“Thanks,” the teenager said, gracing the two of them with a rare smile.
Olivia’s eyes widened with surprise. Simply to get a smile was a huge accomplishment with Paige. “Why don’t I let the two of you get back to work, then return in a little while to take you back to the Millers?”
“We’re done here for the day,” Max replied, unfolding his body from the student desk to stand before Olivia. He towered over her. His warm scent carried to her with his movement, taking her back to that hotel room and that magical night.
Paige gathered her tablet computer and her textbook, stuffing them into her backpack. “I have to go to my locker and get my other books before we leave.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll wait here.” Olivia tried not to sound too eager to be alone with Max again. As soon as the girl vanished from the room, Max’s arms came around Olivia’s waist. He moved slowly, giving her plenty of time to object had she wanted to. He pulled her closer as he leaned in and kissed her.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Olivia tensed in Max’s arms for only a heartbeat before she melted, just as she had the last time he held her. Her lips were hot against his own—blazing hot—igniting a sensation he’d experienced only with her. One he wanted to go on and on. He drew in the clean scent of her hair as he released her lips to explore the softness of her neck, her collarbone. Then he came to his senses, and he forced himself to pull back despite his growing erection.
“Probably not the best behavior to exhibit in your classroom,” Olivia said a little breathlessly. A brilliant shine reflected in her eyes.
He looked into the depths of her wide, golden-brown eyes. It would be so easy to lose himself there. “I’ve been thinking about you since the night of the auction. You left without saying good-bye.” He tried to keep the hurt from his tone.
“I wasn’t sure what to do after our . . .”
“Night of passion?”
“Yes.” Color infused her cheeks as she looked up at him through the fringe of her lashes.
At first he’d been angry to find her gone, but reason had returned. “Here’s the way it is,” he said, knowing Paige would return soon and needing to say what he’d wanted to say to her the morning after. “We started this whole thing between us wrong. Can we start fresh?”
Her pupils dilated. “What did you have in mind?”
“A date.” He wanted her to trust him. He also wanted to feel her hands on his flesh again, to taste her, to experience one more time what they’d shared. But all of that could wait until they did things right this time.
“You want to date me?”
“Yes, Olivia. Let’s backtrack a little. I’d like nothing more than to take you on a real date.”
Fear flashed in her eyes, then vanished.
At the unexpected emotion, Max paused, doubting his appeal to her for a moment. Both of them needed a new start. Max reached out. She met his fingertips with her own. He pressed his palms to hers, savoring the sensation and regaining his stride. “Say you’ll meet me tomorrow at five at Waterfront Park near the Christopher Columbus statue.” He wrapped his fingers around hers. He wanted some response from her, even if only a small noise or a lowering of her eyes. “Yes?” he prompted before a sound in the hallway broke the intimacy between them. He released her hands as Paige stepped into the room.
Olivia swayed toward him ever so slightly. “Yes,” she replied in a soft voice. A moment later, she turned and left with Paige, closing his door behind her.
Paige had not said anything, but the hint of a teenage smirk twitched at the corner of her lips.
She’d agreed to meet him. Max hadn’t quite expected her to agree—but she’d surprised him. Now it was his turn to surprise her tomorrow night. The two of them knew nothing about each other, other than that they were compatible in the most intimate of ways. He smiled at the memory—the silken feel of her skin, the fresh scent of her hair, the way her eyes flared when he did something that pleased her. Max moved across the room to his desk and opened the application he’d left running in the background while he’d been tutoring Paige.
He’d spent every spare moment he’d had over the past five years perfecting his matchmaking algorithm. Could he really believe he’d found, all on his own, the very thing he hoped his prototype Matchmaker 2.0 could bring to others?
Max raked his hands through his hair. Physical attraction was part of the equation, but so were chemistry and compatibility. Those were the things Matchmaker 2.0 could help couples discover to guide them into healthy matches instead of disastrous relationships.
Was that the fear he’d seen in Olivia’s eyes? Had a relationship gone bad? Max settled into his chair and started work fine-tuning the last bit of code before his algorithm was ready to sell. As he did, that same foolish smile lingered on his lips. He wanted to get to know Olivia in ways that went far beyond the physical. Perhaps he could convince her to fill out his Matchmaker questionnaire. He could use the data points to help him with other matches because, no doubt about it, he and Olivia must be a perfect match.
The next day, Olivia made her way after work to Seattle’s Waterfront Park. Instead of approaching the statue where Max had asked her to meet him, she stood off to the side of the boardwalk near a group of tourists. She didn’t want to look too eager to see him, even though she was.
Several people walked past her, laughing, enjoying the mild spring day as it slowly shifted toward evening. And toward what lay ahead with Max tonight, an evening earlier than her mistakenly sent invitation.
They were obviously attracted to each other—their first night together had more than proven that. Now she needed to know if that connection went further. If he was a decent kind of guy or another Damien, waiting to rip her heart out.
