Excerpt of Hell on Heels by J.A. Coffey

“Caroline, it’s important that you—” Stan started. His face was flushed, now that she could see him. Odd because they’d barely begun their workout. She’d say the dude needed to get in better physical shape, but the outline of his muscles rippling under his t-shirt belied that thought.

“I know, I know. I’m fine. I’m just excited about learning to use a gun.” Caroline lied. How could she admit she was finding herself becoming more and more attracted to him? No way in hell would she admit that… even to herself. The possibility was too risky. “Come at me again.”

She backed up to him again, grinding her teeth as her ass reconnected with his front. Stan inhaled sharply, but said nothing as he put his hands back into position around her. Caroline repeated the slow motion twist to force his hands to loosen.

“Okay, Lovebirds.” Allison nodded approvingly. Caroline felt her cheeks burning. Lovers? Never! Still the touch of his hands on her skin made her jumpy. “Good. Now you’ve broken his hold. Thread your right arm underneath his and reach up and grip your left wrist.” Dare maneuvered Caroline’s arm through Kendrick’s until she was wrapped around his limbs like a pretzel. “See? You’re already putting pressure on his elbow. Squeeze any tighter and he’ll be in a fair amount of agony.”

Experimentally, Caroline tightened her bicep and was rewarded with another sharp breath from the man at her back. That noise definitely registered as discomfort.

“Now, rotate my wrist downward and away. There,” Stan’s voice grew tight. “That’s good. I’m in a lot of pain. You should be able to break free and run for it.” His calm words contradicted what his body must be feeling. She knew she was hurting him.

“Okay,” she said, making no move to break the connection between them. Something in her wanted to hurt him a little, to make him pay for the hell he’d put Jess, Suze and her through over the past several years. For the lack of reaction to their physical proximity, despite his admission that she was exactly his type of woman.

But somehow that urge to make him suffer was replaced by an even stronger one, the one that told her to stay wrapped up in his arms, to lean against him and sigh. To let him have his way with her….

“I mean it, Caroline. Try to escape.” Stan’s strained voice broke into her thoughts.

“Oh, right.” She twisted his arm harder and his hold loosened enough for her to push free and jog a few steps away.

“Bravo.” Dare golf-clapped. “You got it. And that’s just one. Why don’t you let Loverboy there show you a few more moves and I’ll go set things up at the firing range.” Dare hobbled off muttering under her breath.

“Firing range?” Caroline felt a new sizzle of excitement, one that had nothing to do with being pressed against Kendrick’s incredible body. “I did good? I get to shoot something?”

“As long as it isn’t me,” Stan muttered. “Come here and let’s try that again, in real time.”

They practiced it a few more times, until both of them were red-faced and breathing heavily from the contact. Then Stan fished around in his back pocket, and with an unreadable expression introduced something new to her. Something that made her knees go weak for all the right reasons.

“One last thing. If someone wants to keep you tied up, they’ll probably use these.” He held up a pair of clear, plastic zip ties.

“Trash bag thingies?” she asked.

He chuckled. “These are soft cuffs. They’re portable restraints. Easy to carry and easy to hide as they don’t set off metal detectors. Cops and criminals alike have been using them for years.”

“I see.” She didn’t want to know why supposedly boring Stan Kendrick knew about soft cuffs.

He leaned forward, reaching around her to pin her wrists together while he explained how the mechanism worked. “So, the theory is the same as before. You want to create space around your body when they are trying to secure you, so you have room to break free. If they tie you, spread your wrists or ankles as apart as far as you can. Make the space fat, so when they zip you, there’s room to move later.”

“Okay.” It was hard to think when he was this close to her. He smelled like soap and pine trees and…leather. Leather made her think of all kinds of interesting things, so she swallowed hard and forced the fantasy away.

Stan paused. They were face-to-face and her hands were cuffed behind her. If he wanted to, he could lean down and kiss her. He could do whatever he wanted to her. She found her lips pursing as if anticipating his caress.

“You okay? I can’t be gentle with this demonstration. And if the cartel catches you, they sure won’t be.” Stan’s gaze never wavered, his hazel eyes locked on her in a way that had her shifting in her shoes. If not for the presence of his partner a few feet away, she’d be throwing herself at his feet.

Caroline exhaled slowly and nodded. “Gotcha.”

“You look good cuffed,” he said in a low voice. The closest thing to an admission that she was affecting him.

He took a step back, his gaze traveling leisurely down the length of her. She resisted the urge to inhale, her hands bound behind her already forced her breasts up high. She felt her nipples stiffen under his hot stare.

Stan’s throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Caroline, I…”

“Everything under control over there? She knows the drill?” Allison Dare hollered towards them.

“We’re fine.” Stan gritted over his shoulder at her. His eyes returned to her face, still burning with an emotion she didn’t dare name. “Everything’s under control.”