And the next time, he could end up like his father.
Not wanting to go down that road—he needed to keep his wits around the dragons—he replied, "I'm sure you don't need me to repeat how important this is and how we both need to get it right. If this is my first impression of working with Ms. MacAllister on this project, I may need another contact."
Finn leaned back in his chair. "Cat has more on her plate than almost anyone else not in a leadership position, and yet she somehow still finds a way to balance it all." An almost warning threaded through Finn's voice as he said, "Don't dare question her work ethic."
Lachlan knew firsthand from the previous exhibition event she'd participated in that Cat did what needed to be done, even if she did it in a laissez-faire way he didn't quite understand.
But there was another reason he was harsh concerning her tardiness, something he'd never tell the dragon leader, not even if he threatened to cut off his bollocks.
He'd spent a full month after his last encounter with Cat dreaming of her smile, her laughter, and how she teased him.
Dreams resulting in him doing much more than kissing her, leaving him hard and frustrated with only his hand for comfort.
She was everything he should avoid, and yet his dreams didn't seem to care.
No, more accurately, his lust and desire didn't care.
So working with her for months on end would most definitely test his resolve. And he needed to resist her. Not only because he wasn't sure how to deal with a relationship since it meant revealing his sordid past, but she was also a dragon-shifter. Merely kissing her could result in him losing his job. A few—very few—kept their positions in the Department of Dragon Affairs, or DDA, after getting involved with a dragon-shifter.
However, Lachlan wouldn't risk it. His job was his life. Without it, he would be lost.
Which is why you need to pull yourself together and focus.
He was about to apologize since he was being unduly harsh, but a knock on the door stopped him. Finn yelled, "Come in."
While he probably shouldn't have turned, Lachlan did. As the door opened, revealing the lovely dark-haired, pale-skinned form of Catherine MacAllister, his dream of her laughing as he kissed her neck rushed forth.
Except unlike his dream, she was so much lovelier in person.
Stop it. If he could handle facing everyone he'd hurt in his life and owning up to his mistakes, he could handle one woman and her smiles.
Cat shut the door and said, "Sorry I'm late. I was in the middle of something."
Finn nodded, clearly knowing what it was, but didn't think to share it with Lachlan. The clan leader said, "Aye, I know. Come, sit down, Cat."
Lachlan stood. "I'd rather not waste time with small talk. We can merely get started instead."
Finn raised an eyebrow, but it was Cat who spoke up. "Aye, that's fine with me. I have a half-dozen things to do today, so the sooner we finish, the better. Ready Lachlan?"
He nearly blinked at her directness. "Yes. That would be excellent, Miss MacAllister."
She sighed. "Again with being formal. You're going to be this way the whole time, aren't you?"
If not in the presence of Lochguard's clan leader, he might be tempted to throw back the words she'd said to him months and months ago, back at the art exhibition, about getting shit done. Her expression would be priceless.
But he quickly pushed the temptation away. Even if it would probably make her smile or even laugh—something he'd love to see again to compare to his memories—there was far too much to do. "Shall we go or continue talking about my word choices?"
Cat waved a hand in dismissal. "Fine, fine, speak how you like. But call me Cat because if you use Miss MacAllister, I won't answer."
Finn snorted, but Lachlan ignored him. He asked, "How about Catherine?"
She scrunched her nose. "Definitely not. It makes me think of my grandmother, whom I'm named after."
Lachlan knew a thing or two about not wanting to be associated with a family member. He doubted the dragonwoman had anything as bad as his father in her family tree, but for expediency, he gave a curt nod. "Cat it is. Now, let's go."
Cat studied him a second, her eyes full of questions, but she merely shrugged. "As you wish." She looked at Finn. "I'll stop by later, Finn."
He had no idea what for, but Lachlan didn't really care. And as Cat led him out of the room and then out of the cottage, he did his best to match her pace and stare straight ahead.
Otherwise he might notice how the sun highlighted the red parts of her dark hair or how she walked with a confidence he didn't see very often.
No, best to focus on the job. And the sooner he saw the spaces he'd be working with, the sooner he could get to work and dismiss her from his sight.
Chapter Two
During the entire walk to the warehouse—the one that would be used for the art collective project—Cat stole glimpses of Lachlan's profile from the corner of her eye.
She only looked for artistic reasons, of course. She'd painted him quite a lot over the last however many months, but she always seemed to have trouble with his lips and the intensity of his gaze.
Maybe some could settle for “mostly okay,” but not her. It had almost become her obsession, to paint him as she saw him.
But to truly capture him, she'd need for him to sit and model for her, especially since he'd cut his hair short since the last time she'd seen him. However, she couldn't ask him to do that, even if she thought he might agree to it, which he wouldn't.
And even if he did somehow surprise her and offer to model, she wasn't entirely sure she trusted herself alone with him.
Despite the fact he was overly formal, strung tight, and close-lipped—the complete opposite of her family—something about him was magnetic.
Almost as if he were full of secrets, and she wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of them.
Not for the first time, she asked her inner dragon, Are you sure you can't tell if he's our true mate?
A dragon-shifter's true mate was their best chance at happiness. Not always, but most of the time. And a kiss would set off a mate-claim frenzy until the female was pregnant.
Cat had often wondered if Lachlan was hers, strange as the pairing seemed to her.
Her beast yawned before replying, You know as well as I do that male dragons can recognize true mates. As bloody unfair as it is, the best I can do is guess. And I have no blasted idea. Although if you want to kiss him and ride him all night long, I'm on board for it. I want more sex.
She mentally sighed. You know we've been busy. I simply don't have time for it.
And yet you're asking about this human male. Maybe it's because you want him yourself.
He was attractive, sure, what with his dark hair, strong jaw, and broad shoulders that would make any female attracted to males rush to jump him. She probably wasn't the only female—or male, for that matter—on Lochguard to notice.
But Lachlan was secretive, and quiet, and reserved in a way she couldn't even begin to imagine.
Some people liked that sort of thing, wanted to prod and gently push to extract the truth.
However, Cat didn't have enough hours in the day for all her jobs as it was. She'd prefer to find a mate like Finn, or Fraser MacKenzie, or any of the charming, happy-go-lucky males on Lochguard.