The Heart of the Jungle, стр. 56

Gritting his teeth, Chris approached. Brunner held his hands behind his back and strapped them tightly together.

"You're cutting off my circulation," Chris complained.

"Good," Brunner replied, cinching the belt even more firmly. "I won't have to worry about it coming loose."

When he was satisfied that Chris was securely bound, he leaned in close from behind. His hands roamed over Chris's body. Chris tried to ignore the bile rising in his throat at the violation of Brunner's hands touching him. He'd already endured this examination once before, so he couldn't imagine what Brunner thought he might find.

Brunner leaned forward and breathed into his ear. Chris wrenched away from the offensive invasion and was jerked roughly back. He gasped as he was pulled tightly into Brunner's hard, muscled body.

"I thought I wasn't your type," he said through gritted teeth.

"I lied," Brunner whispered into his ear.

Chris's heart raced. Oh no. Not this. Please, not this. He was sickened by the thought of Brunner's touch. The man's breath was hot upon his cheek, and one arm squeezed his chest tightly.

"I get off on the S&M stuff, you know." Brunner nipped Chris's neck.

Chris trembled, and tears stung the corners of his eyes. Trussed and physically inferior, he was powerless to stop whatever Brunner unleashed upon him.

"Are you afraid?" Brunner asked.

Chris did not respond. He tried to keep himself rigid, to still the trembling that belied his mounting panic, but it was no use.

Brunner whipped him around and backhanded him, lust adding force to the blow. Chris's knees buckled, and he went down. As Chris knelt, his battered face stung painfully. Brunner thrust his groin forward and rubbed against him. "Are you afraid?" he asked again. The big man's breathing was heavy and labored. His erection pressed deeply into Chris's cheek.

Chris was so revolted by this assault, he was sure he was going to throw up. In spite of his disgust, though, he stubbornly refused to respond. He would not give this monster the satisfaction.

Brunner hauled him to his feet. He crushed his lips to Chris's, biting down hard and drawing blood. Chris gagged as Brunner forced his tongue, snakelike, into his mouth.

Impassioned, Brunner entwined his fingers in Chris's hair. He gave a hard tug, jerking Chris's head backward. Chris felt him fumble, and a moment later, the barrel of a gun was thrust into the tender flesh beneath his jaw. Brunner cocked the hammer. Chris could no longer contain his fear. He whimpered, overcome, the façade of stoicism crumbling at his feet. Brunner's offensive desecration of his body was one thing. The threat of a painful death was quite another. Now he could admit he was afraid.

Brunner laughed evilly and shoved the gun more deeply into his flesh. "Are. You. Afraid?" he asked, every word clipped and hard.

Chris tried to speak but could not. Instead, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"What was that?" Brunner asked, his lips a hairsbreadth from Chris's ear.

"Y-yes," Chris finally managed.

Brunner gave him a hard shove. Chris stumbled and fell onto the bed with Brianna. As he landed next to her, she was startled awake and began to cry. He wriggled close to her and hovered protectively as Brunner loomed over them with an imperious sneer on his face.

Brunner holstered his weapon and said, "If you were contemplating escape, remember what just happened to you. Imagine how much worse it will be if I am truly aroused. That and the belt should keep you from doing anything stupid." Brunner stared down at him, allowing the words to sink in. When he was satisfied that he had made his point, he knelt down and removed Chris's shoes, tossed them over to the other side of the room, and pointed toward the pillow. "Sleep," he commanded, then turned and walked into the bathroom.

Chris rolled toward Brianna and shushed her, trying to keep her calm. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he fought against tears as she clung to him. Trussed as he was, he could not hold her or offer any more comfort than the closeness of his body and gentle words. He trembled and his stomach churned. He felt sick. The belt dug cruelly into his wrists, and he cringed as he tested the bonds.

After a time, Brianna's tears quieted, and snuggling close to Chris, she fell back to sleep. He watched her for a long while. How he had ached to look upon that tousled red hair, that angelic face again. But not like this... never like this. A cold knot of helpless dread formed in the pit of his stomach. Brianna knew nothing of the terrible danger that faced them---danger that seemed far more real now than it had before. How had he ever thought he was any kind of match for Brunner? The man was a veteran criminal, violent, ruthless, and completely without remorse.

What was more, he was physically powerful. Chris was outclassed. The repulsive assault had proven as much. He was just not equipped to match the man's cunning or sheer bulk.

What had he done? Why had he allowed his temper to guide him directly into the arms of danger? He had put both his daughter and himself in dire jeopardy with his recklessness.

If only he'd been more rational, he might never have pushed Jason to say the things he'd said---and they'd been true, after all. That was what hurt the most.

He was a coward. His feelings for Jason Kingsley terrified him.

The yearning that no other save Jason could satisfy, the intense longing and the filling of the emptiness he hadn't known existed---these needs, so long denied, were dangerous.

He'd lost everything more than once, and each time the pain of it had nearly destroyed him.

I'm a coward. This time, he thought, looking at Brianna, he wasn't the only one who would pay the price.

What had he done? Oh, what had he done?