Stroke of Luck Read Free Page B

cheek where she’d kissed him. Stupid, but it still felt warm. He didn’t even consider what she’d done a kiss, really. More like something a maiden aunt would bestow on a five-year-old. His mood was turning surly so fast and he realized he was scowling, especially since a couple of people stepped quickly out of his path. Damn if he couldn’t also feel tingling around the spots on his chest where her amazing breasts had rubbed against him.
    Shit , he thought. If I keep this up, I’m going to have a hard-on walking down the street. Jesus. He was acting like some idiotic pre-teenage boy. He shook his head and thought, ridiculously, that he felt some water sloshing around inside his ear canal. Damn it, he did not have swimmer’s ear.

Chapter Two
     
    Annalisa was on the tram to the river very early the next morning. She was determined to go back to the scene of yesterday’s mishap and prove to herself and everyone—not just Robert Buchanan—that she was a professional photojournalist who could handle her job. She’d decided after a sleepless night that, like the time she’d fallen off the horse as a child, she needed to get right back on it. This horse—the surprisingly complex rowing competition—was not going to defeat her. Yes, she’d made a tactical error trying to go out on the ledge to get the shot she needed. Truth be told, she still didn’t know what had happened. Her footing had been secure. She was sure of it. She had worn shoes with good rubber soles, so even if there had been some slick spots, she should have only slipped a bit, not completely fallen off.
    But lesson learned and not to be repeated. Just before she’d fallen yesterday, she’d spied an even better and safer spot to get the aerial view she was looking for. There was a small landing on the underside of the spectator bridge about midway along the course. She was more than a little frustrated that she hadn’t seen the spot yesterday, but she wasn’t going to beat herself up over her mistake. Everyone made mistakes—the key was to learn from them.
    Annalisa knew what other people thought about her. She’d heard the taunts of “klutz” from childhood. It had all started shortly after the deaths of her parents. Her Uncle Vinnie and Aunt Rebecca had taken her into their household and given her love, gentle discipline when needed, and security. More, they had given her the chance to find herself through photography. Even as a child with that kind of loving support, there had been taunts from the other kids. Her aunt and uncle had told her repeatedly that they didn’t believe she was a klutz, but Uncle Vinnie had a tendency to look after her as if she were one step away from sure disaster every day. That was part of the reason this assignment at the Olympic trials was so crucial. She needed to prove to herself, Uncle Vinnie and everyone else what her abilities were. Right now Uncle Vinnie, back at the main offices in New York, didn’t know about the accident yesterday. She was determined that he wouldn’t find out. More, she was determined to dazzle him in his role as both parent and boss, to show him that she had what it took to be a star in the business.
    So here she was, headed back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. She’d done her homework the night before and she was ready to get the scoop she needed—a personal interview with Robert Buchanan on the eve of his first event in the rowing competition.
    Buchanan was a hero in the true sense of the word. He’d served in Afghanistan and Iraq in the War on Terror and had been awarded medals for valor. According to news reports, he’d saved three members of his squad and several civilians in action there, despite being injured himself. After his service and heroism, he’d returned home and used the physical training necessary for rowing to rehabilitate himself. That had been the beginning of his quest to become an Olympian.
    No one had expected him to actually perform in the