Tunnel of Love Pt. 01

"I'll shift my gym schedule around somehow," he said. "You have an opportunity to do something special, babe. Of course we'll support you."

A cloud seemed to pass over Jennifer's face. Thinking she was apprehensive about the commitment, Mike tried to reassure her.

"You can do it, babe! And I love where your heart's at."

For a moment, Jennifer seemed even more uncertain; but then she brightened, and they had a pleasant evening.

* * *

Returning home on Friday, Jennifer reported having had another emotional but gratifying experience at the hospital. Saturday night, Mike and she made love downstairs, in the TV room, heavily soiling a throw blanket they kept on the couch. Collecting it the next morning and tossing it on the laundry pile, Mike smiled at the thoughts of exactly how (and with what) it had gotten soiled.

Mike wasn't smiling when he came home from the gym that afternoon, though. He'd dropped a free weight on his foot, leaving it badly bruised. He tried to hide the injury from Jennifer and tough it out, but she caught him limping and made him explain. When he showed her the bruise, Jennifer was concerned.

Despite his protestations that it was nothing, she made him get in her car, and with Mikey they went to an urgent care center. The x-ray showed some trauma but nothing serious. Still, Jennifer made him take some painkillers.

That night, as she insisted that he prop his foot up with pillows, Mike again tried to make light of the injury.

"Come on, Jennifer, it's just a little bruise."

"Let's keep it that way," she replied. She brushed her fingers through his hair and smiled. "You don't have to be such a tough guy all the time. There is no shame in needing my help..."

As she was finishing the sentence, Jennifer's voice trailed off. Her smile faded to a look of...well, for some reason, it reminded Mike of how he would feel when he experienced déjà vu. Jennifer turned her face away from Mike, towards his injured foot.

"Maybe you should help me lift weights next time," Mike joked.

Jennifer didn't laugh. In fact, Mike's comment seemed to unnerve her. She shot him a strange look, but then her smile returned, and she kissed him goodnight.

* * *

The weeks passed by. Mike didn't know if it was the volunteering or what, but Jennifer seemed less stressed out about work than usual. She seemed to have more energy and confidence, too. It was almost as if she were reverting to the Jennifer from the old days.

When we weren't always worn down by work—and Mikey.

Not coincidentally, he thought, Jennifer was also friskier than usual. They enjoyed a particularly good run of sex during those weeks. Mike even started to feel a little guilty. As much as he lusted after Jennifer, she was more than just a sex object to him, and he never wanted her to feel otherwise.

"Babe," he asked her one night after they had made love. "I've been thinking...maybe this Friday someone could watch Mikey for us after school and I could visit the hospital with you?"

Jennifer was silent. Her back was turned to him.

"I would just love to see you doing your thing."

Jennifer still did not answer.

"Babe?"

Maybe she's asleep already?

"Honey," Jennifer finally replied, "that is so sweet of you! But the...well...I actually asked about that. They said they have to control the number of visitors at any one time. Especially when one of the volunteers is new and the kids are still getting used to her. I'm still pretty new there, so they told me it's not a good time yet.

"But someday," she hastened to add. "I would love for you to visit with me!"

Mike was crushed. He hadn't imagined that the answer might be no. Also, he'd hoped that his question would bring smiles, kisses, and hugs. But Jennifer just fell silent again.

"I hope it's soon," Mike said, trying to cover up his disappointment. "Love you, sweetie, good night."

* * *

The next Friday, at work, Mike had a wicked thought.

What if I just go over to the hospital tonight? Would they really turn me away? Hell, I'll threaten to take Jennifer away if they try! So...who can I get to take care of Mikey?

He smiled and chuckled to himself.

I bet Collette Davis would do it! But nah, someone else...

Mike never got a chance to ask around when he arrived at the schoolyard. Mikey wasn't feeling well, and Mike barely got him home before he threw up. Fortunately, he bounced back almost immediately (like kids often do); but still, Mike's plan was ruined.

So much for going to the hospital and surprising Jennifer. On the bright side, at least it looks like I won't be taking Mikey to a hospital tonight.

Like many parents, Mike and Jennifer had had their share of late night trips to the emergency room. He wouldn't miss those nights—and the groggy days after—when Mikey was grown. Yet there was something about those difficult experiences, those shared intense events, that made them closer.

All part of the rich tapestry, I guess.

Jennifer was late coming home from the hospital that night. It was dark outside and Mikey was asleep. Mike started to worry.

