Kickoff: The Originals

Struggling pro football wide receiver Derek Ramsey was once Rachel McCormick’s best friend and lover, and now they’re forced together again.

Gifted with an uncanny ability for evaluating football talent and a dogged determination to succeed in a man’s world, Rachel finally gets her chance in the pros as a staff member of the Seattle Steelheads. Her first assignment is to help Derek get his game back. While working with him on the field, she succumbs to the chemistry between them and spends a forbidden night in his arms.

The next day Derek has the best performance of his not-so illustrious career. Soon Derek and Rachel are racking up nights in bed, and the team is racking up wins. They’re risking it all, but they can’t resist each other. Not only is Rachel his coach, but Derek knows the truth behind a secret that destroyed her father years before.

Rachel and Derek are torn between love and duty, and the clock is winding down. It’s fourth and goal, one second left in the game. The next play Derek makes must be for Rachel’s heart.

Previously published as Fourth and Goal in 2011. This version has been extensively updated, re-titled, and edited.