Amid the throng of reporters vying for that elusive headline and industry recognition, I'm clinging to the heart of the action. With years of sports photography under my belt, I thought I'd seen it all, but nothing could prepare me for what unfolded before my lens today.

Drew Wylder, a star on the football field, collided in a brutal fashion that sent shockwaves through my camera. The kind of collision that could shatter dreams and halt a career in its tracks.

As the medical team whisks Drew away from the field, our eyes connect for a fleeting moment. His gaze holds mine, a perplexed look in his eyes.

"Who are you?" he asks, his face tight with pain.

I stammer, "I—"

"Pretty," he interjects, before he passes out cold.

Amid the high-stakes world of sports, where careers teeter on the brink, and secrets from the past cast a sinister shadow, strangers become friends and discover that love has an agenda all its own, one they never anticipated.

Author Note: Rough Play was previously published in Tough Call, A Limited Edition Contemporary Romance Anthology that is no longer available.
Rough Play is A New League novella.