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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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

Bryce and Morgan took off down the field, racing to beat the coverage. Patton never looked away from them, waiting…waiting…waiting for that split second of advantage. Bodies crashed around him, jostling his arm and legs. He felt gloved hands grabbing blindly at his feet and jersey, but he still held onto the ball until there was some sunlight between Morgan and Wilson. He settled with his foot back and cocked his arm, releasing the ball just before the safety reached him. Patton rolled to the grass, pushing himself back up to his feet as soon as he disentangled himself from the defender.


He was in time to see the ball float into Morgan’s outstretched hands just as pretty as you please.


Chapter 51