Maybe she went to dinner with Susan. She probably meant to mention it to me this morning but forgot. Or, maybe she did mention it and I just didn't catch it.

Mike tried Jennifer's cell phone. It went straight to voicemail.

Probably just out of battery power again. She always forgets to charge that thing.

Mike tried watching TV, but he steadily grew more uneasy. Eventually he had the bright idea to try Susan's cell phone. He was looking for her number when he heard the front door open.

Jennifer was startled to see him.

"Oh...hi, baby. I...I thought you'd be asleep."

"Asleep? I was worried about you, sweetie!"

She looks terrible. She's been crying.

"Baby, are you OK?"

"Oh Mike, Mike...just...let me go change, please."

She nearly ran up the stairs. Mike stood for a moment, dazed. Then he followed her.

Approaching their bedroom, Mike heard a drawer open and close. Entering, he barely saw Jennifer before she disappeared into the bathroom. Puzzled, Mike changed, got in bed, and waited.

The fan in the bathroom muted other sounds, but Mike thought he heard sobbing. Then he definitely heard the shower running. A dark thought crossed Mike's mind.

Was she mugged? Oh my god, was she...did someone...

He lurched towards the bathroom. The door was locked. He called to her, but there was no answer. Stumped again, Mike went back to bed.

Eventually, Jennifer emerged. Without a word, she climbed under the blankets and rolled onto her side. Mike cuddled up to her until they were spooning.

He brought his hand to hers. She hesitated, but then squeezed it tightly. Still, she did not speak. After a while, Mike couldn't bear it any longer.

"Baby, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

She started sobbing again. Through the sobs, she spoke hoarsely.

"It was...it was one of the kids. Kevin. He died."

Given what he had feared, Mike's initial reaction to this news was relief. Then, the tragedy of it sunk in.

"Baby," Mike said sympathetically, enveloping her more.

"I...I don't want to talk about it right now. Just...just hold me."

He did. Still coming down from his panic, he held her tight. Just as he was finally falling asleep, Jennifer spoke again.

"Mike?"

"Yes, baby?"

"This whole thing tonight, somehow...I got to thinking about our wedding vows. How you promised to cherish and keep me, in sickness and in health. How I promised to do the same for you."

"Of course, sweetie."

"I just...I thought about how much I love you. I hope you know that I do, and that I'll love you forever."

"I do, sweetie. And I'll love you forever too. How did the rest of those vows go? 'Forsaking all others, to be faithful...' Something like that?"

Jennifer did not answer.

"Anyway, let's go to sleep," Mike whispered. "You had quite a night."

* * *

The next morning, Mike woke up early, but Jennifer was out like a light. He wondered how long it had taken her to fall asleep. He got out of bed quietly.

Jennifer came down as Mikey and he were finishing breakfast. Mike sent Mikey out to play in the backyard as Jennifer sat down at the table. Mike hugged her and waited patiently for her to open up.

"It...oh god, Mike...he'd fought so hard. I couldn't take it. And it all came back...my sister..."

Jennifer started sobbing.

"After that, I...I just couldn't come home right away. I...had to get some space. I'm sorry if you were worried."

"It's all right baby, I'm just glad you're OK. When you got home, when I looked at you...and then when you ran for the shower...all kinds of crazy thoughts went through my head."

Jennifer stopped sobbing.

"Like...like what?"

Mike's face turned ashen.

"Like that you'd been mugged. Or worse."

Jennifer's tears came gushing out now. Mike and she sat there, hand in hand, until her tears were spent.

They were supposed to go out that night, but they canceled. Going to bed, Mike didn't expect sex. He snuggled up to her and caressed her, trying to be comforting rather than arousing.

"Mike?"

Still too provocative, I guess.

"Yes, baby," he said apologetically. "I know...you just want to cuddle tonight. It's okay."

"No, I...I want you to make love to me. You know, the way...the way you love me all over."

Mike knew exactly what she meant. He loved this routine. He thought of it as the sexual equivalent of writing a love letter.

Mike rolled Jennifer onto her back. Leaning over her, he tenderly caressed her forehead. Next, he planted gentle kisses there as his fingers moved lower to caress her delicate ears and cheeks. Fingers followed by kisses; this was the pattern for what would follow.

