Page 4 of Marriage and the Midlife Crisis

He’d reminded me of that promise a few times since. I’d been triggered when we’d watched a movie with a sub-plot of a man cheating with a dancer, then again when The Body Shop had made the news after an irate woman attacked her husband in the parking lot, and once after I met Chad at a park so he could visit with Tanner, and he’d taunted me that I wouldn’t be able to hold Ryan’s attention for long. Each time, he reminded me of his vow, and each time it made me even more certain that this man would value me above all others and never do anything to jeopardize our relationship.

That knowledge, along with remembering the video from last night, gave me the confidence to not only believe him now, but to tease him a little about such a sensitive topic.

“Everything you want, and more, huh? Well, since the boys won’t be home for a while, maybe you could expound on that a little? A hands-on demonstration, perhaps?” I arched a brow and gave him a wicked grin.

Ryan smiled, relief evident on his face as he reached for the covers and peeled them away from my body. His eyes roved over me, lingering on my breasts for a long moment before he flashed me a wolfish grin and cupped them in his huge hands.

“I can definitely do that,” he murmured. “I was thinking about these beauties all evening. The perfect handful, with such pretty, pink nipples.” He gently plucked them, making me moan in pleasure. “So fucking sensitive.” He bent to lick and suck first one, and then the other, grunting in satisfaction as I writhed against him.

He settled his body low between my spread legs and latched on to me again, his lips tugging and his tongue circling the hard buds. I clutched his head to my chest as I arched my back to give him better access.

“So responsive,” he whispered, his breath skating over my damp, aroused flesh and making my whole body shiver.

My nipples had always been incredibly sensitive, and although none of my previous lovers had given much attention to them, Ryan had discovered early on that he could make me come by nipple play alone. It had quickly become one of his favorite things to do. Mine, too, honestly. It always made me feel sexy and wanted and gave me a new-found appreciation for my body.

“I think I’ll make you come, just like this, and then I’ll make you come on my cock.”

Heat flooded my core and my pussy clenched at the thought. My hips bucked, grinding my pelvis against his rock-hard abs and he chuckled.

“Will that be an adequate demonstration? I’d be happy to go for a third time if you need more proof,” he teased.

Almost three hours later, our combined shouts of pleasure bounced off the bedroom walls as he bent me over the end of the bed and railed me from behind.

“Number three,” he panted in satisfaction as he pumped into me one last time, then slapped me on the ass as he pulled out.

I collapsed onto the mattress with a laugh, then rolled onto my back and pushed my hair away from my sweat-dampened face so I could have an unobstructed view of the man who’d rocked my world.

His chest was heaving, and the veins on his arms were bulging from the exertion of holding my hips up as he’d pounded into me. His cock, now softening, was still impressive, and I unconsciously licked my lips, causing him to groan.

“You’re gonna need to stop looking at me like that, sweets. As much as I’d love your mouth, we don’t have time for a fourth round since the boys will be home in an hour. Besides, I need a little while to recover.”

We headed to the shower, and he managed to recover just fine when I dropped to my knees and took his cock down my throat a few minutes later.

Chapter 1

Melanie

“What are you and Ryan doing to celebrate your birthday tomorrow?”

Jen’s question brought a huge smile to my face as I remembered the email notification I’d gotten just moments before our company’s big presentation had started two hours ago.

“I’m not exactly sure, but it involves plane tickets to Las Vegas, apparently,” I shared giddily as we gathered the sample fabrics, flooring, and tiles that we’d shown the clients as part of our interior design pitch for their new boutique hotel. “I saw an email confirmation from the airline right before we walked into the conference room. Ryan must have forgotten that the airline’s reward points program is connected to my email, so I’ll have to act surprised when he tells me about it.”

That wouldn’t be hard to do, since I was absolutely shocked that he’d planned something like this for me to begin with. He hadn’t said anything at all about my birthday this year, so I’d even wondered if he would remember. I felt a little guilty for that, now.

“Wow, Vegas, huh? It sounds like he’s going all-out. Your brother stopped on his way home and bought me a card and some flowers at the supermarket for my last birthday, and I was thrilled that he’d even done that much,” she joked. Jen and Mark, my older brother, had been married for almost twenty years, and as much crap as she gave him about being as romantic as a tree stump, I knew that they positively adored each other.

“Are you flying out tonight or tomorrow morning?”

I grimaced as I gave a shrug. “I don’t know. I barely got a glance at the email before the Godwin Group arrived for the meeting.”

Jen followed me out of the conference room and down the hall to my small office. She flopped down in the chair across from my desk, while I opened my laptop and navigated to my personal email. “Depending on the flight, I may need to leave work early to get home and pack. The romantic side of me loves that he’s surprising me with a spur-of-the-moment trip, but I’m freaking out at the idea of packing and leaving on such short notice,” I admitted wryly. “Once the Godwin’s agreed with our proposal, I spent the last ten minutes of the meeting jotting down a list of everything I need to pack.”

Jen snickered, knowing full well that I wasn’t the least bit spontaneous. It was in my nature to be a planner and an organizer, and impulsive, spur-of-the-moment plans usually left me feeling frazzled and on edge. I was always the one who made the travel plans for our family – after carefully comparing rates and checking reviews, of course – hence the reason the airline rewards account was in my name. I was actually a little shocked that Ryan even knew how to access it.

“I hope we fly out tomorrow,” I muttered as I clicked on the email and scrolled down to view the flight details. “I’d love to have time to run to the mall for a new…”

My voice trailed off as I looked at the screen in confusion. I read the flight confirmation again, and my heart sank as I realized that the departure time was in less than an hour.