“No,” she said. “He knew I wouldn’t. He just . . .” She shook her head, rolling her eyes, but at the same time, he saw something else in her eyes. “There’s a reason why things didn’t work out between him and me, and that’s part of it.”

The attendant came over to remove the filled bag of Ella’s blood and remove the needle from her arm. After instructing her to lie there for a few more minutes before sitting up, the young attendant walked away. At first, Felix hesitated to ask too much about Grayson like he wanted to but then thought what the hell? He may as well ask while they were still on the subject.

“So were you with him for a long time, or is that just how Carmen sees it?”

For a second, he thought she saw surprise in his continued line of questioning about Grayson, but just as quickly, she was back to the ever unruffled Ella. The one he still didn’t want to admit he’d become far too interested in way too fast.

Her answer was surprisingly detailed. She’d known the guy for about two years. They were friends for a long time first and did a lot of talking on the phone and such. They went to the movies and got together casually, but she made it clear she couldn’t do more. “I had so much going on with my brother’s legal issues and all and then trying to get this self-defense class thing going that I didn’t have time to do the relationship thing.”

The attendant walked over just as she was getting to the part about when she’d actually gotten together with the guy. She walked over to the area where everyone else who’d donated were sitting having juice and cookies while they waited a little longer to be dismissed. Felix got her some juice and sat next to her, unwilling to let the conversation go. Luckily, he didn’t have to nudge her to go on. She did on her own.

“Carmen says we’ve been together forever because that’s how long it feels like I’ve been telling her about him, but it wasn’t until well over a year of knowing and hanging out with him that, you know”—she glanced away, taking a sip of her juice—“we actually got together.”

Felix stared at her, mentally willing her to go on. He couldn’t believe how this girl could continue to impress him. During her interview with Drew the other night, she spoke briefly about having lost her sister to gang violence in her neighborhood. Felix knew firsthand all about how dangerous it was to live in her neighborhood. He’d grown up in the same area. A guy like Grayson could be her ticket out of the neighborhood that had already done her family so wrong. How much safer could she feel than being married to a cop?

On paper, Grayson seemed to be the ideal guy for her. Yet apparently she’d dumped him since he was still coming around to see her at the gym and demanding she answer his calls. Felix was dying to know now what, besides his pushy attitude, he could have done to blow it with her.

As if reading his mind, she shrugged. “He changed after things got a little more serious.”

Feeling his brows pinch curiously, he had to ask, “Changed how?” She tilted her head, and from what little he knew of her, he’d begun to pick up on few things about her, so he answered her unasked question. “I’m just curious. You don’t have to answer if you’d rather not.”

“No, I don’t mind.” She smiled again, and his eyes were instantly on her lips.

He looked up at her again when he realized what he was doing. Damn it! He was going to have to stop doing that. But he wasn’t sure what was worse because now he was caught in her eyes.

“There you are!”

Felix and Ella turned at the same time to see Adelina walking up to them, smiling. She wore a black body-hugging dress that buttoned down the front with big belt high at her waist. As usual, she was covered in jewels, and she clutched her oversized Luis Vuitton handbag in one hand, glancing down at her phone in the other hand.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been looking for you for a while, and no one could find you. I’m on my way out now. I just wanted to let you know I’ve covered the guy who’s going to be interviewing you on what he can and can’t ask you, and I sent you a text just so you’re clear on what you can and can’t say yet regarding a possible rematch with Grecco.” She stopped and smiled, glancing at Ella then back at Felix. “No one said you might be giving blood, or I would’ve come here first thing.”

“That’s because I already gave blood this morning.”

“Oh,” she said simply then glanced at Ella again as if it just dawned on her that he wasn’t there for himself; he was there keeping Ella company. “You do have your phone on you, right?”

He tapped his pocket but didn’t mention or offer any apologies for having turned it off when he spotted Ella headed his way. He was glad now that he had or his time with Ella might’ve been cut short.

“Okay then,” she said again very simply when it was obvious he wouldn’t be introducing her to Ella.

Not even sure why, he just didn’t want to introduce her. He figured the less time she was there the less likely it was she might say something he didn’t want Ella to hear.

Then she did just that.

“So do I get to see you later tonight?”

She smiled sinfully, lowering her lashes in a way that could only be interpreted in one way—she didn’t mean for business.

“Probably not,” he said a little too loud, feeling his face heat up instantly. “But I’ll call you if I need anything else.”