Desire Me If You Can Chapter 25

The fist connected squarely with Grayson’s face, and his tall frame swayed violently. A few seconds of silence followed, and birds, startled by the unexpected noise, took flight all at once. Just as the sound of flapping wings began to fade, Grayson, who had staggered backward, slowly turned his head.

When his face came back into view, Dane hesitated for the first time. Deep purple eyes were emitting an eerie radiance. They flickered, tinting with gold, returning to purple, and then mixing with gold again, over and over.

“Puhahaha. Hehehehe.”

A sinister laugh leaked from Grayson’s lips. Simultaneously, an immense amount of pheromones erupted from his entire body. It was clearly overflowing from an uncontrollable level of intense excitement, regardless of his own will. Dane couldn’t help but get goosebumps and stepped back. He looked truly insane.

“Ahahahahaha, hahaha, hahahaha!”

He was laughing. As if he were so happy he might die. As proof, Grayson, who had shaken his body violently once, slowly but forcefully clenched both fists.

“Now, it’s self-defense.”

Following that, he launched his body forward with surprising speed. Right at Dane.

∞ ∞ ∞

More time had slipped away meaninglessly than expected. Wilkins looked back and forth between his wristwatch and the mountain, restless.

“Isn’t it taking too long?”

To someone’s remark, another replied.

“That’s what I’m saying. Even if we account for the longest possible time, they should have been back already.”

“And it’s strange for Dane to be this late, right? Nothing bad happened, I hope?”

“No way, would a firefighter need to be rescued by a firefighter? Especially when that firefighter is Dane?”

Amidst their fretting, Diandre anxiously gnawed on his thumbnail. A long time had passed since Dane and Grayson disappeared behind the mountain. Diandre had fully predicted that his request was being carried out there. The problem was that it was taking too long. What on earth was happening? Surely nothing had happened to Dane…?

He looked nervously in the direction they had disappeared, over and over. Nothing better have gone wrong.

∞ ∞ ∞

Bam! With a loud thud, Dane swayed heavily. “Ugh,” a startled groan escaped his lips. He had nearly tumbled down the slope. The incline was steep enough that even a casual glance down revealed a terrifyingly deep cliff. If he started rolling and couldn’t stop in time, he would fall, risking at least broken bones, or if he was unlucky, his life.

Should I not have chosen this spot?

For the first time, he questioned his choice, but he didn’t have the luxury of thinking deeply. Grayson immediately kicked out. Contrary to his expectations, Grayson was quite flexible and particularly good at using his body. Perhaps he had encountered a reputable master and learned various martial arts. Of course, that wasn’t true, but to Dane, who didn’t know Grayson well, the assumption was easy to make—Grayson was no ordinary opponent.

I thought he was just a spoiled rich kid.

This is a disaster. He had no choice but to admit his mistake. If he had known things would blow up this much, he should have asked for at least $100. Surely he had already done more than enough to earn his $38.25. Regret washed over him belatedly. He had to exert himself physically just to get out of this mess, which irritated him to no end. The thing he hated most in the world was this—wasting energy on useless nonsense. I shouldn’t have participated in such an idiotic plan in the first place!

Regret poured in like a tidal wave, but there was no time to be sentimental. Dane quickly lowered his upper body to avoid Grayson’s attack, planted his hands on the ground, and swept his legs in a wide arc, catching the man’s ankles. Grayson, who had been attacking while standing on one leg, easily rolled across the ground, and Dane didn’t miss the gap, seizing the position above him.

For a while, the two tumbled over the dirt, grappling back and forth. If Dane punched Grayson’s face, Grayson would grab Dane’s neck and throw him down; if Grayson choked him, Dane would cross his long legs over Grayson’s body and snap into an armbar to escape. Just as he pinned Grayson with his legs, Grayson flailed his arms underneath and tried to choke Dane again.

He’s got the build and the strength, so his skills are actually decent for a civilian. But no chance. Dane scoffed at him, even as he bled from the nose. He hadn’t spent three years in the military just for fun. No matter how talented he was, what could a mere civilian do against an ex-soldier who had received professional training?

The outcome was as good as decided. Dane intended to knock Grayson out right then and there and head down first. Dane had already done more than enough work. If he told them the situation, the others could come drag him down, or if the guy came to his senses in the meantime, he could walk down himself.

In any case, he had terrible luck with this guy. Of course, he’d decline even if someone offered him a good relationship, but this was already the third time he’d had to knock his opponent unconscious. Maybe he really should just leave this town.

He didn’t believe in fate or anything like that. But running into someone and getting entangled over and over like this was never a good sign. Moreover, the opponent and the nature of the situation were bad. He had now knocked this insane psychopath—who would laugh while chained to a burning mansion, suppressing Omegas with his pheromones, and who was also filthy rich—to the ground three times with pheromones and fists. Of course, since he had accepted this request, he couldn’t complain…

Damn it, listing it all out makes me even more annoyed. Ever since this guy arrived at his quiet workplace, nothing had gone right. He might have to grab Darling soon and have a serious talk about leaving this area.

He was thinking that and applying pressure one last time when Grayson suddenly grabbed Dane’s arm. A final struggle? he thought, but what happened next was completely unexpected. Grayson pulled Dane with immense force, and in a moment of carelessness, Dane ended up rolling down the slope with him.

∞ ∞ ∞

The test that started in the daylight hadn’t ended even as the sun began to set. Everyone gathered there was waiting anxiously, staring only at the mountain. Eventually, unable to hold back, Ezra spoke up urgently.

“Shouldn’t we go check? What if there’s been an accident?”

Starting with that remark, voices of concern followed from here and there.

“It’s taking way too long. Something must have happened! There’s no way Dane would be this late.”

“If someone’s hurt, the faster the rescue, the better. Even if it’s Dane, if he’s unlucky, there’s nothing he can do, right?”

“Miller, we can let him be, but we have to save Dane!”

Wilkins found himself in a difficult spot amidst the pouring protests. He was just as worried, but as the one who started this, it wasn’t easy for him to take action. However, soothing the employees by telling them to wait a little longer had reached its limit. He no longer had the luxury of stalling for time. Once the sun set, even a small mountain would make searching difficult. It was better to move as soon as possible. He was thinking this and contemplating the right timing when, suddenly, an unexpected voice boomed out.

“What is everyone doing here? If you have time to spare, you should be doing physical training, not gathered here chattering away!”

At the stern reprimand, they all turned around in unison. As expected, the chief stood there watching them with a furious face.

“Um, well, you see, Chief…”

Ezra tried to make up an excuse, but it wasn’t easy. Seeing his flustered appearance, Wilkins took responsibility and stepped forward.

“I apologize, we were in the middle of Miller’s physical stamina test.”

“Physical stamina test? Miller? Without telling me?”