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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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

The ball was thrown a little bit behind its intended receiver, but J.J. didn’t even hesitate. He grabbed the ball from the air, lowered his shoulder, and rolled into the end zone. The whistle blew. The signal went up.


Patton collapsed in the mud, winded, letting the rain wash over him.


DeShawn didn’t look away from the enormous television showing highlights of the day. He’d already seen Patton’s scramble for a touchdown about a dozen times, but he wasn’t tired of it yet. Watching it made his throat scratchy. He didn’t know exactly what that meant, but he knew the beer couldn’t touch it. No matter how much he gulped down. They’d all gone to the sports bar after the game to celebrate their victory over the division rivals, but DeShawn was more interested in the victory he’d had no part of.


“Yeah. I can’t believe he dodged Feeney like that.”


Chapter 46