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the Phoenix Wildcats, until he realizes the coach has no intention of letting him start, and his childhood hero is a withdrawn, wary man.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 Wildcats shifted, abandoning their previous jobs to chase down their former teammate. Patton angled himself and pumped his legs, closing the gap between them with every long stride. If he had miscalculated the approach at all, he’d miss DeShawn by inches. But they connected exactly where he thought they would, and he pushed DeShawn out of bounds, their combined momentum driving them to the ground.


“Nice catch,” Patton said breathlessly.


“Yeah, you too. What was that, Patton? You know better than to throw it at me.”


“Bryce was supposed to turn around.”


“He’s not as smart as you give him credit for.”


Patton managed to get to his feet first, and he put a hand down to help DeShawn. As soon as they clasped fingers, Patton didn’t want to release him. He even tugged him closer, forgetting everything except the physical absence of DeShawn’s body.


“Enjoy it, DeShawn. It’s not going to happen again.”


Chapter 53