Please can someone help me get some perspective? Background is that we have issues related to sex. DH not enough, me not wanting much, but it happens every week to 10 days. We go along fine for a couple of months then if he feels neglected, sulks big time (is icy cold with me).
He took the day off today and after I'd taken dd to nursery, we had lunch and he went upstairs to rest (as he does weekends after lunch). I followed him up there, we watched half of a film and at the same time I was looking up something on the laptop.
He was stroking my back. When it was almost time to pick up the dc, I leaned over to him and said "you don't want to go do you"? in a joking way, as I knew he wouldn't. He rolled over and got mad saying how only when it was time to go that I came close to him.
I've been upset ever since, but trying to make light of it and asking in a joking way to stop being mean. He told me he was in a bad mood and asked me to make him a tea. So I did, to try to get him to snap out of his mood.
So I've realised that the stroking of my back had an ulterior motive (I should have known by now). And he wanted sex. I just feel like he's only nice to me when we've had sex (one example is the next morning he brings me coffee in bed, normally wouldn't dream of it).
I'm feeling sad that i don't have a husband who would want to stroke my back to be nice. (I know this sounds pathetic!) When he sulks like this I feel like I'm his prostitute, just here to provide sex. I now don't think that he truly loves me, that anyone could have done. And he doesn't respect me or truly want to do nice things for me.
How on earth can I bring this relationship back to mutual respect (if there ever was some there in the first place)? He's really hard to talk to - he's ALWAYS right and doesn't listen to my point of view.
What can I say to him to make him understand how sad he makes me? (I've tried to tell him how he makes me feel but he doesn't acknowledge it, he just looks at it from his point of view, that he's not getting enough sex)
Thank you if you've read this far. I hope I've been clear, I find it so hard to express this. Any advice would be appreciated.