Adversaries and Lovers Read Online Free

client?"
    Kate looked up with a start. "The client?"
    "There you go repeating again."
    "Yes, well... the client is... in sporting goods and things like that." Kate looked across the table at her grandmother, who pinned her with steely gray eyes as sharp and glinting as a finely honed blade, the lethal look Grandma got when she knew Kate was up to something. Kate shifted uneasily in her chair. Confessing to her meeting with Henry Stassen's grandson wouldn't be a very good move at this point, judging from Grandma's reaction to the photos, so she prepared to ward off any further questions at this point. Thankfully, Grandma didn't press for particulars about the new client. Still, Kate had the uneasy feeling that, very soon, Grandma would piece things together. She was amazingly good at that. What bothered her more was her upcoming meeting with Ben Stassen, and the fact that she'd agreed to go with him at his place in the woods.
    She visualized the leather-clad renegade at the reception, and the jock in tennis attire, and couldn’t decide which worried her more. Both were heart-stopping. Both were dangerous.
    ***
    While the Sellwood Action Committee deliberated over relevant issues in their appeal, Kate stood beside the window where she could have full view of the street. She planned to make a hasty exit the moment Ben arrived. If the group learned who he was, the peppery seniors would not respond to him in a way that would earn his sympathy. In fact, he'd be lucky to leave with his hide. The bunch was in a surly mood.
    Hearing the low throb of an engine, Kate saw a leather-clad figure on a motorcycle pull to a halt across the street. Surely he didn't expect her to ride behind him on one of those things? She compressed her lips. Of course he did, if only to irritate her. To her vexation, he maneuvered the motorcycle in a wide arc, motored across the street and stopped out front. He swung his leg over the cycle, removed his helmet, pulled off  his gloves and started toward the house. Kate eyed the gathering of seniors, who were caught up in a heated debate over phrasing in the appeal. Anxious to slip away unnoticed, she collected her portfolio with her ad ideas and crept toward the door. Her hand on the knob, she was about to open the door when her grandmother's voice cut through the boisterous chatter. "You can't leave without at least offering an opinion on this."
    "I've got to go, Grandma," Kate replied. "My ride’s here." She yanked open the door, startled to find Ben standing with his arm propped on the door frame.
    He eyed the length of her. "Didn't I mention we'd be going on my cycle?"
    Kate glared at him. "Of course not! You knew I wouldn’t go if you had."
    "Sorry, my oversight. Meanwhile, my place is about ten miles upriver, so you'd better change into something more suitable for the ride. The wind has a way of catching skirts and sending them up legs, not that I'd mind, but you might."
    Kate eyed him with anoyance. "Then I'll follow you in my car."
    Ben shrugged. "It better be high off the ground or it won't make it to my place."
    Kate looked around at the gathering, which had fallen silent, all eyes on them. Trying to ignore the curious stares, she said in a hushed voice, "Alright, but while I change I'd appreciate it if you'd wait outside."
    "Good heavens, Kate!" her grandmother called out. "Show the man in."
    Kate knew Grandma wasn't being gracious. She was pressing for an explanation why her granddaughter was about to sneak off with a man who looked like a member of a motorcycle gang. "Really, Grandma, he doesn't mind waiting outside since you're having a meeting."
    Ben straightened. "As a matter of fact, I could use a drink of water," he said, his eyes scanning the group. Before Kate could protest, he'd stepped inside.
    Kate glared at him. It was obvious he knew something was up, but she had no intention of giving him the slightest inkling what it was. "On second thought, a little wind on my legs might feel