Free Sensual Games (Novak Springs #3) by Dawn Brower Page A

the game come out in the positive for the team.
    He kept his head on the game. The snap went off, and the ball flew to his hands. Colt had a momentary flash of Paxton hitting the ground. No, he couldn’t think about what happened. He scanned the field and located a receiver. Colt lifted his arm and let the ball fly high. It was beautiful to watch it whiz through the air straight and true. The receiver caught it and began to run. He dodged left to avoid being tackled and then took off. He ran straight through over sixty yards to a touchdown.
    Colt formed a fist and did a victory swing of his arm. “Yes!”
    So far so good. Now he’d need to keep that up for the rest of the game.
    Each quarter flew by, and Colt played the best game of his life. His passing game was on par with a nice completion percentage. They fought hard for their win. The Broncos didn’t want to give it up. They finished the game with a one-point lead.
    Sweat dripped down his face, and he was exhausted. Nothing would ever compare to the feeling flowing through his veins. Winning was amazing. Being part of the team that made it happen was beyond exciting.
    “You did good out there.”
    He turned to see Emma standing behind him. “You think so?”
    No matter what or where he was, Emma’s opinion would matter to him.
    “Yeah, you did.” She smiled.
    “How’s Paxton?”
    He’d promised himself he would ask about him after the game. Now Colt’s stomach clenched as he waited to hear what happened to him.
    “It’s not good. He tore his rotator cuff. Dr. Ellwood thinks he’s going to need surgery.”
    Oh God. For a quarterback that could be a death sentence. He might not be able to throw a football ever again. “Are you sure?”
    “Yeah, apparently Dr. Ellwood had tried to talk him out of playing today. He had a sore shoulder. I wish one of them had come to me sooner. This may have been preventable.”
    “Will he play again?” He had to ask.
    “It’s too soon to tell. I won’t know his chances until he has surgery and we start therapy.”
    “I don’t have any words—”Colt was baffled. It was beginning to look like he’d be starting for the next several games. Possibly the entire season…his mind was blown.
    “Just take care of yourself. It looks like you’re number one for now.” Emma patted him on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t want to have to fall back on the third-string quarterback now would we?” She walked off with those words.
    Emma had given him a lot to think about. As soon as he calmed down enough to process the news, he’d go have a conversation with coach. They needed to start going over all the plays in fine detail. Yeah, Colt knew them, but he didn’t live and breathe them the way Paxton had. He’d have to step up his game if he was going to fill his shoes.

Chapter Ten
    The past several days had been filled with stress and a frenzy of activity. Emma had several meetings with Dr. Ellwood discussing Paxton’s physical therapy options. His surgery had gone well. Whether or not he played football again would depend on how physical therapy went. He could be lucky—unlikely, but it was possible. Most athletes didn’t come back from a torn rotator cuff. They lost a lot of mobility. Emma’s job was to help him in any way possible to get it back. Which was why she’d been holed up with Henry for hours at a time discussing strategy and what might or might not work with the quarterback’s recovery. After some extensive research they’d come up with a plan of action. The question was whether or not Paxton would comply and do what was needed to get him back to full strength. They would start working on his treatment a week after Thanksgiving. Giving him a little time to heal from his surgery and Emma a much needed break—she was bone tired.
    Emma pushed open the front door to her family home. All had been quiet at Novak Springs as she’d pulled up the drive. She hoped it would prove a sign and stay that way for the entire