His fingers moved on to trace her lips while his lips lovingly kissed her ears and cheeks. Then his lips met hers as his fingers moved on to trace her neck. Gently he kissed her, but he did not expect nor want her to kiss him back. In this routine that they'd honed over the years, Jennifer was required to do nothing (nor allowed to do anything) but lie still and receive pleasure.

Mike's hands moved to her breasts, caressing them through her nightshirt, while his lips moved to her neck. As Jennifer's nipples rose, Mike pinched them lightly between his fingers. Then, pushing and pulling his fingers in opposite directions, he used the fabric of her shirt to stroke the swelling nubs.

Jennifer's breathing, though quiet, was now audible.

After many long minutes of lavishing manual attention on Jennifer's nipples while planting kisses on her neck, Mike rose up and removed her shirt. He slid down the bed until his mouth was level with her breasts. His hand fell to her naked waist and began caressing her there, as his lips and tongue descended on her beautiful globes.

Jennifer began to moan softly.

Anytime Jennifer's areolas and nipples were exposed and within Mike's sight and reach, he could not resist licking, sucking, and even gently nibbling them. He loved it that such things brought her pleasure as well. From night to night and even moment to moment, however, there was a point at which his attention could be too much for her. This night, he made sure not to pass it.

Jennifer purred as Mike made love to her breasts. Meanwhile, placing his hand underneath her sweatpants, Mike caressed her mound. Gradually his hand slipped farther down, until—through her panties—his fingers traced her pussy lips.

Jennifer started to squirm.

Mike scooted farther down the bed. Removing her sweatpants, Mike gazed at her tanned, toned legs. He massaged them, starting from her ankles—each time drawing closer to her panties. Soon, his fingers were again tracing her pussy, which was now damp.

Drawing closer, Mike planted sensuous kisses on her thighs, hips, and stomach, circling inward. When he reached her panties, he lingered along the edges, dipping his tongue just underneath. Meanwhile, his fingers grazed her pussy through the material.

Mike looked up at Jennifer's face. She was deep, deep into what he was doing to her. Little gasps escaped from her mouth as he continued to kiss and lick her sensitive outer hips, inner thighs, and the top of her mons. The gasps became louder as he ever so gently began to lick her pussy through the fabric of her panties.

Jennifer was utterly aroused now. A minute or two of hard rubbing on her clit would probably make her come. However, this routine of theirs involved much more. She'd called it "loving all over," which was an apt description. Before the finale, there was more of Jennifer for Mike to love.

Mike rolled her onto her stomach and admired the view. As attractive as he found her lower body from the front, he loved the back of it even more: the cute, pale soles of her feet; the marvelous lines of her calves and thighs; and best of all, her sensational ass.

Starting with her calves, Mike began to kiss and caress her. Soon he was at her thighs, nibbling at the rise of her cheeks. He licked and kissed every inch of them that was not covered by her panties. Meanwhile, his hand caressed her inner thighs, eventually stroking the sopping wet material covering her hole.

Jennifer raised her ass to allow him better access. Reaching in, Mike stroked the full length of her pussy, while kissing her ass cheeks passionately. When Jennifer began to squirm again, he decided it was time for the final act of the performance.

Mike reared up, hooked his fingers under the elastic band of her panties, and slowly—ever so slowly—removed them. Before rolling Jennifer on her back, Mike admired her ass once more. There, fully revealed to him now, were those perfect cheeks...and between them, something else: the most dainty, perfect, tantalizing brown hole ever.

The thought was so dirty, he'd never expressed it—but oh, how he wanted to lick that little bud. He'd gotten close a few times, when they were younger; and since then, while going down on her, he'd occasionally snuck in a stroke or two. He was always afraid, however, that if he went at it overtly she would scream and kick him.

Tearing his eyes away from Jennifer's bum, Mike turned her over. Spreading her legs, he lay down on his stomach. His head settled in between her thighs.

The next moments were ones Mike always savored. He beheld her beautiful slit, a sight reserved for him and him alone. He inhaled the musky, intoxicating scent of her arousal. Tilting his head slightly to one side, he felt her warm, soft inner thigh on his cheek. Extending his tongue, he licked her slit from bottom to top, tasting her juices. As he did, he heard her exhale sharply.

If there was a name for oral sex on a woman equivalent to "blowjob," Mike had never heard it. He certainly couldn't imagine calling it a job. Going down on Jennifer was a pleasure and a privilege.

