Desire Me If You Can Chapter 29

Well, I wonder. Dane thought back on the situation. Of course, it wouldn’t have been impossible if he had gone all out. If he had knocked Grayson down at that moment and climbed the rock face first.

But doing that might have been truly dangerous. One of them might have actually fallen off the rock face. Dane had no intention of risking his life over such a petty bet. Who would want to die a senseless death because they slipped their footing over a few measly dollars? As someone said, he had to keep himself in one piece, if only to take care of Darling.

Furthermore, it was blatantly obvious that if he got entangled with Grayson Miller for no reason, his future wouldn’t be bright.

That guy had an obsessive look in his eyes. Besides, isn’t the class of “Alpha-Primes” generally a bit unhinged? Grayson was already the second son of the Miller family, known for being a hell-raiser. Dane hated messy, troublesome things.

“If you had done it for real…”

To Diandre, who was eyeing him with resentment, Dane replied listlessly, “It’s not like there’s a prize money involved—why would I go that far just to beat that guy?”

“So if there had been prize money, it would have been a different story?”

Ezra asked as if he had been waiting for that, and Dane nodded readily.

“I would have won, absolutely.”

As it happened, he needed money for Darling’s medical checkup. A cat well over ten years old required meticulous care in many ways.

His colleagues, who had no way of knowing what was going on inside his head, looked literally appalled.

“We should have bet at least $100.”

Ezra said with a grumble, but Wilkins shook his head.

“It’s too late. Let’s not talk about the past anymore.”

“That’s right, what matters is the future.”

As someone chimed in, Diandre immediately retorted sarcastically, “The future? Oh, you mean that part where we’re stuck taking Miller along to the field?”

As soon as those words were out, the atmosphere at the table turned icy. Only hands tipping glasses moved busily, and the number of empty bottles and beer glasses increased one by one. There wasn’t even conversation, just a heavy silence. In the midst of that, a voice from the next table traveled over clearly.

“Grayson, you really worked hard today. It was tough, wasn’t it? It’s mean to make a beginner train on that course, really.”

“How can someone be so narrow-minded and petty? If they had a heart as wide as Grayson’s, they wouldn’t torment people in such a childish way.”

It was a soothing voice. The ends of the sentences were tinged with excessive pity and a bit of affection. It was a tone that took sides openly rather than merely being sarcastic. It was clever praise, putting the other person down while naturally lifting Grayson up. Then, someone lowered their voice.

“Do you still have to let out pheromones even on a day when you’ve been worked this hard?”

The question, asked as if out of concern, also held a secret temptation. A soft, intentional touch moved naturally. Even as they lifted their glasses, they consciously leaned in, coming closer. The back of a hand brushed against an arm, and low, bated breath seemed to brush against an earlobe. The men at the next table, who had tried to ignore them and drink, looked away to avoid seeing it, but they kept their ears perked up to eavesdrop on their words.

“It must be quite difficult to have to change partners every time to let out your pheromones. Isn’t it cumbersome?”

To the question that followed, another voice chimed in.

“That’s right, wouldn’t it be better to just choose one partner?”

“It seems like it would be quite a headache to find someone every single time. If it were me, I’d seriously look for a partner.”

“Alpha-Primes are different from us, right? Does everyone usually find a partner on the spot like you do?”

At the curious questions, Grayson’s mouth relaxed.

“That’s how it is for the most part.”

And before any other speculations could arise, he added, “But I am looking for my one and only destiny.”

“Destiny?”

“One and only?”

The women repeated Grayson’s words with surprised faces. The men also looked back with expressions of disbelief, as if they had heard something they shouldn’t have. Although they were waiting openly for Grayson’s next words, he continued nonchalantly, as if it didn’t matter at all.

“Like Daddy and Papa. Someone who protects and trusts each other no matter what difficulties arise… someone who would stay by my side and be with me even if the world ended.”

Grayson sighed sweetly, placing his hand over his left chest.

“My other half must surely exist. I am searching for that person.”

“Oh my.”

“How romantic.”

The women gazed at him with excited breaths. They seemed deeply moved by Grayson’s words, but the men at the other table were not.

“Why does that bastard say things that don’t suit him at all?”

“How can someone who blathers on about finding their ‘other half’ swap women every other day? He needs to say something that makes sense.”

Until then, Dane had just listened silently. Why or how messily that guy lived his life was not his concern at all. What mattered to him was not getting involved with Grayson Miller, and he was very satisfied with the current situation. Just as he made eye contact with the waitress who brought a new beer and flashed a faint smile in response to her subtle wink, Ezra suddenly scowled at Dane.

“I’ve never seen anyone worse than Dane.”

Dane paused at the arrow suddenly pointed at him, and Wilkins shook his head.

“No, no matter what, he’s different from Dane.”

Thinking he was taking his side for a moment, Wilkins immediately added, “Dane doesn’t change his partner every morning and evening.”

Dane’s face twisted, but they didn’t stop there.

“That’s only because that guy is working. Who knows how Dane messes around on his days off?”

“That’s true.”

“Dane would probably change his three times a day. He’s nothing short of a stallion.”

“Woohoo! Dane Striker! Champion!”

Dane was dumbfounded as to how the atmosphere had turned this way. It wasn’t as if he was happy about them blabbering whatever they pleased, but since it wasn’t technically wrong, he just emptied his beer. Amidst the rowdy guys joking around and laughing, Diandre said, “Is there really such a thing in the world? Destiny.”

“There is.”

Ezra nodded firmly. Since he had married his first girlfriend from high school and already had three children, everyone had no choice but to accept it. Dane, who was looking at him, was full of skepticism.

“A single love worth risking your life for.”

“Exactly!”

Dane’s voice was full of sarcasm, but perhaps because he was drunk, or perhaps because of his strong belief in himself, Ezra laughed readily and held out his beer glass as if to toast.

“Everyone, let’s toast to Dane finding that person soon!”

Wahahaha, they burst into laughter, toasted, and downed their beers. Dane laughed, too, but it was closer to a hollow laugh. Seeming to like Dane’s reaction, Wilkins smiled and added, “Since the subject has come up, isn’t it about time you settled down, too? I mean, it doesn’t have to be marriage, but it wouldn’t be bad to meet someone seriously. How about it? Among my wife’s friends, there are many good women who are still single—want to meet one?”

“No, thanks, but I’m good.”

“Dane, but…”

At the heartless refusal, Ezra tried to jump in this time, but Dane didn’t give him an opening and added, “Let me tell you, love is just a load of crap. It’s merely a hormonal reaction.”

“What?”

Ezra’s eyes went wide as if he were shocked. However, Dane continued, unfazed.

“You might be under a delusion for a moment, thinking you could even give your life for this ‘love.’ But as time passes, you’ll realize it. That you did something absurd and had been clinging to something that wasn’t worth it at all. Once you break up, you probably won’t even remember each other’s faces.”

His colleagues, who had been drinking with him, blinked in confusion. Dane, who had laid out such cynical remarks, twisted his lips in a sneer and gave a hollow laugh.

“Wasting your life believing in and searching for such nonsense. You’d either be ignorant of the world or have nothing better to do.”