Free The Rake Revealed by Kate Harper

just by kissing her, but by stirring up such an intense maelstrom of emotions. She had wanted him, with the kind of raw, physical lust that was quite shocking. Ladies did not lust. And if they did, they certainly did not lust after unsuitable men.
    Camille needed to retreat and regroup. She was more disconcerted by what had just taken place than she could manage just at the moment. A kiss was just a kiss. Any fool knew that. It could mean everything or nothing. But that kiss had been different.
    I will avoid Lord Tapscott from now on. Clearly, I underestimated him, but he cannot stay in the area forever. Soon, he will return to wherever it was he came from. All I need to do is avoid him and then life will settle down. I will settle down.
    Simple enough.
    Craven or not, it was the best solution she could conceive of because, clearly, she was not immune to Lord Tapscott’s charms. Avoiding him all together seemed the safest course available.
    He could not stay in Lymstock forever.
     
    Tapscott was, quite frankly, shaken by his encounter with Camille Durham. So much so that, when she had left him, he had almost been inclined to go after her, but chasing his hostess through her own rooms just so he could justify himself or, worse still, taste what had proved to be so sweet, was hardly suitable behavior, although it would undoubtedly enhance his local reputation as a rake. Damn it.
    Rearranging his clothing, he slipped back out the front door and headed towards the beach again, desirous of a little time to work out what had just happened. Well, he knew what had just happened. Driven on by a compulsion he’d had no control over, he had kissed Lady Durham and she had returned the kiss in full measure. As horrified as her reaction had been to him, there was no doubt in his mind that she had kissed him back again with all the intensity that he displayed.
    Tapscott shook his head, still thrown off kilter by emotions he had never experienced before. One kiss from the woman and he had been utterly overset, ready to seduce her on the aged Oriental rug. Her deceased husband’s rug, he reminded himself absently. Somehow, that made the whole thing just that much harder to dismiss.
    Looking back over his shoulder at Kirkham Hall, he wondered what the devil had gotten into him. Yes, Camille was a very fine woman indeed and, generally speaking, he had no objections to indulging in enthusiastic flirtations. Sometimes, if the female and the situation were right, it went beyond flirtation, although he was always careful to choose a woman who knew exactly what he was about. No commitments, no promises, just a little bit of fun. Women were so very delightful and quite a number of them were generous enough to share their charms with him willingly.
    It was never serious. He did not have the kind of lifestyle that encouraged serious relationships, but he had known the moment he set eyes on Camille Durham that she was not flirtation material, no matter how much he might want to see that glorious hair unbound or strip the clothing away to reveal the alabaster smooth skin beneath. A man did not contemplate seducing women like Camille because… Well, because the usual rules did not apply. He did not have to have the wisdom of Solomon to know that a woman like Camille would be hazardous to his peace of mind. And that was not what Lucius Tapscott was about, not at all.
    He had other plans entirely, plans that pretty widows did not feature into, no matter how unusual they were. Or how right their lips felt when kissed.
    Tapscott walked on, heading back towards Barstock Keep. Morosett was out for the afternoon, paying a visit to an old friend down the coast. He was not expecting to be home tonight, which suited Tapscott very well. He had been waiting for an opportunity to get the Keep to himself. Morosett was proving to be damned suspicious and Tapscott knew that it was almost time to find himself a new berth if he were going to continue on in the area.