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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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 was watching the field when Gonzalez flew in from the right, leading with his helmet, but it happened so fast he didn’t process it until Oz was already flat on his back. The roar of the crowd faded to no more than a gasp, and the nearest players in white jerseys rushed to their unmoving quarterback. The bench lit up with questions as his teammates crowded close to the sideline. The first few minutes were restless but quiet while they waited for the trainers to give their signal. The ref called a time-out, sending the game to commercial break, and Oz still hadn’t moved.


“Cooper.” Chip grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from the congregating group. “We gotta go over the plays.”


“Obviously isn’t taking the next snap, is he? It’s only second down. Now focus.”


Chapter 29