Patton Cooper won three national championships as the starting quarterback for the Los Angeles Marauders, but that didn’t stop them from trading him to Phoenix without so much as a warning. At thirty-two, he finds himself weighed down by old injuries and forced to start over again as a backup quarterback for an untried rookie. Deeply hurt by the betrayal of both his team and his ex-lover, Patton keeps to himself and takes what solace he can in football.<br><br>Cornerback DeShawn Jones has loved two things in his life -- football and Patton Cooper. It seems like his dreams have come true when he’s drafted to play for the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man. But DeShawn refuses to give up on his dreams of playing, or his hope of reaching Patton.<br><br>A tentative connection forms between the two men, but the pressures of the game may be too much for the relationship to withstand. Especially when DeShawn is given the chance of a lifetime while Patton struggles not to relive the mistakes from his past.

Mr. November

“I did that. The cafeteria in my dorm had one of those soft serve machines. I was living the dream for a few weeks my freshman year.”


“I got fat and sick.” DeShawn’s smile turned a little wistful. “It was worth it, though.”


DeShawn chuckled and gestured for the waiter. Patton felt his face relax into a smile, letting his shield slip for the rest of their meal. 4


Los Angeles Marauders vs Phoenix Wildcats


“Despite last week’s loss to the Breakers, today’s match-up with the Los Angeles Marauders ought to be an easy one for the Wildcats on Monday night. The Marauders already have two losses, and the win they had the first week wasn’t very pretty.”


“No, it wasn’t Jon, but it was still a win. The Marauders aren’t a bad football team, and I don’t think we should count them out of the game just yet.”


Chapter 13