morale.”

“Morale is just fine,” Raina said. “Everyone here gets to dress up in pretty things and have fun. It’s not a baseball club.”

“So I see,” Mal said. “Well, go have your fun then. I’ll come check out these wings after Luis and I have our conversation.”

There was no point standing here arguing with the man. He clearly wasn’t going to leave until he was good and ready, and she was going to be late for Brady. And that would just cause more drama.

She would give her right arm for a lack of drama right now.

And a lack of disturbingly attractive men damaging her calm.

Who would have thought that baseball would be so much trouble?

Raina had lost track of time when she noticed Mal standing at the back of the main room, behind the last row of tables, eyes fixed on her. She must have stiffened because Brady, who was doing something to the fit of the harness that held up the wings, made an annoyed sound.

“Stand still,” he muttered through his mouthful of pins.

“I am,” she said.

“No, you’re not,” he retorted. He pushed the wing forward and stuck his head out from behind it. “And now I see why. Mr. Tall Dark and Baseball is back.” He came all the way out from behind Raina and beckoned at Mal. “Come on down here, Mr. Coulter.”

“Call me Mal,” Mal replied. He started weaving his way through the tables toward the stage.

Raina watched his approach and suddenly felt severely underdressed. Which was dumb because she was actually wearing more clothes than she had been earlier. She still had her leggings and crop top on, but Brady had insisted she slip on a sparkly black shift dress that approximated the length of the angel outfits he had made to go with the wings.

Somehow wearing the scrap of silk and sequins made her feel naked. And then there were the wings themselves. The harness crossed between her breasts and the tightness of it and the weight of the wings forced her shoulders back so her boobs were front and center. She might as well have been striking a Playboy pose. She wasn’t exactly huge in the breast department but the combination was doing its best to highlight what she did have.

The wings, which on the Angels would come down just past their hips, almost reached her knees. Brady had made them to scale for one of the universally tall dancers they’d hired, not her. The black and pink feathers surrounded her on either side and arced up over her head.

---