Chapter 19

He led her up the stairs and they turned left at the landing to climb the flight to a dimly lit corridor.

The corridor had several doors leading from it, but most of these were closed. In fact only two doors stood slightly ajar.

James stopped before the first open door. "This is the master bedroom – my room," he explained as he pushed the door further, so that she could glance inside.

It was a very square room, decorated in a striking coffee and cream colour, with a large super queen–sized bed dominating it.

"You must get lost in that!" she muttered under her breath, as he ushered her along before she could see any more.

James laughed. "It is big – but I do like my space, even when I might be sleeping."

It was the 'might' bit that brought the colour to her cheeks, it was so full of promise.

"Now this is the room that you are free to use whilst you are here."

It was another large square room, but this one was slightly smaller, and the colour scheme was a pleasant blue and cream. The bed was a double bed, and the quilt looked fluffy and thick, as was the blue carpet when she stepped into the room, and her feet disappeared into the deep pile.

"It's lovely," she whispered as she gazed around her.

It was a very tranquil room, making her feel soothed and restful – ideal for sleeping in.

She turned back to James. "It is a very nice room ... but I think that I prefer yours."

They left her bag in his bedroom, and hand in hand they walked back down the stairs and across the hallway to one of the side doors.

"This leads directly to the kitchen, where we can get something to eat – if you are hungry?"

Iris nodded enthusiastically. "I gave my sandwiches to Aunt Trudy – so I am absolutely famished actually."

He laughed lightly. "Good, me too," he said as he pushed open the kitchen door.

As Iris stepped through the door, her nose twitched in response to the rich meaty aroma that seemed to sweep out to greet them, almost as if welcoming them into the room.

"Oh that is just heavenly!"

James served up some of Alice's stew, whilst Iris carved up some thick slices of bread and lavishly buttered it.

"Normally we would eat in the dining room, but since it's just us..." James said as he put the two steaming plates down onto the kitchen table.

He leaned past Iris to pull open a drawer, and she heard the clinking of metal as he grabbed some cutlery.

The stew was every bit as delicious as the aromas had promised, and the room was silent as the two of them tucked in with enthusiasm.

"Seconds?" James asked as Iris scraped the last bit off the plate.

"Hmmm, yes please."

She enjoyed the second helping as much as the first and used her last bit of bread to mop up the gravy left on her plate.

"That was absolutely wonderful!" she sighed as she pushed the plate away, and sat back.

"Yes, Alice is a marvellous cook – it was one of the reasons that I hired her."

"And I do hope that you make sure she knows that, and that you recompense her well?" she cocked a sever eye at him, as she lectured.

James grinned; it was as if she was his wife already – and not just his employee ... but then Iris had never been 'just' his employee, not even on that very first day.

"I hope that I always make sure that my staff knows how much I value them ... all of them."

Iris felt a rush of discomfort, was he referring to her as well?

"Come on, let's wash up and then we can settle in the living room and watch the sun setting."

"I would have thought that it would have set by now," Iris said in surprise, it had been almost dark when they had stood waving off Alice and Bill.

"It has pretty much; we just get a burn on the tops of the trees as it sinks out of sight ... I have always been moved by the splendour of it."

"I can't wait to see it then," Iris murmured softly.

He grinned suddenly as though he did not like the seriousness of the mood. "But first the dishes!"

It did not take them long to wash, dry and then put away the plates and cutlery, and then taking her hand again, James led her through to the living room. It was yet another solidly square room, which due to its size had an open feel to it. The colour helped too, since they were pale green, and cream. Iris came to the conclusion that James must have a thing for the colour cream, since he seemed to use it to accompany every other colour in every room of his home.

She could not help but say this to him, and was rewarded by a slightly embarrassed laugh.

"I have always found white, too clinical, and beige is just plain bland ... cream though, it just seems to ooze promise in my mind, a rich and tasty delight!"

Iris laughed as well, as she felt a little tremor run through her; it seemed that everything James said to her tonight held secret meanings ... promises of more to come!

The long glass doors leading out to what looked like a marble tiled patio, stood open, and the trees were clearly visible as the darkness fell. They were bright red on the tops as though they were on fire, giving the forest outside an eerie glow.

"Fabulous!" Iris breathed as she stood staring out in awe.

"You see, I told you it was something special," James purred into her ear, as he stood behind her.

His arm wrapped themselves around her waist and he pulled her back against him, so that he could nuzzle at her hair, and breathe in her scent.

Iris melted against him, and her eyelids fluttered down as she surrendered to him and the feelings that he constantly incited in her.

She felt his hands rub gently down her bare arms, and her skin burned in response.

"Ah, James!" She whispered as she shivered at his touch.

"So lovely," James murmured. "So ... human!"

His hand came up to cup her breast, and Iris growled low in her throat.

James turned her around slowly, and stepped back a little so that he could look down into her beautiful green eyes.

They were half shielded by her lids, but he could see the speckles that were beginning to glow, and swirl around.

"That's it babe," he muttered. "Surrender to your inner wolf, go with it, show me how you do it ... teach me how to surrender too!"

She muttered under her breath, but he could not catch what she said, as her head hung down briefly.

He could feel her skin as it thickened under his hand, and seemed to become, almost spongy.

There was a soft hazy glow around her, and her outline began to blur.

James stepped back, so that he could watch her as she slowly began to shift.

Her green eyes shone bright and the flecks in them began to burn as the appearance of awareness began to diminish.

Suddenly though, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, and the glow faded as she became a solid woman again.

She shook her head a couple of times, and then fixed her green eyes onto him.

"It is not about surrender," she murmured huskily. "It is about choosing to shift."

Iris stepped out of the clothes that she had travelled in, and worked in all day, with a sense of relief.

She would have enjoyed a shower, but decided that if she did shift, then washing now would be pointless. She wrapped the light robe around her, just as James strode in.

"That is a good idea," he said nodding in her direction, as he looked at the robe.

It did not do much to conceal her curves, and she was painfully aware of her sensitive nipples, which seemed to be peeping through the fabric, almost in a teasing way.

She knew that James could see too, because his eyes fixed there, and his jaw went slack for a moment.

She turned away slightly, so as to regain his attention – and divert his eyes.

"I ... we have always find these robes the most comfortable and convenient garments to wear, at the time of a shift." she shrugged her shoulders, and smiled almost apologetically.

"I bet that they are," he nodded. He grinned suddenly. "And they are most becoming to you too!"

She could not help the blush that came to her cheeks, as the rush of pleasure and embarrassment battled within her for dominance.

"Thank you," was all that she could manage to stutter.