Page 19 of Prescription for Sin

"Beautiful." The word ghosted across her neck. "Shall we experiment with how scent changes with temperature?"

Before she could respond, he pressed his face to her throat, inhaling deeply. Emma gasped, her hands flying up to grip his arms.

"Fascinating how warmth releases new notes," he murmured against her skin. "Like flowers opening in sunlight. You smell of lavender, yes, but underneath..." Another deep breath. "Honey. Woman. Emma."

Her head fell back without conscious thought, offering more of her throat. She felt him smile against her pulse point.

"The body knows what it wants," he said softly. "Even when the mind resists. Look how easily you yield when I..." He breathed in again, his nose trailing up the column of her throat. "Your scent changes too. Growing headier. Richer."

"This seems...beyond the scope of our lesson," she managed, though she made no move to pull away.

"Perhaps." His hands settled on her waist, not pulling her closer, just holding her steady. "Though I find myself less interested in teaching than in..." His words trailed off as he nuzzled the spot behind her ear.

Emma shivered. "In what?"

"In discovering every note of your personal perfume." His voice had grown hoarse. "In learning how it changes with each breath, each touch, each..." His lips brushed her earlobe. "Taste."

The word sent lightning down her spine. "Mr Hughes..."

"Hush." He inhaled deeply again. "Just feel. Notice how your scent mingles with mine? How they create something new together?"

She did notice. Their combined essence filled her lungs with each breath, making her dizzy with want. His hands tightened on her waist.

"We should stop," he said roughly, though he made no move to release her.

"Should we?" She turned her head slightly, bringing their faces dangerously close.

For a moment, neither moved. Then Everett stepped back abruptly, breaking the spell.

"That's enough for today's lesson," he said, his voice unsteady.

Emma's eyes flew open. "But we've barely begun to—"

"Trust me," he cut her off. "Any more would be...risky."

Her eyes widened as she took in his state—pupils blown, chest heaving slightly, hands clenched at his sides, and… A sweet ache went through her body as her eyes landed on his growing manhood.

"Tomorrow then?" She tried to sound unaffected but need threaded through her voice.

"Unless you object?" His smile teased.

"That would be acceptable."

"Until tomorrow, Miss Brown."

Scent from His Perspective

Everett woke before dawn, his body already attuned to Emma's presence in the house. He felt her like a constant pulse beneath his skin. Yesterday's lesson in visual appreciation had left him raw with wanting her, every glance they shared charged with dangerous possibility.

The borrowed clothes felt strange against his skin as he dressed, and his leg still twinged when he moved it too quickly. He found himself hoping she would examine it soon, then immediately chastised himself for such thoughts. He was here to investigate her, not moon after her like some lovesick boy.

Yet when he saw her in the morning light, all thoughts of duty fled. She stood at her mirror, pinning her golden hair into that severe style that made his fingers itch to undo it. Even from the doorway, he caught the faint scent of lavender that seemed to cling to her skin.

"Good morning, Miss Brown." His voice emerged coarse, betraying his body's reaction to her presence.

She turned, and the sight of her cheeks already flushing made his blood sing. "Good morning."

He watched her eyes track a water droplet down his throat, her lips parting slightly. The physician in him noted her quickened breathing, the dilation of her pupils. The man in him wanted to see how else he could make her respond.