Forever Remembered (Forever Bluegrass #25)

Prologue

December, Junior Year of College . . .

Knox Everett stepped from the showers to find one of the football team’s student managers waiting for him.

“Coach wants to see you.” Knox nodded as he wiped the water from his face and then wrapped the towel around his waist. No need to tell him which coach.

Knox knew it was Coach Reardon—the head coach.

Knox had been anticipating this meeting for more than one reason.

Knox was one of the last guys in the locker room as he got dressed. It was because he always ran another thirty minutes of drills out on the field after practice was over. Plus, he liked the quiet to think about their next game. And their next game was a big one.

Knox headed out of the locker room and down the hall to Coach Reardon’s office. The door was partially open, but Knox knocked on it anyway.

“Come in,” Coach said with his gruff voice.

“You wanted to see me, Coach?” Knox asked.

Yes, he might be considered football royalty, but he hadn’t earned that.

His father had, though. His father, Trey, had been an All-Pro running back before becoming a coach for the new professional football team in Lexington.

The Lexington Thoroughbreds were partially owned by Will Ashton, a former pro quarterback from Knox’s hometown and Knox’s mentor.

Knox appreciated everything that he’d learned from both of them, but their names and reputations couldn’t put points on the board.

That was Knox’s responsibility. He worked his ass off every day to get where he was, which was at the top of his game.

“Yeah, we need to decide a few things before the championship game. The deadline for the draft is next month. Have you made a decision?” Coach Reardon had been as unbiased as he could when discussing Knox’s future.

Of course, he wanted Knox to stay another year and keep the team winning.

But he was also a good enough coach to kick him out of the nest when the time was right, which was now.

Knox sighed. This should be an easy decision, but it wasn’t.

His mother wanted him to finish college.

His dad wanted him to go pro since there was a good chance he’d go in the top three this year.

“I think I have a solution,” Knox said, leaning forward, “but I need help from you to put pressure on the dean.”

“And what’s this solution?”

“If you can get the dean to allow me to take the advanced coding class next semester on top of my already set course load, I can take my last required class online during the first summer session. I’d be done by the end of June, which is before training camp starts.

” Knox knew he was crazy for adding to his class load instead of reducing it.

But luckily his parents had stressed academics in high school and he’d graduated with enough credits towards college that all he needed were these last two classes for his major.

He had enough credit hours to graduate now.

He just needed to get his major requirements in.

“I know you’re smart. Your major is information technology, not communications like everyone else.

Except for the linemen, but they’re crazy.

How are you going to handle a heavy course load with the demands of the championship game, combines, and then draft day in April?

” Coach had a legitimate question and Knox knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“I need a tutor. Advanced coding is a beast. I need someone who can help me with it, even if it’s just sitting there while I do my homework so I can ask them questions.” Knox might have an ego out on the field, but he knew his strengths and weaknesses. Coding was a weakness.

Coach Reardon sat back in his chair. It creaked with his weight as he crossed his arms. “I’ll call the dean and find you a tutor. You’re going top three, so that means New England, Cleveland, or New York. But we have a college championship to win first. Don’t forget that.”

“Yes, Coach. And thank you.”

Knox rushed from the showers and down the hall of the practice facility to meet his new tutor.

They had study rooms at the facility, and one that was going to be his every other day for the rest of the semester.

Knox was one week from the championship game but that didn’t matter.

His classes had already started and he had an advanced coding quiz he had to take before leaving for the game.

His professor didn’t care that he was a football player.

In fact, his professor seemed pissed off that Knox had gotten into the class, which he’d been told was already closed.

However, the dean got the professor to let him in.

The tutor, Quinn Kennedy, was different though and would help him.

Quinn was a student tutor scheduled to graduate in May and Coach had found him via a posting for tutors.

Knox just hoped this Quinn guy wasn’t either anti-football players or a football player fanatic.

Knox needed someone he could trust to help him instead of gossip about him.

The door to the study room was open. Knox paused at the doorway and took in the jean-clad ass in front of him. It was round, a perfect handful or more, and currently pointed right at him. Damn, was his dick reacting to a guy for the first time ever?

