After betrayed, I married the man in the Forbes

Nelson grinned down at her, teasing. "What? Off to run and meet your future husband?"

"Nelson, my stomach just dropped. I gotta bolt to the bathroom," Haven said, wincing as she pressed a hand to her cramping belly. She didn't even wait for him to answer before spinning on her heel and hurrying off.

Nelson chuckled and shook his head. His little sister was just nervous, that's all.

Locked in the bathroom, Haven splashed cold water on her face, letting the chill droplets trail down her jaw. When she glanced up at the mirror, her reflection looked almost foreign. It wasn't the soft, innocent face she knew anymore—her eyes glinted with a new, sharp maturity she couldn't place.

Going on a blind date right after a breakup? It felt wrong. Daunting, even.

She patted her face dry and stepped back out into the hall. Rounding a corner, she crashed straight into a man walking the other way. His scent—rich, crisp cedarwood—wrapped around her instantly, leaving her frozen, head spinning.

"How long you planning to stay glued to my chest?"

The low, smooth voice rumbled from above her, clear and cool as a mountain stream, and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Haven jolted back to awareness. She'd fallen right into his arms, her palms pressed flat against the hard muscle of his chest. His heat seeped through the fabric of his shirt, straight into her skin.

Her face burned bright red. She scrambled back quickly, putting a full foot of space between them, and tilted her head up, already apologetic. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming I—"

He was devastatingly handsome.

The words died in her throat. She froze, completely stunned, as she drank in every sharp, perfect line of his face.

His gaze lingered on her flushed cheeks, and a flicker of curiosity glinted in his dark eyes. "No harm done, Miss Carlson. Your brother's waiting for you."

Her eyes blew wide with shock. How did he know her last name? They'd never met before, she was sure of it.

While she stood there reeling, he brushed past her, leaving the scent of cedarwood hanging thick in the air behind him.

Haven shook herself out of her daze and headed for the room Nelson had told her about. She took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

Once inside, she stopped short. "Nelson, why's there only one person here? Where's the guy you set me up with?"

Nelson knew exactly who she meant. He grinned, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Haven, you already anxious to meet him, huh?"

Seeing Nelson just fooling around, Haven's voice dropped, laced with worry. "Nelson, did your friend change his mind?"

Nelson caught the genuine concern in her eyes and dropped the act. "Who said he bailed?"

Right then, a deep, steady voice sounded right behind her. "Miss Carlson, why linger by the door?"

The unexpected words made Haven jump. She spun around fast, and when she registered who it was, her eyes went wide. "It's you."

Nelson frowned, curious now. "Haven, how do you two know each other?"

Haven's long lashes fluttered as she pulled herself together. She let her gaze linger on Leonard's sharp, chiseled features for a beat before answering, "We just bumped into each other in the hall."

She looked away, choosing not to get into the details of how she'd landed flat in his arms.

Leonard Peters' dark eyes flickered almost imperceptibly at her words "just bumped into," but he schooled his face back to neutral in a heartbeat.

He held her gaze, his eyes deep and searching. He worked his jaw against the inside of his cheek and let out a low, soft chuckle. "That's right. We did."

Nelson's eyes darted back and forth between Haven and Leonard, catching the weird, thick tension hanging between them. His gut told him something had definitely gone down in that hallway.

He kept that thought to himself, though, and leaned in close to Haven, whispering, "Alright, let me do the intro. This is Leonard Peters, the guy I set you up with. Now that you two are here, I'll get out of your hair and let you chat."

He didn't even wait for Haven to argue before turning and walking straight out the door.

Haven just stared, mouth hanging open, and then panic crashed over her.

Seriously? He was just gonna dip, leave her alone in a room with this stranger? This was so awkward.

Stuck alone together, Haven and Leonard stared at each other across the room. The silence stretched, thick and charged with something she couldn't name.

Needing to keep things civil, she forced a polite smile. "Um, Mr. Peters, please have a seat."

Leonard's dark eyes locked on her forced smile. Even like that, she was stunning. He loosened his tie, unbuttoned his suit jacket, set down a gift box and his leather briefcase, and sank onto the sofa with easy, relaxed grace that made Haven's heart skip a beat.

Even sitting, he radiated this overwhelming, take-charge energy that filled the whole room. Haven felt a quiet weight settle in her chest—Nelson's friend wasn't just some regular guy, that was for sure.

Wait, the name Leonard Peters... it sounded weirdly familiar, somehow.

Once they were both seated, they opened their mouths to speak at the exact same time.

Leonard smiled faintly, lifting one dark eyebrow. "Miss Carlson, after you."

Hearing him call her that felt strange, formal in a way that didn't fit. Haven's eyes softened. "Mr. Peters, you're my brother's friend. Just call me Haven."

"Sounds good. Then you call me Leonard," he answered without a second of hesitation.

Again, they said his name at the exact same time.

"Leonard."

Their eyes locked, and the newness of being on a first-name basis hung between them, soft and thrilling.

His voice, deep and a little rough around the edges, rumbled in her ears, and it stirred something low in her belly she hadn't expected.

She blinked up at him with those big, clear, beautiful eyes of hers. She didn't even realize how good it felt to hear him say her name that way, but her heart picked up its pace, spurred on by that mesmerizing voice of his.

"Haven, will you marry me?"

Leonard asked the question, his dark eyes glinting with quiet mystery, a soft, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.