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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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

“I’m freezing my balls off out here,” J.J. muttered.


“Come on, ladies.” Patton shrugged his coat off. “Time to stop bitching and start playing.”


By halftime they were down by a touchdown, half-frozen, and exhausted. The snow had turned the field into mush, and it took more effort to push through the goop with their stiff limbs. Mud and blood smeared across their white uniforms, and all the starters, to the man, looked like they would give up their kingdoms for a cup of coffee and a thick blanket. The news that the Breakers had a twenty-one point lead against the Titans didn’t raise anybody’s spirits.


Chapter 48