Devereaux Cox: Sacked & Tackled, #2

By Palessa

He had no reason to doubt the perfect path of his life until the only woman he's ever  loved made him question everything

Squeezing her eyes against the moment that derailed her life, Rebekkah Stallman never thought she'd be facing it all alone. It wasn't supposed to be like this. But it was. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about turning back the clock. As much as she wanted to scream and cry, she had to pick up the pieces and start over. Without him.

Christopher Devereaux Cox should have been excited about seeing his hard work pay off with a choice between the SFL or the NFL. Instead, he grit his teeth and focused on the path ahead. As the son of a prominent Georgia family, his name was a symbol of pride and legacy. There was no room for denials and lies that would drag him through the mud. Pushing it all to the side he decided to move on.Without her.

They say there are three sides to every story. When the truth denies you everything you've ever wanted, who do you believe?  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palessa
• Release date: Jan 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524208721

Palessa

Palessa is the author of the Baxter Family Saga series as well as other stories. Her very first published book (aka author's trial by fire) is the interracial romance Unchained Hearts (Baxter Family Saga Book 1) . This crazy soap opera in a book is two love stories in one that opens the door to the life, love, tragedy, and legacy of the Baxters, a powerful, influential South Florida family. Jamaica-born, Miami-raised, Palessa currently lives and writes in the mountains of western Jamaica. In between working on a few other books and marketing projects, she farms, markets, and guffaws at her doggies and chickens and pigs (coming soon). Check out her blog, AuthorPalessa.com to see what she may be up to these days.

Book preview

As the six-foot-five juggernaut of the Atlanta Mercury, Christopher Devereaux Cox knows how to make his impact felt on the field. Off the field, he’s the devoted son of a prominent family with ties to presidential history, as well as one of Atlanta’s most eligible bachelors. He is a credit to his family, his team, and his name. Nothing could be more perfect.

Within the SFL, a problem threatens to spread through the organization. Cast as an unwitting scapegoat is Rebekka Stallman, a physiotherapist for the league and the only woman Devereaux ever loved. Seeing each other again after all those years ago when her life took a devastating turn was unexpected, and Rebekka wasn’t about to miss the chance to unleash her fury on her former boyfriend, who turned his back on her when she needed him.

But things aren’t what they seemed then or now.

Secrets and lies will be exposed as Rebekka forces Devereaux to question everything and everyone he ever trusted, including himself. As the dust settles and some facts about the league’s doping scandal come to light, Devereaux must decide whether the life he yearns for with the woman he still loves is worth the price of holding on to his family.

Table of Contents

Just an Image

Those Darn Spots

Reflections

His Own Eyes

Under the Skin

Wounded Hearts

The Real Story

Epilogue

Excerpt: Unchained Hearts

Excerpt: Eyubea Girls

Other books from Palessa

Baxter Family Saga Trilogy:

Growing Wild Series:

Sacked & Tackled Series:

About Palessa

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Free Reads:

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Just an Image

ANYONE WHO WAS AT MOONEY Stadium would have thought it was a regular game day. To fans of the SFL, it was a matchup that many had been hoping to see again. The Miami Medusas versus the Atlanta Mercury. Just four years ago the two teams played against each other in what many thought was one of the best games in SFL history. During the Tripolet stage, which determined the four teams that would head to the semifinals, Miami and Atlanta fought furiously for the fourth spot in the semis. It was a pity that one had to lose, but Atlanta was the victor. Miami wound up being shut out, but it was the farthest they had ever advanced in the history of the franchise and it was thanks in no small part to the owner of the Medusas, Pauline Brussiere.

Even though today’s game was just a friendly one, fans were invited to check it out. There were easily ten thousand of them, which was perfect not only for the teams but also for Carmicon Technologies, the firm hired by Pauline to create an RPG game for both franchises. Niveah Wallace, founder of Carmicon, and a few of her team were on hand to do sound recordings as well as update team stats and profiles. If this pilot panned out, then it would roll out to the entire league and open up new sponsorship opportunities for each franchise. No pressure, of course.

Devereaux Cox took his place at the line of scrimmage opposite Tobey Fine of Miami, known as the Blasian Sensation to fans, one of his best friends off the field. On the field, Tobey was a menace that needed to be handled and that was no easy task. Tobey had managed to catch most of the passes, helping the team to an early lead.

Medusa Quarterback, Frank Henman called the play. With a crush of bodies and helmets, the center hiked the ball and had maybe one or two seconds to find his target. In many cases that would be Tobey, but then again, there was Blake Allan or Pat Roget to choose from and either one of them was just as dangerous. Henman let the ball go and Tobey was the target. He reached up, caught the ball and secured it. The minute his feet hit the ground, Devereaux knocked him down, hard, slamming Tobey’s body into the ground. The collective groans from the spectators turned to cheers as the whistle sounded. Even with the tackle Tobey had gained just a few yards, giving his offense enough for a first down by just a hair. Devereaux helped Tobey to his feet and they walked back to their positions.

It was a close match, but everybody got what they needed, included Niveah, who cringed as she watched her man get sacked by that juggernaut of a lineman. When the final whistle sounded, the crowd clapped and the players took off their helmets, making their way to the stands and the fans who pooled for autographs. Many were still hopeful for a real matchup, but until then, this was enough to satisfy them.

