Desire Me If You Can [Novel] - Chapter 60

He flinched in surprise but soon smiled brightly, yet Dane simply turned his eyes away. The man let his shoulders droop, looking disappointed, but Dane did not return his gaze.
“Today’s just not a good day.”
If there was a partner who matched his tastes, he could take them along, but if it was the opposite, there was no need to even give them attention. Rejecting the three perfect women earlier had been a reluctant action on his part. When it came to women, he had certain criteria. Specifically, he didn’t engage in such activities in disgusting places like bathrooms. Of course, if there wasn’t enough time to go home and rest, he would sometimes take care of things in a bathroom, but the problem was that those women were women. He didn’t want, nor should he, take three women into a filthy bathroom to do such things.
So, the remaining option was to find an appropriate man to deal with and head back home where Darling was waiting.
As he thought this, he looked around again.
That was when, unexpectedly, Grayson Miller’s eyes met his. Grayson, who had been standing at the bar some distance away from Dane, was deliberately kept at a distance by Dane, who had been avoiding him. Grayson wasn’t particularly interested in getting closer either. This resulted in an appropriate amount of space between them… but the issue was that Grayson didn’t stop there. He came closer, holding a beer bottle, and spoke to Dane.
“Hey.”
It was a simple greeting, but Dane didn’t respond, only drinking his beer. His body language clearly indicated he didn’t want to engage. As expected, Grayson completely ignored it.
“What are you looking for? I’d prefer it if it weren’t a person.”
“A suitable partner.”
Dane answered without hesitation. His gaze moved elsewhere immediately afterward.
“Not you.”
“Hahaha.”
Grayson suddenly burst into laughter. What the hell was this crazy guy? Dane furrowed his brows as he stared at him, before eventually looking away. Despite repeatedly signaling he didn’t want to engage, it seemed like Grayson just wasn’t getting the message.
“Dane, I have a question.”
Dane didn’t respond, but Grayson carried on, speaking without pause.
“Is it really necessary to change partners so often? You’re not someone who needs to control pheromones, are you?”
“Yeah?”
и
“Yeah?”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah?”
“
“Fuck!”
There was no sign of Grayson backing off, and finally, Dane cursed.
“It’s just because I want to, because I enjoy sex! Is that enough? Now go away, don’t keep bothering me!” “Wow.”
At Dane’s harsh shout, Grayson raised both hands in  mock defense, but it wasn’t out of fear or embarrassment. It was simply the result of having learned how to handle situations like this.
As Grayson smiled again, Dane turned his head in disgust. Grayson, who had chuckled briefly, stared at Dane drinking his beer, then bent over slightly. He whispered so close that their breath almost touched.
“Are you an omega?”
The loud music continued, and the voices of people in the bar were so overwhelming that they could only be heard if someone shouted. Yet, Grayson was certain that Dane had clearly heard him.
Slowly, Dane turned his gaze. Grayson was smiling softly as he looked at Dane with an expressionless face. Then…
BAM!
The loud sound came, and Grayson felt a dull pain in his head.
…Uh.
Something sticky was dripping from his temple. Unconsciously, he touched it and looked down to find his palm soaked with crimson bodily fluid. In front of him, Dane, holding the broken beer bottle, was glaring at him with a fierce expression. Only then did Grayson realize that Dane had smashed his beer bottle over his head.
“…Ha.”
A ridiculous sigh escaped Grayson’s mouth.
“This fucking bastard…”
“Talking about someone else, huh? You’re the bigger bastard.”
Immediately, Dane punched him, and Grayson retaliated. In the chaos of the sudden brawl, people screamed and scattered in every direction.
“Dane!”
“Dane, oh my god! What the hell are you doing?”
His colleagues, who were with him, shouted from all directions and rushed to break up the fight. They managed to separate them before they could beat each other into a bloody pulp.
ANNAN…
The familiar bell sound made Joshua reach for his phone and check the caller ID.
“Dane? What’s going on?”