Or was she being an idiot by comparing Max to her ex-fiancé? Jordan wouldn’t hesitate to tell her as much. Ellie would encourage her to forget about the past and be brave. But it wasn’t bravery that filled her a moment later when Max arrived at the statue and stood gazing out at the water.
Olivia drank in the sight of him. He wore dark jeans today, with a simple, gray sweater and a blue scarf wrapped loosely about his neck. He was so close that she could imagine the heat wafting off his body, could almost feel the echo of his kiss on her lips. A nervous flutter started in her belly as she stepped forward to greet him. “Hi, Max.”
“There you are,” he said, giving her a bright, boyish grin that made her heart speed up. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then stepped back and pulled a bouquet of irises from his backpack.
She stared at them in shock, trying to remember the last time a man had given her flowers. Damien never had.
He glanced down at the bouquet. “I was going to buy you roses, but that didn’t seem right. Irises seemed more your kind of flower.”
How had he known that? For a moment, the gesture touched her so deeply she had a hard time finding her voice. She tried to think of something clever to say but instead spoke from her heart. “I love irises. They’re my favorite. Thank you.” She breathed in the sweet, light, powdery scent. Ethereal and beautiful.
He grinned, yet there was a certain tension she hadn’t noticed before in his gaze as a man with a professional camera walked past. “Are you ready for your adventure? I have big plans for us tonight.”
She considered asking him about the look but decided against it. “Where are we going?”
He took her free hand in his. The heat of his body touched her in a dozen places. “You’ll see.” Gently, he tugged her toward the boardwalk, heading for a crowd of people at Pier 57. A light breeze rustled through her long hair as they walked toward the end of the pier. The tangy scent of salt brushed against her senses, and anticipation ached in her chest as they moved past the long line at Seattle’s waterfront Ferris wheel.
At the sight of Max, a young man in a Seattle Great Wheel shirt rushed up to greet the two of them at the head of the line. The tall, lanky man in his twenties nodde
d to her before reaching for Max’s hand.
“Thank you for this, Nick.” Max dipped into his pocket, then gripped Nick’s hand in a firm handshake as he slipped the young man some money.
“I’ve got everything almost ready for you—just give me a minute.” Nick went back to his station at the controls. He shuffled passengers into and out of the gondolas as dusk descended around them. The overbright, white lights of the Great Wheel flashed as the mechanical wheel turned slowly on its hub.
“Have you ever been here before?” Max asked.
Olivia smiled, feeling the magic of the moment wrap around her. “Never.” She’d meant to ride the wheel when it opened a few years ago, but she hadn’t found the time. She stared deep into Max’s eyes, savoring how handsome he looked standing there before her, backlit by the soft glow of lights from Fisherman’s Wharf.
“We’re ready for you,” Nick called, breaking the moment.
Max’s smile only increased as he pulled her toward the waiting gondola—the VIP car with its glass walls and floor—and ducked inside.
Laughing, Olivia allowed Max to guide her onto the leather seat beside him. She set the irises on the seat opposite. “How did you arrange all this?”
“Nick was a student of mine two years ago. He was struggling much like Paige is now.”
“And you helped him graduate?”
Max nodded. “Nick went from flunking his classes to graduating with a three-point-oh in one year. His progress was so notable he was offered a full scholarship to a mechanical technician program here in Seattle. He attends class during the day and works at the Wheel part-time in the evenings and on weekends.”
“Do you think something like that might be possible for Paige?”
“Anything is possible.” He leaned closer. “But tonight is not about Paige. It’s about you and me. Agreed?”
She nodded as her breath hitched at his intimate tone, and her nerves stretched in telltale anticipation. The gondola door snapped shut. Then the ride lurched forward before settling into a slow, even ascent. Their gazes met, and a jolt of electricity moved through her as Olivia leaned back and stared out at the fading view of the Olympic Mountains across the glassy waters of Puget Sound.
The Ferris wheel took them higher and higher into the growing darkness, until the first stars appeared in the night sky. Max draped his arm across her shoulder and pulled her tight against his side. Everything below them looked so far away, as if they’d entered some altered state of reality where nothing existed but the two of them.
“Olivia . . .”
“Max . . .”
They spoke at the same time.
Max twisted around to face her. She’d felt fear the last time she’d been with him. Not because of the sex, but because of the power he now had over her—the power to hurt her if he really was like Damien.
“Hey,” he said, reaching up to smooth a tendril of her hair away from her cheek. “You look so worried. Why?”
She swallowed roughly and dipped her gaze away from his clear, gray eyes. “We don’t even know each other.”
“That’s what tonight is about.” He forced her gaze back to his with a soft finger beneath her chin. “What do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything . . . everything.” The warmth of his breath curled against her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
“Where did you grow up?” She started with something easy.
He smiled and sat back. “The Eastside. My father, who I was named after, was a software guru for Microtech. My mother, Peggy, was a teacher until she had to leave her work to help support my father’s business commitments.”
She frowned. “His business commitments?”
“She and Dad entertained so much she didn’t have time for anything else.”
“Even you?”
