Lachlan didn't sit, but finally replied, "The smaller exhibition you participated in last year was mostly a success."
Mostly was right. There had been a bomb threat at one point, and they'd had to shut it down early.
He continued, "The DDA Director wants to have a more involved project, one involving both humans and dragon-shifter artists, forming a collective of sorts."
Her heart skipped a beat. She'd dreamed of one day working side by side with other artists but always had to put the idea on hold to help out her mother and siblings.
Of course, the reasons she still had to help her family hadn't changed. Her elation faded a fraction, since it'd probably be held far away for her to attend. "Where would this collective meet?"
"The original location was a toss-up between London and Glasgow."
As she'd suspected, both places were too far away to fly to, attend a meeting, and return in a day.
She opened her mouth to say she couldn't go to those places, but Lachlan didn't give her the chance. "However, your clan leader apprised me of your responsibilities here, and how those places wouldn't be possible if you're to participate. After negotiating with Mr. Stewart, he and I have come to a deal. The collective will meet here, on Lochguard, with occasionally longer stays allowed for the visiting artists."
She blinked. "On Lochguard?"
"Aye."
She eyed his muscled arms. "I'm not sure you needed to train up to stay on with my clan. We're tied with Stonefire for friendliest dragon clan to humans in the UK."
"Since I'll be living here for a short while, conducting tours, exhibitions, and lectures with both humans and dragon-shifters, I wanted to be prepared."
"Wait, what? You're going to live here?"
Her dragon hummed. Good. Then you can study him as much as you want. And maybe even try him out once or twice, to give me some sex. It'll also help make your paintings more realistic, so it's a win-win.
Lachlan replied before she could scold her beast. "Aye, that's what I said. Come summer, I'll arrive to get everything set up and ready. The other artists will begin arriving in the autumn." Lachlan took a step forward. "You are to be my main coordinator on Lochguard. And before you say you can't do it, your clan leader is establishing a schedule for others to help out at your family's restaurant."
"In other words, I can't say no."
He raised his brows. "Why would you want to?"
She mirrored his facial expression. "Do you like for others to make decisions for you?"
He took two steps closer, and Cat did her best not to watch how his arms swung, or how his trousers pulled against his muscled thighs.
Placing his hands on the table, he leaned on them and asked, "Sometimes, aye, I do. Especially when it's clearly something that could help so many people."
And there he went making her feel selfish and about ten years old.
Because working with human artists, allowing tours, and maybe even one day bringing children together to create a mural or some such thing, would do a world of good. Treaties, contracts, and laws were one way to enact long-lasting social change. However, art and culture was another.
Her dragon grunted. Would you really say no, just because he made the decision for you?
Of course not.
Then just tell him we'll do it.
In just a second.
Cat stood, and Lachlan did the same. "If I agree to this, you promise me this is the last time you make a decision for me. We work together, you ask, and then we move forward. Maybe some people are afraid of your higher-up position with the DDA, but not me." She allowed her eyes to flash to slits and back on purpose, but to his credit, the human didn't so much as blink. "Do we have an understanding?"
Maybe some would gasp at the way she handled the human, but she'd learned from a young age with her siblings that if she didn't set boundaries early, they almost never held later.
And while she loved her siblings regardless of how out of hand they could be, this human male was unrelated. Not to mention in the grander scheme of things, she suspected he needed her more than the other way around.
Never breaking her gaze, Lachlan moved around the table to stand next to her. She hated that she had to look up to see his face. After all, he was only a human. And humans weren't supposed to be taller than her.