Chapter 6
Knox’s chest was heaving as he caught his breath during the timeout.
He ignored the offer of water as he focused on his father’s orders.
His shoulder hurt from a sack he’d taken.
His quads were on fire from pushing his body on that last quarterback carry.
However, he knew his body would do what he asked of it.
This was what training was for. Plus, the crowd was feeding them today.
Their cheering and energy hyped up every player on the team.
They needed that energy now for their last chance to win this game.
The other team had been denied a touchdown and had to settle for a field goal.
If Knox could score, then the Thoroughbreds would win.
Knox glanced at the big screen to see how much time was left when the camera panned the crowd and landed on the owner’s box.
The crowd loved seeing Will and Mo cheering them on.
Mo might be more reserved, but Will, being a former pro-quarterback himself, was not reserved.
He regularly was shown screaming and cheering from the box.
Tonight though? It wasn’t Will who had his attention.
It was his mother holding the hand of none other than his Quinn.
Quinn who was jumping up and down with his mother cheering for him.
Her face was covered in a blush that revealed her heightened emotions and the smile on her face could light the stadium.
“See,” Trey yelled at him slamming his hand into Knox’s chest. “That’s the confidence we need. Knox, are you ready to lead them into the endzone and win this?”
“Hell yeah, I am.” And while he was naturally competitive, the fact that he was doing this in front of Quinn made him feel like a freaking king. Now he had to prove his worth. “Okay, Blue Twist fifty-two on three.”
“Let’s go!” his father bellowed as the time out ended and the team ran to the line.
Knox got into shotgun formation and held out his hands.
He counted the play down then they were off.
He caught the snap as his receivers shot off for the endzone.
The timer counted down, the linemen were locked in battle, then he saw it.
Deon’s hand shot out as he got a half step ahead of his defender.
Knox zeroed in on his target, pulled his arm back, and threw.
A split second later he was hit by a defender.
Even as Knox was slammed onto the turf, he kept his eyes on the spiraling ball.
Knox shoved the defender off him and saw the moment Deon rose into the air, his hands closing around the ball, the defender tackling him, but it was too late. Deon was in the endzone.
“Hell yes!” Knox screamed.
“Damn. Nice throw, man,” Jermaine Peoples, the defensive lineman who had tackled Knox said, holding out his hand to help Knox up as Knox’s team surrounded them.
“Great game, Jermaine. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you guys again in the playoffs.” Knox glanced up at the big screen to see the owner’s box going nuts. Quinn was screaming and seemed completely comfortable surrounded by royalty and Knox’s other friends.
Knox was overtaken by his linemen and his team as Deon joined them, still holding the ball he’d caught. “Hell of a catch!” Knox yelled as they jumped in the air and bumped shoulders.
“Get your asses off the field. We have to kick the extra point. Special teams, we need you to tackle whoever catches the kickoff. Three seconds left on the clock!” Knox’s father yelled.
Knox congratulated his team as they waited for the official end of the game.
He kept glancing up to the owner’s box, hoping to find a way to know if Quinn was going to stay.
He assumed that since she was in the box and not in the betting lounge that things were going well.
He needed to get to his phone, but that was in his locker, and a very bubbly reporter was standing between him and the entrance to the underside of the stadium.
“Knox! What a win. Tell us about that final drive.” Chelle was the reporter’s name. She was one of the newer field correspondents.
Knox went into his standard spiel, but when he glanced up to the owner’s box he saw Quinn walking up the stairs and heading into the lobby. Was she leaving? He had to find a way to stop her. “But what really motivated me was looking up into the box and seeing someone special here today.”
Knox saw Quinn stop on the top step and slowly turn around to face the field. His interview was being broadcast on the large televisions in the box and the jumbo screen above the field.
“Someone special?” Chelle was giddy with the scoop. “And who is that? I’m sure the Thoroughbreds fans will want to thank them.”
Knox smiled right into the camera. “She’s the smartest woman I know. I was lucky enough to meet her in college when she was my advanced coding tutor. See you soon, Q.” Then he winked for good measure. He wanted the world to know he was shooting his shot.
Quinn’s mouth dropped open at Knox’s interview. Then he’d winked. At her. For her. On national television. Knox jogged off the field and Quinn turned back toward the suite to see everyone there staring at her.
Taylor reached out and grabbed her upper arms. Quinn was worried that she was about to be escorted out of the suite. “You’re Knox’s tutor from his last semester?”
“Um, yes, ma’am.” Quinn glanced to see Nico watching her intently. She couldn’t read his face, but everyone else there was eavesdropping and didn’t care if she knew it.
Taylor burst out laughing and that caught Quinn off guard. “I thought it was some stuffy old professor. Knox talked nonstop about how smart you were and what a great teacher you were. And how much he missed working with you after the semester was over.”
“Am I to understand that you tutored Knox in college?” Nico asked, and she couldn’t tell if he was upset or not.
“That’s right. Is that a problem?” Quinn asked, nervous about Nico’s reaction as he took out his phone.
“Not at all.”
Taylor glanced down at her phone and slapped Nico’s arm. Quinn gasped, but Nico’s lips turned up into a half smile. “You bet before me? He’s my son. I should get the first bet!”
“You snooze, you lose.” Nico tucked his phone back into his pocket and turned to a very confused Quinn.
Any questions Quinn had died as the door to the suite was shoved open and there was Knox standing in his uniform pants and a soaking wet white athletic shirt.
Knox had entered the tunnel already unbuckling his pads. He had an assistant help yank his jersey and pads off over his head in the hall and tossed them inside the locker room door before racing to the suite with his father calling out after him.
“Knox! You have media!” his father yelled, but Knox couldn’t lose this chance to ask Quinn to join him for dinner.
“Have Deon go first. I have to get to the suite.”
“The suite? Is something wrong?”
Knox didn’t even realize his father was hot on his heels as Knox bolted up the stairs to the suite level. He ran by security and into the suite to find Nico and his mother next to Quinn. Good. She was still there.
“What is going on?” Knox’s father’s coach voice boomed throughout the room.
“Honey!” his mom replied, reaching out and placing her hand on Quinn’s arm. “This is Knox’s tutor from college. Quinn.”
Trey looked at his wife, turned to Quinn, and then to Knox. “The tutor? The one he couldn’t stop talking about for almost a year?”
Quinn blushed and Knox saw Nico glance between them. Was Nico interested in his Quinn?
“Q, I was hoping you’d join us for dinner tonight,” Knox asked, hoping Nico wasn’t trying to keep her at work.
“Yes, please do,” his father added and Knox wanted to hug him. It was hard to say no to his dad.
“And you too, Nico,” his mother said, turning to Nico. “Or do you have a hot date to get to?”
Nico wasn’t easy to read, but even Knox saw the way his eyes shuttered and all emotion seemed to drain from his body until he was just a husk of a man. “Thank you for your gracious invitation, but I have a lot of work to do tonight. Quinn, I’ll see you in the morning for a meeting at eight.”
“Yes, sir.”
Knox waited as Nico said goodbye and left before turning back to Quinn. “Will you join us for dinner? The whole group goes out to Landon Davies’s restaurant. His wife is one of the coaches on the team.”
“Yes,” Ariana said, giving Knox a conspiratorial wink. “Please. You have to join us.”
Quinn saw everyone waiting for her answer, and nodded. “Sure. I just have to pick up my computer.”
“Great!” Knox smiled at Quinn even as his father began pushing him from the room. “I’ll meet you at the family area after media.”
“Come on,” he heard his mother say to Quinn. “You can tell me all about tutoring Knox while we get your computer.”