I've been with my partner for 7 years, married for 1 year and his extremely high sex drive is coming between us. I love being affectionate, kissing, cuddling, and will happily have sex 3 or 4 times a week.
He, on the other hand seems to want it several times a day - every day - and I think it's worse since we got married. I seem to find myself constantly turning him down, apologising that I'm not in the mood and feeling bad several times a day, even though we might have already had sex that day or the night before, or probably will later on.
The problem is I'm starting to get really pissed off all those additional times he tries it on in between and it's actually starting to turn me off completely, which is obviously the opposite effect to what he wants.
For example, we used to always kiss when I came in from work, but now he can't seem to just kiss me without putting his hands up my top, down my pants, etc, and after working a 12 hour day, I just want to get in the door and relax for a while first... especially as I know we're probably going to have sex that night anyway. It will be the same if we're making dinner etc, a quick kiss turns into 'let's have sex' in his mind. So as a result, I've started avoiding kissing him completely, which I know is starting to upset him.
We always snuggle on the couch watching TV, and I used to love that too, but again, since we got married, he thinks lying on the couch together is an invitation to start rubbing up against me, putting his hand up my top etc and it drives me mad. I just want to be close to him and relax, because again, we've probably already had sex, or will be that night or the next day. So as a result I'm now avoiding lying on the couch with him completely.
It sounds stupid, but I'm starting to feel harassed, even though he's the most lovely guy in the world and would never want me to feel like that. And now it's stuck in my head so much, and I spend so much time avoiding his advances that it's hard to get back into the mood at some time that day, or the next day. He is starting to get annoyed because he thinks I'm gone off him, now that I don't even want to kiss or lie on the couch together.
So how am I meant to handle this? Does it ever really work long term for people with different sex drives?