Down by Contact
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Two rival football players begin a game with higher stakes than the Super Bowl in this steamy romance from the author of Illegal Contact.
Simeon Boudreaux, the New York Barons’ golden-armed quarterback, is blessed with irresistible New Orleans charm and a face to melt your mama’s heart. He’s universally adored by fans and the media. Coming out as gay in solidarity with his teammate hasn’t harmed his reputation in the least—except for some social media taunting from rival linebacker Adrián Bravo.
Though they were once teammates, Adrián views Simeon as a traitor and the number-one name on the New Jersey Predators’ shit list. When animosity between the two NFL players reaches a boiling point on the field, culminating in a dirty fist fight, they’re both benched for six games and sentenced to joint community service teaching sullen, Brooklyn teens how to play ball.
At first, they can barely stand to be in the same room, but running the camp forces them to shape up. With no choice but to work together, Simeon realizes Adrián is more than his alpha-jerk persona, and Adrián begins to question why he’s always had such strong feelings for the gorgeous QB…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hassell's raunchy, hypermasculine second Barons erotic romance (after Illegal Contact) is hotter than tempers on Super Bowl Sunday. Simeon Boudreaux is the star quarterback for the Barons, New York's NFL franchise. Not only is he a talented athlete, a charming Louisiana Cajun, and seemingly an all-around great guy, he's also one of the few openly gay football superstars. Adri n Bravo is the snarky linebacker for the rival New Jersey Predators, the team Simeon left after hearing one too many bigoted comments in the locker room. After Adri n makes thinly veiled anti-gay jokes at Simeon's expense on live television and the two men get into an on-field fistfight, they're are suspended for six games and assigned a coaching project at a youth center. In order to succeed with the kids, the men first have to deal with the root of their enmity: Adri n's bisexuality, suppressed because he fears the reactions of his teammates and Puerto Rican parents. The testosterone is balanced by thoughtful examinations of cultural differences and the effects of fame on relationships. Frequent, explicit sex scenes almost overwhelm the raw, beautifully told love story, which could leave some readers wishing for just a little more of the protagonists' interplay outside the bedroom.