While continuing to lick her, Mike extended his hands up to her breasts. Finding them dry despite the attention they'd received from his mouth earlier, he brought his hands back down and wet his fingers with a combination of saliva and pussy juice. Then, extending his arms again, Mike wet her nipples and began to play with them.

As much as he enjoyed doing that, he wished she would take them in her own hands. How he would love to see her touch her own breasts while he took care of her pussy! However, she'd never done it on her own initiative, and he'd never had the nerve to ask her to do it.

As Mike continued to lick Jennifer's pussy and tweak her nipples, her hips began to rock. Her hands gripped the bed sheet tightly. Her breathing was getting very heavy, causing her breasts to rise and fall like the swells of an incoming tide—a tide that would soon turn into cresting, breaking waves.

Mike knew that Jennifer's clit was screaming for attention now. All he had to do was move up slightly and attack it with his tongue, and Jennifer would quickly come. However, Mike repositioned himself to finish Jennifer off in her favorite fashion—from above, not below. As he lay perpendicular to her, facing her feet, he began to lick Jennifer's clit from the top down and from the side, just the way she loved it. Meanwhile, he worked two fingers inside her.

Mike felt Jennifer's right hand grip his shoulder. Her breathing grew rapid and loud. Ordinarily Jennifer might have been screaming now, but the rules of this routine were that she could not vocalize. However, her breathing—plus her grip—were enough to give her away.

Here she comes. Oh god, how I love this part. I wish I could see her face. Come, baby!

Jennifer virtually levitated as she climaxed. Her back arched sharply and her hips rose, causing her clit to smash into Mike's mouth. Her pussy contracted hard around his soaked fingers. From the sight, sound, and feel of it, Mike could tell her orgasm had been a powerful one.

Jennifer shuddered, then relaxed and collapsed on her back. Mike came up beside her and hugged her. Her eyes were closed, and under them were little tears. He kissed them.

* * *

Jennifer didn't go to the gym on Monday. She didn't go to the gym on Thursday. Given all her enthusiasm and discipline over the past few weeks—hell, the past year—Mike was surprised.

He was less surprised, however, when Jennifer didn't go to the hospital on Friday.

"I'm not ready for that again yet," she explained. "Actually...I don't think I can ever do it again."

"Give it time, sweetie."

"No, really, Mike. I'll find...something else. I just can't go there."

Mike thought about how much the volunteering had meant to her. He didn't doubt the depth of her grief over the recent tragedy, but he didn't think it would make her turn away from the hospital forever. In time, he thought, she would go back.

That night, they had a subdued evening at home. The next day, however, Jennifer seemed to perk up. Throughout that Saturday, she was affectionate, playful, and—during the evening—aggressively flirtatious. Waiting for Mikey to fall asleep that night was sheer torture for Mike. Eventually Mikey went down for the count, and the couple retired to their bedroom.

Mike sat on the edge of the bed while Jennifer got ready in the bathroom. Mike hoped that tonight, Jennifer would give as well as she'd gotten from him the previous weekend. Recalling the awesome blowjob he'd received some weeks ago, Mike wondered if he might be in line for a repeat performance.

When Jennifer emerged, she was wearing a short red robe. That meant she was wearing only a red robe. Mike was wearing his sleeping shorts but nothing else.

Their eyes locked upon each other's as Jennifer crossed the room. When she reached the bed, they embraced and kissed. Mike parted her robe and ran his hands up and down her naked body within.

His cock was already aching. He wanted to do something about it, soon. However, Jennifer's breasts—level with his face, as he sat while she stood—commanded his attention.

Taking one in each hand, he marveled at them. Though not as high and firm as they used to be, they were still magnificent to behold, magic to touch, and delicious to suck. In fact, the imperfections that were beginning to show just seemed to entice him.

He'd tried to figure that out once. His best guess was that he still imagined himself a young man. In many ways, he still saw the world much through the same eyes as he'd had in his twenties. Perhaps as Jennifer got visibly older while he imagined himself as the same, he was subconsciously living every young man's fantasy of dating an older woman.

A very attractive and sexy but mature woman. Maybe that's what turns me way the hell on.

As Mike dove in, devouring Jennifer's breasts, she grasped him by the back of his head and arched her back and neck. Groaning, Mike lost himself in her mounds for a while. Unbeknownst to him, Jennifer's tolerance level for such attention was high this night, and she was enjoying every bit of his escalating passion. However, Mike wasn't even thinking about where the line might be. Tonight, her breasts were there for him—not vice versa.