Vegas Ruby🥀 | Taennie ff |

Chapter 12

"The dark parts of you never scared me. But the dark parts of myself that you created do."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Taehyung

Just like I had every day, I got up at six in the morning and grabbed my swim trunks. Ruby stirred behind me, so I moved into the bathroom to change. I was wearing briefs at night for her benefit, and it seemed to have decreased her anxiety around me. She was still wary in bed with me. I wasn't sure why she thought the bed was a particularly dangerous place. If I wanted to fuck her, I could just as well do it in the living room or any other room in the house.

Upon returning to the bedroom, Ruby was propped up against the headboard, the covers gathered around her waist, her dark hair sticking out all over the place. Her slender shoulders and arms were on display, and her thin nightgown did little to hide the outline of her nipples. My body definitely wanted to lay claim on her, but it would have given me little satisfaction having her terror-stricken, crying body under mine.

"Good morning," she said in a slightly deeper voice, which added to her sexual appeal. I could feel a traitorous stirring in my cock but suppressed it quickly.

"I'm heading out for my morning swim. Once I'm done, we can leave. I want to show you the city as promised, and early in the morning it's less crowded."

She nodded. "I'll get ready." My eyes lingered on the swell of her breasts. Then I turned and left. The cold water would do me good.

She was quiet beside me as I drove us down the Strip. It was where every Las Vegas tour should start, but my favorite places were on the fringes, especially the canyons and creeks. Ruby's eyes were drawn to the spectacular hotels lining the street on both sides, but she didn't look that impressed. "You don't enjoy the tour?" I asked.

She shook her head quickly. "It's fascinating, but I'm not the city type. I prefer landscapes and tranquility."

"Then we'll change our plans." I turned the car and headed out of the city boundaries and toward the Red Rock Canyon.

Ruby's eyes grew wide when the glowing red rock formations rose up around us.

"This is a place I like to visit when I'm in the mood for rock climbing."

"You climb?" she asked.

"Climb and hike. It's a good workout with the added bonus of being in nature." I steered us along the scenic loop drive but eventually stopped at a high point lookout. Ruby and I got out and sat down on one of the benches there. She was silent as she regarded the multi-colored mountains around us. Her expression was as peaceful as it had been when she'd played the piano. No fear or tension or worry.

"Beautiful," she whispered.

"It is," I agreed, looking directly at her.

She turned to me and smiled. "Thanks for taking me here. I prefer it to the city."

"I come as often as I can, which isn't very often. Now that we're about to attack the Outfit, there will be even less time. There's always a fight to win, an enemy to hunt down, or a city to win over or defend."

She pursed her lips. "Isn't it tiring to fight all the time? You fought for years to win your territory back, right?"

"We did. After our half-brother killed our father, Las Vegas was in shambles. Without a strong Capo, every Underboss in the West decided to do as he pleased. They didn't follow Vegas' lead because there was a new Capo in the city every few months."