Built to Last (Built for Love #1)

Kami
I've spent the last few years getting my book shop up and running. I've left high school and all the horrible taunting behind me, now I’m a successful business owner.. but I can't forget the one guy that drew my attention. He drew everyone’s attention, the guys want to be him, and the girls wanted to be with him. He was completely out of my league and we all knew it.
When I needed some renovations done at the shop, I asked around for recommendations and it was overwhelming how many people suggested Harvey Carpentry. I guess I should have put two and two together, being that we live in a small town, but I didn’t. Not until I walked up to the truck with the Harvey logo on the side and he turned to look at me.
Damn, James freaking Harvey. Just my luck.
James
I'm working hard to make my own mark on this town. I don’t want the reputation of my father hanging over my head forever. I worked hard in my apprenticeship and now I have my own business, Harvey Carpentry. The only problem I have is men warn me to keep my hands to myself and women almost expect not, when they hire me. That’s what you get when your father’s is the town love rat, you get tarred with the same brush.
When Kami Parker, the woman who filled my teenage years with many an uncomfortable night, walks up to and asks if I’ll give her a quote to do some work at her bookshop, I can’t agree fast enough. I even add some fun extra clauses into her contract. Can she see past the rumours and assumptions to find the real me?
Kami Parker as a client? Damn that makes me a lucky son of a bitch.

**EXCERPT**
“Did you make an apple pie ... for me?” She asks. Here I was thinking that she’d gotten past my cooking skills, apparently not.

“Yes Kami, I made an apple pie, from scratch, for dessert. For you, well yeah cause you're here but I also felt like eating an apple pie, so I made one.”

“From scratch?” I slowly nod my head in answer to her question because I can't be bothered voicing the same answer, again. “Wow! Umm yes, please, can I have some cream on top?”

I groan at the double meaning and dish us both up a slice of pie with cream on top. I can't even look at her, the thoughts that are rolling around my head, if I look at her I'm sure she'll be able to read my mind and go running out my door. Then I’ll have lost the only chance I have with this beautiful woman. I've waited so long to have this chance, an opportunity to prove to her that I'm not as bad as everyone thinks, I can't get ahead of myself. It may have been a mistake to cook dinner for her and bring her out to my home, but even if it is, I wouldn’t change it for anything. Well, except maybe an overnight stay with her, which included me getting to do all the things I want to with her.

Her groan snaps me out of my head and makes my cock instantly hard. When I look across the table at her, she's got her eyes closed, and she's licking her lips. My spoon is hovering somewhere between my bowl and my mouth, while I watch Kami take another mouthful of my apple pie to her mouth, open wide and moan again as she closes her mouth around the spoon. Fuck me, she's killing me, but what a way to die.

Her eyes open as she tells me, “Holy heck James, this is delicious. I swear it’s the best thing I've had in my mouth in, forever.” Then she realises what she's said as my jaw drops to the table and the cream starts to drip off my spoon. I should have changed out of my jeans, there isn’t enough fucking room in them to eat dinner with this woman. “I, ummm, didn’t mean that the way it came out. It’s ... you're a really good cook James.”