Eveline rose from her seat and came to him, stopping right in front of him and leaning against the table.

William had no choice but to look up at her. “I am all ears, wife,” he said expectantly.

“I shall tell you only if you promise to grant this one request,” she whispered, leaning towards him.

She planted her hands firmly on the back of the chair, on either side of his head, so that her chest was only an inch away from his face.

“Fine… I…” He was about to agree to her request when he started. “Wait… Tell me the request before I agree to it.”

Eveline stared down at him, and he was momentarily lost in the ocean of her eyes. She sighed heavily, and he briefly looked away only to see her bosom heave dramatically.

“I was simply wondering if you would want to share your bed with me tonight,” she teased, planting a kiss right on his lips.

He captured her lips immediately, drinking her in until he was satiated.

She pulled away from him, but only just enough for her to catch her breath.

“What do you say, husband?” she breathed in his ear.

William groaned. “Oh, Eveline!”

He had realized her ploy to secure access to his bed, and as much as he was tempted to agree, he knew he could not.

Therefore, he pulled away by just an inch so that her delicious lips were almost grazing his.

The temptation was strong, but William proved himself to be stronger.

“I am thoroughly tempted. However, I cannot let myself be compromised so,” he said.

Eveline sighed dramatically.

“And I could not convince you!” she asked, biting her lower lip just delicately enough to get the attention of his member.

William groaned.

“What if I told you that I am afraid ghouls and witches will come for me tonight,” she added.

“Then I shall remind you that I am only next door, and I shall be there to protect you within minutes,” he countered.

Eveline titled her head as though ruminating on a matter.

“Hmm, what have I done wrong?” she murmured to herself. “This would often work for the women in the books I read.”

William couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Perhaps the women in the books you read are not dealing with men quite like myself,” he boasted.

It was Eveline’s turn to laugh.

William rose from his chair and, in one swift motion, lifted her onto the table. She, on the other hand, wrapped her legs around him so that he was forced to draw closer to her.

“Did you learn this trick from your books as well?” he asked, amused.

“I suppose you would never know what else I have learned from my books, seeing as you are so incorrigible.”

He laughed as he planted a kiss on her shoulder right up to the side of her neck.

Of course, William would want more than anything to finally be able to let go around his wife. He knew his walls were crumbling, and yet he held back. He knew he could not truly let himself be intimate with her unless he shared with her his fears.