Tobey and Devereaux took pictures with kids, who seemed to be the most awestruck. As a treat, Devereaux hoisted one of the kids on his shoulder, a little boy named Evan with dark curly hair, for a picture. He couldn’t have been more than five, but he could recount how many yards and interceptions his favorite players had, including Devereaux. Evan was so beside himself at being so close to one of his heroes, that afterward he hugged Devereaux with all his might before skittering back to the open arms of his mother, who was waiting just a few yards away.

Evan’s mother waved to Devereaux before walking off hand-in-hand with her little man springing excitedly beside her. He smiled wistfully at the scene. The look of pure joy on a child’s face made him wince a little. He wanted that kind of a family more than anything. Maybe one day, he told himself.

The players walked back to their respective team locker rooms to shower and get treatment, if needed. Lockers slammed, conversations buzzed as a few of his teammates slapped him on the shoulder for knocking Tobey on his ass. Before they hit the showers, Coach Vice had their post-game meeting, highlighting all the necessary points of the game.

Afterward, Devereaux took an ice bath and then showered, loving the slow detangling of his muscles. Blessed with natural flexibility that he maintained every day lessened his need to seek the physiotherapist most of the time.

He stepped out of the shower, towel around his waist, and grabbed his toiletry bag. He looked at himself in the mirror carefully. Christopher Devereaux Cox was no less than six-feet-five. He was thick with muscle that made his hits feel like granite. Some people called him the Mercury Juggernaut because once he built up enough momentum he was hard to stop. He was serious about his training and his supplementation, making sure he got all the nutrients he needed to maintain his strength and energy. His regimented approach was thanks to his degree in Biology with a minor in Anatomy. He knew his body down to the bone, which helped him on the field and off.

Devereaux’s sheer size got him plenty of attention. No matter where he went, he always found someone he knew or who knew him. His piercing light green eyes juxtaposed against his dark skin, which got him plenty of covetous female gazes and, as he was considered one of the most desirable bachelors in Atlanta, if not the entire state of Georgia, he had plenty of opportunities. But, he was a gentleman, and a discreet one at that, who didn’t share his bed with just any woman. It had been a long time since he had anything longer than six months and he was fine with the brevity. At least he was until today when he saw that little boy with his family. Those were the moments he felt that twinge when he knew he wanted more but realized that kind of life couldn’t be spent with just anyone.

As he made it back to the locker room to get dressed, his phone beeped. It was Tobey.

TOBEY: Seriously, did you have to hit me THAT hard?

DEVEREAUX: Please. I was being gentle. I have a rep to maintain.

TOBEY: Yeah, especially at a friendly, LOL

DEVEREAUX: Hey, not my fault that you’re all soft since you met some new girl.

They often teased each other about their conquests, a little back and forth jabbing. It was their way, but this time Tobey was quiet. Tobey was never quiet like this unless...

DEVEREAUX: Shit, man, is it serious? She ‘It’’ for you?

TOBEY: Maybe :)

For Tobey, that ‘maybe’ was as good as ‘yes’. Tobey was taken, he chuckled.

DEVEREAUX: Well, damn, I’m happy for you. That’s what it’s all about.

TOBEY: Yes it is, bro. Yes it is.

While Tobey wasn’t the last person he thought would find someone, that was an honor reserved for Parker Strong, he had always gotten the impression that he loved to play more than stay.

Good for him, Devereaux mumbled to himself.

After dressing and getting ready to head out, he was concentrating on his phone checking his other messages when he looked up and saw the quick profile of a woman with dark blonde hair. She forcefully pushed the door to enter the therapy room across the way.

Rebekka? he muttered to himself. Rebekka Stallman was his former girlfriend. No, she was more than that. She was the love in college that threw him for a loop. She broke his heart and shattered his trust in the worst way. They had to end. There was no way around it. That was more than six years ago and even though the pain was now a dull ache, it still lingered.

Just then he felt a quick slap against his arm.

Checking out some of the new physios? DJ Rames commented, smiling.

Something like that, he responded vaguely.

Man, some of those girls are seriously built and hot as hell. One blonde is just...all there. I definitely wouldn’t mind booking some time with her.

Devereaux smiled. DJ was all about hot women and football, in no particular order. He had quite a few stories about some of the stupid stuff he did, which, if he didn’t know DJ, he wouldn’t have believed them. Basically a good guy despite being a little misguided and chatty.

They walked out together and Devereaux headed home. It was early afternoon. The sun was high and bright with a few puffy clouds tinged with gray. It would have been a perfect day to hit the park, but he had way too much work to do. Devereaux was slowly working on his masters in organic chemistry with an eye on going into research or something else in the medical field. Some would say it was in his blood considering his mother was a hospital executive and his father was in the pharmaceuticals.

Just as the season was about to start, his semester was winding down, but he still had a lot of work to do. He needed to finish his coursework as soon as possible, which meant no partying, hardly any hanging out with friends, and women were a definite ‘no’. With the exception of that weekend with the guys in Miami back in February and his family dinners, Devereaux was on