Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 29

Well, what if?
Dane replayed the situation in his mind. Of course, if he’d gone all out, it wouldn’t have been impossible. If he had knocked Grayson down back then and climbed the cliff first.
But that would have been truly dangerous. One of them might’ve actually fallen off the cliff. Dane had no intention of risking his life over some petty bet. Who would want to die a meaningless death because of a misstep for a few bucks?
As someone had said, he needed to stay in one piece, if only for Darling’s sake. Moreover, getting further entangled with Grayson Miller wouldn’t end well.
That bastard got an intense look in his eyes. And Extreme Alphas were generally crazy. Grayson was already notorious as the black sheep second son of the Miller family. Dane hated troublesome and annoying situations.
“If you had gone all out…”
DeAndre said, glaring at him reproachfully, but Dane replied with indifference.
“There was no prize money involved. Why would I go that far just to beat him?”
“So it would have been different if there was prize money?”
Ezra asked expectantly, and Dane readily nodded.
“I would have won, no matter what.”
It just so happened that Darling’s vet bills were coming up. His cat, well over ten years old, needed extra careful attention. His clueless colleagues, oblivious to his reasoning, looked genuinely aghast.
“We should’ve put 100 bucks on it.”
Ezra grumbled, and Wilkins shook his head.
“Too late now. Let’s not dwell on what’s done.”
“That’s right, the future is what matters.”
Someone interrupted, only for DeAndre to immediately scoff.
“The future? Oh, you mean how we’re now stuck dragging Miller along on calls?”
The moment the words dropped, the table’s mood sank into a cold silence. Their hands tilted their glasses wordlessly, moving quickly as empty bottles and beer glasses piled up. The conversation ceased, replaced by a heavy stillness. In the midst of it all, the voices from the next table came through loud and clear.
“Grayson, you really went through a lot today. You must be exhausted. It was mean of them to make a rookie run that course.”
“How can they be so petty and small-minded? If they had even half the generosity Grayson does, they wouldn’t stoop to tormenting someone so childishly.”
The voices were soothing, laced with excessive sympathy and a hint of affection. Rather than sarcasm, it was an unabashed show of taking one side. A clever compliment, subtly putting down the others while effortlessly lifting Grayson up. Then someone lowered their voice further.
“Even on a day when he’s been put through the wringer like this, he still has to release his pheromones, right?”
There was a subtle seduction woven into the sympathetic question. A soft, deliberate touch moved naturally. Even while raising a glass, she consciously leaned in closer. The back of her hand brushed against his arm, and her low, hushed breath grazed his ear.
The men at the next table, trying to ignore it and drink, averted their eyes but couldn’t help straining their ears to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“It must be hard having to find a different partner every time to release your pheromones. Isn’t it bothersome?”
As the questions continued, another voice cut in.
“That’s right, it’s better to have a regular partner, isn’t it?”
“Finding someone new each time must be a headache. If it were me, I’d seriously look for a fixed one.”
“Extreme Alphas are different from us, aren’t they? Do you all usually find different partners every time, like you?”
At the curious question, Grayson’s lips loosened into a smile.
“That’s usually the case.”
And before any further speculation could arise, he added,
“But I’m looking for my one and only destined partner.”
“Destined?”
“One and only?”
The women repeated his words with stunned expressions. The men also turned around with incredulous expressions, as if they had just heard something they shouldn’t have. They openly waited for Grayson’s next words, but he continued casually, as if it didn’t matter to him.
“Like Papa and Daddy. Someone who’d protect and trust me no matter the hardship… someone who’d stay by my side even if the world ended.”
Grayson placed a hand over his left chest and let out a sweet sigh.
“There’s got to be the other half of my heart out there. I’m looking for that person.”
“Oh my.”
“How romantic.”
The women sighed dreamily, gazing at him. They seemed genuinely touched by Grayson’s words, but the men at the other table weren’t buying it.
“Why’s that bastard spouting stuff that doesn’t suit him at all?”
“Talking about finding his other half when he switches women every other day? Make some damn sense.”
Up until then, Dane had stayed silent, just listening. Why or how promiscuous that guy lived wasn’t his concern at all. What mattered to him was staying clear of Grayson Miller, and the current situation was perfectly satisfactory.
Just then, his eyes met the waitress bringing fresh beers, and he flashed a faint smile in response to her subtle grin. That’s when Ezra suddenly frowned at him.
“I’ve never seen anyone worse than Dane.”
Caught off guard by the sudden shift of attention aimed at him, Dane paused. Wilkins shook his head.
“Nah, even so, he’s different from Dane.”
For a moment, it seemed like Wilkins was defending him, but then he added,
“Dane doesn’t change partners morning and night.”
Dane’s face twisted, but they didn’t stop there.
“That’s only because he’s at work. Who knows what Dane gets up to on his days off?”
“Fair point.”
“Dane would probably change partners three times a day. He’s a total stallion.”
“Woohoo! Dane Striker! Champion!”
Dane was dumbfounded at how the mood had changed like this. He wasn’t exactly happy about their arbitrary claims, but since it wasn’t entirely wrong, he just continued drinking his beer. Then, amidst their boisterous laughter and jokes, DeAndre spoke,
“Does such a thing really exist? Destiny?”
“It does.”
Ezra nodded firmly. Married to his high school sweetheart with three kids, he was a living proof. His conviction left the others with no choice but to concede, except for Dane, whose expression was filled with doubt as he looked at him..
“One true love, someone worth risking your life for.”
“That’s right!”
Dane’s tone was sarcastic, but Ezra, perhaps drunk or perhaps because of his strong belief in his own
experience, simply laughed heartily and raised his glass as if for a toast.
“Let’s all wish for Dane to find that special someone soon! Cheers!”
Wahaha!
With booming laughter, everyone clinked glasses and drank. Dane laughed too, though it was more of a scoff. Pleased with Dane’s reaction, Wilkins grinned and added,
“Speaking of which, isn’t it about time you settled down? You don’t have to get married, but it wouldn’t hurt to find someone special. What do you think? My wife has a lot of single friends, nice women, would
you like to meet them?”
“No, thanks, I’m good.”
“But Dane…”
As Dane flatly refused, Ezra tried to intervene, but Dane didn’t give him a chance and cut him off,
“Let me make this clear, love’s just bullshit. It’s nothing but hormones.”
“What?”
Ezra’s eyes widened as if he’d been struck. But Dane continued, unfazed,
“You might be deluded for a while, thinking you’d give your life for this love. But as time passes, you’ll
realize you did something foolish, that you wasted your time on something utterly worthless. After a breakup, you probably won’t even remember each other’s faces.”
His colleagues, who had been drinking with him, blinked, looking bewildered. Dane, after his cynical rant, let out a sarcastic chuckle, twisting his lips in a sneer.
“Believing in such nonsense and searching for it is a waste of life. You’re either naive or have too much time on your hands.”