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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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

It felt good. Perfect. He really only belonged in one place, and the weight of the ball against his palm felt a bit like coming home. He hurried back, turned to protect his chest from the rushing safety, and planted the ball in Gates’s waiting arms. He barely released it before he hit the ground, and he knew Gates wouldn’t have enough room to make up twenty-one yards. Only a handful of seconds later, Gates rolled to the grass, ball still protected against his chest. By the time everybody found their feet again, the scoreboard announced third down with eighteen yards to go. Through the speaker in his helmet, Coach called another running play. Patton ignored it, wishing he could call a bootleg pass. But that would require speed, and Patton wasn’t sure he could outrun the entire defensive line. Not quite yet.


Chapter 30