Pepper Espinoza

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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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

Patton left the sports complex earlier than usual, but it already dark by the time he pulled into his driveway. He sat in the silence for several long minutes, rolling down the window and listening to the steady click click clickof his cooling engine. The house loomed too big, too dark, too empty. When he left LA, he didn’t think anything of leaving behind at least ninety-percent of his possessions, figuring he never really paid attention to his things and it was all just stuffanyway. Most of which would remind him of Chris. But living with those old reminders now seemed preferable to rattling around an empty house.


Patton had his wallet, his phone, his keys, a full tank of gas, and nobody to ask him where he was going or why he left. He also had the weekend off. He started the engine again, backed out of his driveway, and headed for Interstate 10. There wasn’t enough room in his truck to bring everything back, but it’d be a good start.


Chapter 21