He frowned. “No, my mom never really had as much time for my sister and me once Dad’s career took off. We had an au pair for several years—more a mother to us than our own was. Even so, it was because of my mother’s early passion in her life that I went into teaching.” At Olivia’s silent urging, he continued. “We might not have had the most attentive parents, but I always knew how privileged my sister and I were growing up.”
The Ferris wheel revolved down, then carried them back up into the graying night. “I saw the difference between us and other kids. I wanted to do something to help.” He shrugged. “So I went to college, and with my parents’ blessing earned a master’s in both mathematics and statistics. After that I got my teaching certification. I’ve been teaching kids in inner-city schools ever since. I like the mix of kids the Seattle public schools provide. Poor kids mix with rich kids; the artistic, the athletic, and the academic kids all come together under one roof.”
“Your students seem to really like you. Paige says only nice things about you as her teacher.”
“That’s good to hear. When I’m standing in front of them, they only complain.” He smiled softly. “When I’m not teaching or tutoring, I’m working on an app.”
She gave him a curious gaze. “A phone app?”
He laughed, the sound rich and welcoming. “App development is for more than just phones. I’m in the final stages of developing a computer matching algorithm that can pair a person with a statistical certainty of ninety-two percent.”
“A dating site?” Her curiosity gave way to skepticism.
A hint of irritation showed on his face. “It’s so much more than what you’re thinking. My app is different. I take a mathematical approach to a deeply emotional and personal process.”
“And it works?” she asked as her interest in the concept increased.
“It has so far. I’ve tested over five thousand people, and more than two thousand test subjects have found their ideal pairing. Eighty-one percent are maintaining a relationship to the present, and thirty-two percent have married or are engaged. Of those who’ve married, ninety-nine percent have stayed married over the past eighteen months, indicating my algorithm pairs couples who stay together once matched.”
The Wheel rotated down and started its upward climb once again. “One of my friends tried a site, but it didn’t connect her with anyone lasting. Just endless first dates,” Olivia said with a frown.
“No one has the time or the patience for only first dates. Millennials want more out of their connections. Did you know the current dating population is more apt to try a matchmaking service than any generation prior? Matchmaker 2.0 is going to be the next thing in matchmaking technology.”
“If you believe that about your app, then why are we out here tonight on a real date?”
“The app simply finds the right formula to indicate a matched pair. The rest is up to the couples to figure out in person. But the likelihood of success is much greater using my app. Math can predict personal chemistry every time when it comes to successful, long-term relationships,” he said, his gray eyes narrowing in challenge.
“You think a mathematic algorithm can look inside a person’s soul and figure out what inspires them, fills them with contentment, or what excites them?”
Instead of hardening, his expression lit up. “Yes. I do. I have a lot riding on that very fact, and I have close to a thousand couples that tell me I’m right.” He considered her. “Would you like to try my algorithm yourself? I’d be happy to administer the test.”
“No,” she said with an emphatic laugh.
“Afraid of who Matchmaker 2.0 might reveal as your ideal match?” His eyes had a mischievous glint.
Olivia shook her head, still smiling. She wasn’t ready to throw out tradition, even if she was tired of being the good girl all the time. She’d find her own special someone when she was ready for him. “I’m not afraid of anything.” The words were true enough, anyway.
Instead of challenging her, Max leaned back against his seat and smiled in return. “I’m beginning to see that. For instance, why did you decide to start your own foster-adopt agency?”
Olivia stared down at her
hands in her lap before bringing her gaze back to his. “I saw for myself how hard it is on kids to be tossed around from one foster family to another.”
His eyes darkened. “You were a foster child?”
“For a short time.”
“If it’s not too personal, can I ask what happened?”
She’d told her story so many times now, it seemed more like a speech than something she’d actually lived through. Besides, she’d had it easy compared with many kids in foster care. “After my dad died, my mom had a hard time finding work. We struggled with a place to live, and we often didn’t have any food to eat.” At the empathy in his eyes, she shrugged. “My mom decided to place me in temporary foster care while she pulled herself together.”
“How long were you in the system?”
“Only a year. I was lucky. I was placed with a wonderful family who had three other foster kids. I learned through the other kids’ stories what it was like to move from family to family in the foster system, and I promised myself I’d find a way to help others like them. Two years ago I opened the Tomorrow Foundation, and I’ve been making good on that promise ever since.”
“With kids like Paige.”
Olivia nodded.
“What’s Paige’s story?”
“Paige’s mother abandoned her when she was little. Her father mentally and physically abused her. Her scars run deep—scars that are hard to heal.”
Max’s face became shadowed as they rotated to the top and started their descent once again. “Do kids get over something like that?”
“They never get over it. They just have to make new, more powerful, positive memories.”
“How can I help Paige?”
“You already are.”
“Is it enough?”
Olivia shrugged. “Unless she starts to experience success, whether at school or in some other way, her past will always drag her down. She has to make it out of the cycle of her self-destruction.”
The Wheel’s artificial lights illuminated his face as he looked at her with an intensity that made her breath catch. “You’re a good person, Olivia.”
Along Came Mr. Right Page 5
