Pan's Conquest (Entangled Covet) by Aubrie Dionne Read Free Book Online

with me. Just a little longer. We could see the poet. We both know the seats won’t be sold out.”
    He paused, unusually speechless. He didn’t want a woman who had no desire for him. Yet here she was, pulling at his suit coat with need burning in her gaze. She wanted him, but as Parker Thomas. How much of Parker was a facade and how much was Pan shining through without all the godliness and fuss?
    Pan studied her eyes, trailing his finger down the curve of her cheek. He’d come all this way to win her over, and here she was leaning on his chest. This was exactly what he’d wanted. So why did he hold back?
    He couldn’t give up now just because she’d called him a stalker. That was the old Pan—the man who’d go after what he wanted without a thought as to the woman’s needs. He was the new, more sensitive Pan—taking the time to get to know his conquest before the real seduction began. There was something she liked about him, and he had to figure out if that was enough to go on, or if he’d feel like a total scoundrel seducing her using Mr. Thomas’s clean-shaven face.
    “All right. We can see the poet. But you have to let me buy the tickets.”
    “Thank you.” Syrinx breathed with relief and hugged him, burying her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Intense desire welled up within him, along with something he hadn’t felt before—the need to comfort and protect her.
    Syrinx played with a button on his shirt. “I’ve never told anyone about the stalker before. Somehow, I feel like I can trust you.”
    Guilt seeped over him in an uncomfortable, thick, suffocating blanket. He had no tools to deal with the emotion since he’d never experienced anything like it before. Since when did he have a conscience?
    “You can trust me with all of your deepest and darkest secrets.”
    Syrinx jerked up and pulled away, studying him with skepticism. “Who says I have any of those?”
    “No one.” He chuckled, but part of him wondered just how far he could take this deception. “Come on, let’s go see this master poet.”
    Linking arms with him, Syrinx led him across the street to the Wildcats Auditorium. Pan bought the tickets, and they found their seats in the balcony with a great view of the stage. Surprisingly, there were quite a number of people in the audience. Pan flipped through the program notes, scanning the five-star reviews and an LA Times quote that read, “Master Don will turn you inside out until you see every shade in your soul.” A mortal accomplishing what only Hades could do? He read her the quote. “This poet must be good.”
    “Hopefully not too good.” Syrinx shifted in her seat, playing with the pearl at the nape of her neck.
    Her discomfort amused him. It was entertaining to see a goddess sweat it out a little. “What are you afraid of?”
    Syrinx watched the people on stage set up some percussion equipment, including a rain stick and three sets of African drums. “What he’ll make me see.”
    “Come now, what could lurk underneath that pretty face?” Pan was outdoing himself. He really needed to put a lid on his teasing.
    The audience began to clap, and a small Asian man with a face so wrinkled it could have been a raisin walked out on stage. He wore a simple white cotton shirt and pants and carried a jade flute.
    Syrinx leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Is that Master Don?”
    “Looks like it.” Pan stretched his right arm on his armrest and watched in fascination.
    The crowd subsided into silence, and Master Don picked up his jade flute. Pan watched in envy, wishing he could hold his own flute made of reeds.
    Master Don blew a single long, mournful note. He allowed the sound to taper into silence, then he took another breath and spoke.
    “Look to the future

The past clings with regret
    A new day brings peace.”
    Pan blinked, trying to make sense of his words. One sentence seemed that Master Don had meant it directly for him. The