Quinn found what he was looking for in his backpack and stood up.

That’s when Knox was hit harder than any defensive back ever had.

The juicy jean-clad ass didn’t belong to a man but a woman.

Knox could see round breasts, even in a hoodie two sizes too big when she turned toward him.

Her brown hair was tucked up under a knit cap but when she pulled it off, he saw that her hair was long and straight.

Her big brown eyes were full of surprise.

While she was tall, probably five feet seven, she still seemed small to his six-foot-four.

“Knox Everett? What are you doing here?” Okay, so the curvy knockout wasn’t swooning, so he guessed that was good.

“Are you Quinn Kennedy?” Knox asked instead of answering her right away.

“I am. How did you know that?”

Damn, but she was adorable as she narrowed her eyes at him.

She wasn’t Hollywood thin. She had curves, and man, did he want to explore them.

He wanted to run his hand over the flare of her hips and feel her sides tuck into a narrower waist before feeling the curves of her bust. Talk about an hourglass bombshell. “You’re my tutor.”

Quinn shook her head and gave a little laugh. “No. I am here to tutor one of the student managers. I don’t know anything about communications.”

Knox gave her a grin that usually had panties melting off the jersey chasers. Quinn just blinked as if she couldn’t process it. “Good thing I’m an information technology major then. I need tutoring with advanced coding.”

“But,” Quinn stuttered before grabbing a piece of paper, “this says a football student manager.”

“I know, sorry about that. I can’t exactly show up at the library, can I? As much as I benefit from being a sports figure, one of the things I can’t do is just roll up to the library and study. So, we put that down to keep the groupies from applying to be my tutor.”

He could read all the emotions flitting over her face before she finally settled on stubborn. “I’m not going to do your homework for you.”

“I’d never ask you to do that.” Knox walked fully into the room and closed the door. They were in complete privacy now. No one could see them and Knox liked the idea of having Quinn all to himself.

Quinn Kennedy was a geek. She knew it. Her professors knew it. Her best friend, Helena Diakos, knew it. She was not someone who had ever been around one of the famous football stars of their college, nevertheless she was now in a small private room with one.

She heard Knox snort and saw him looking down at her tote bag. “You like big books, huh?” he read from it.

“I cannot lie,” she answered automatically.

“What kind of books?” Knox asked her as he walked around her and pulled out the chair next to hers.

“Romance.” Quinn waited for the jokes, but they didn’t come. Helena had given them to her as an escape after her parents had been killed in a helicopter crash. They’d been sightseeing for their anniversary when it happened right after Quinn had graduated from high school.

“Cool. My mom loves them too. My dad had to build her a whole new room for her book babies. Her words, not mine.”

“Do you like to read?” Quinn asked, taking her seat.

Knox wasn’t acting like a spoiled sports star, so at least that was a positive.

And she really, really, really needed the money.

She was on scholarship, but still couldn’t buy one particular textbook she needed this semester until she tutored Knox for the week and got paid.

She was making do by borrowing a friend’s book after she finished the reading.

“Yeah. I like mysteries and thrillers. I don’t have much time to read, but I’ll binge read my favorite authors as soon as the season is over. So, have you taken this class before?”

Quinn nodded. “Yes, I’m a senior computer science major. I took it last semester. Don’t worry. I did well in it.”

“I need a C in the class, at the very least. I take it you did better than that?”

“I had the highest grade in the class. Don’t worry, coding is my thing. Let’s get to work and see how much tutoring you’ll need.”

“Are you coming to the game?” Knox asked Quinn at the end of their first week working together. They had met every day to prepare for the quiz he was going to take tomorrow morning before getting on a plane for the championship game.

“No. I’m not really into sports.”

“Why not?” Knox sounded almost offended and it made Quinn roll her eyes.

“Would you be into it if all the jocks in high school tormented you for being a geek?” Knox looked angry and Quinn wondered if she’d hurt his feelings. “Not that you would have done that.”