It hadn’t been long since they last talked. Moreover, given the unpleasant outcome of their previous conversation, he didn’t expect to hear from him again so soon. Dane wasn’t the type to make frequent calls. Tilting his head in confusion, he pressed the call button.
“Dane, hey. How’ve you been? What’s up?”
• How long?
Dane immediately asked without any greeting. At the unexpected question, Joshua hesitated, and Dane asked the same question again.
• How long are you planning to keep that guy? I hope it’s a long time.
“Who?…Oh, are you talking about Chase’s brother? Didn’t you say you weren’t going to do it?”
Joshua asked, confused, and Dane quickly continued.
“I’ve decided to go through with it. So, tell me, how long are you going to keep him?”
“Uh…”
Joshua took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.
“Maybe… three days?”
Joshua had been thinking at most a day, or if it was shorter, half a day, as that would be enough time for Chase to give Grayson a good scolding. But Dane didn’t seem satisfied.
• That’s too short… How about a month?
“A month?”
Joshua was startled and raised his voice without realizing. However, Dane didn’t stop there and asked again.
• No, a month is too short. At least six months would be better. How about 11 months and 29 days? That wouldn’t be too bad, right?
“Wait, Dane. Wait a second.”
Joshua cut him off, his voice flustered. After a brief sigh, Joshua spoke carefully.
“I’m a bit confused here… Are you asking me to kidnap and detain Grayson Miller? For almost a year?”
Of course, that was impossible. Dane, after accepting the reality, took a step back.
• Well, if we’re doing this, might as well lock him up. How long do you think is good?
“Ah.”
Finally, Joshua seemed to understand a little, and his tone returned to normal.
“No, that’s not the case. We only need half a day or at most a day.”
Hmmm.
Dane made a sound of dissatisfaction. It seemed Joshua’s nerve was too small for his liking.
Or maybe I’ve pushed it too far.
“Dane, Dane?”
Joshua called his name from the other side. Dane snapped out of his thoughts and replied as usual.
• Yeah, why?
“I was just wondering why your mind changed suddenly.”
Joshua continued.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to do this a week ago? What happened in the meantime? Is Darling sick or
something?”
• No, nothing like that. Darling is fine.
Joshua’s question was completely understandable. Dane immediately reassured him about Darling’s condition
and then added while rubbing his forehead.
⚫ I just changed my mind. When are we going to carry it out?
“Did you meet that guy?”
Joshua caught him off guard. Caught off-guard, Dane hesitated for a moment, and Joshua’s voice was laced with
laughter as though he had seen through him.
“Just as I thought. That means Grayson is working at your fire station, huh? How’s that going?”
He probably already knew the answer. The fact that Dane had changed his mind so quickly and was now so
actively cooperating meant that there had been some huge events in
moment, sighed deeply, and then exhaled.
• If I could just get him out of my sight, I’d sell my soul to the devil.
expected, Dane paused for a
“That’s not something worth doing, Dane.”
Joshua offered him comfort thoughtfully. Though unfortunate for Dane, it was still a good opportunity for him.
• What are you going to do now? You must have a plan, right?
At Dane’s prompt, Joshua responded confidently.
“All you need to do is bring him to the place I mentioned.”
• And then you shoot him in the head, right?
Dane spoke with satisfaction. Unfortunately, Joshua couldn’t fulfill that request.
“No, no. That’s not possible. I can’t become a criminal.”
• Kidnapping is a crime.
Dane pointed out, and Joshua immediately changed his tune.
“Oh, this isn’t kidnapping, Dane. We’re just taking him there for a brief conversation.”
Dane scowled at the phone before bringing it back to his ear. Joshua’s calm voice continued on the other end.
“We’re just going to talk with our fists, not words. Sometimes we’ll even use our feet.”
• Sounds good.
Dane immediately responded.
⚫ Count me in for that conversation.
He spat the words through gritted teeth.
⚫ I want to have a long and deep conversation.
Joshua promised, and after briefly discussing the plan, he ended the call.