Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains; another, a moonlit beach; a third, a family dinner of pot roast and sweet potatoes during a myrtle-mad August in a Midwestern town. Smells detonate softly in our memory like poignant land mines hidden under the weedy mass of years. Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.
-Diane Ackerman
Bj~~Bj~~ Bj~~Bj~~ Bj~~Bj~~ Bj~~Bj~~ Bj~~Bj~~
Lemon, Becker thought with puzzlement as he sniffed a second time at the shirt he'd just pulled off. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deeper breath, catching the note of something bitter and fresh, with slightly flowery undertones beneath the buzz of citrus that had first caught his attention. Knowing he was alone, Becker grinned in that irrational, giddy way that still felt so utterly foreign to his face. He was certain he must look like a buffoon, standing there in the locker room with his nose buried in his shirt, but at the moment he didn't care. Knowing the scent that lingered on his clothing had come from the night spent at Jess' flat made it worth potentially being caught out in such a ridiculous position.
Folding the button down and placing it neatly in his locker, Becker decided not to bother showering after all. A simple change of clean clothing would suffice. There'd been plenty of times while working at the ARC when a creature incursion had proven messy, requiring a change of clothing before day's end. He stripped down the rest of the way, claiming a fresh set of boxer briefs and BDUs from the stack he always kept at work just in case.
Feeling refreshed and ready to face the day, Becker headed out to begin his normal morning's routine. He checked the duty roster, visited each of the security positions to confirm the men were on duty, and reviewed the supply requisition paperwork in preparation for a meeting with Lester later in the day. Finally he swung by the labs and the ADD to check up on everyone. Somewhere along the line, long before he'd been completely aware of his attraction to her, Jess had become his lodestone, the magnetic north of some invisible compass in his world.
"Everything quiet here?" he asked in a soft voice from behind her shoulder, not wanting to startle her out of her concentration.
Jess turned her face toward him, mouth bowing into a luscious smile that put him in mind of her reaction to his gentle teasing of the previous night.
"I promise, I don't bite," she'd offered.
As sometimes happened when he was around Jess and his defenses were down, Becker had responded before fully considering the words coming out of his mouth.
"Oh, but maybe I'd like it if you did,"
Knowing he was still getting his bearings, feeling his way carefully through the landmines in his own psyche, Jess had been struck dumb by the raw sensuality revealed in his words.
"Would you really like it if I bit you?"
Given how hotly she'd been blushing at the thought, Becker couldn't help baiting her. The fact that the thought of those soft, warm lips and lovely teeth shot heat to his groin made it all the more enjoyable to continue the tease.
"One of these days, we'll have to find out, won't we?" he'd murmured in reply.
That one moment had been worth every minute of the previous night spent battling against the demons implanted in his head by his parents and teachers. Now, as he leaned casually over her shoulder, checking the map on screen with a practiced eye, he smelt a hint of the same citrus-like scent that had clung to his clothing earlier in the morning.
"Are you wearing perfume, Jess?" he asked quietly.
"No," she replied, still focused on her work.
He inclined his head just a fraction closer to her, breath tickling the exposed part of her shoulder as he exhaled then took another deep breath.
"There's something about your smell. I can't place my finger on it, but it's quite distracting. I noticed it on my shirt this morning."
"I'm sorry-" Jess began to apologize but he interrupted her before she could continue.
"You misunderstand me. It's distracting, yes, but it's also rather arousing," he whispered.
Jess opened and closed her mouth a few times before she finally managed to stammer out a reply.
"Yuzu," she said, voice breathy and high.
Becker's responding predatory smirk made Jess shiver.
"Whatever it is, it's absolutely delightful. I think I'm going to rather enjoy having it linger from now on."
Jess colored prettily down the deep V of her blouse and Becker reveled in having such an effect on her. If he had to spend the day half maddened by the smell of her, at least he would not be alone in his frustrations.
Later as he was leaving his supply requisitions meeting with Lester, Becker overheard the end of a conversation between Connor and Jess.
"Look, I know that your mum said your birthday's coming up. Why don't you let Abs and me take you out for drinks, eh?"
"Oh no, "Jess replied with a laugh. "My mates took me out drinking for my birthday two years ago and there were photos posted all over the residence hall the next morning. Mum still hasn't let me live it down. So there's no way I'm letting you take me out drinking."
"Come on, Jess," Connor wheedled, "least we can do after you've put us up in your flat for this long is to celebrate properly with you."
"Thanks Connor, but I'd really rather just do something quiet. I've never been terribly keen on making a big deal of birthdays."
"Right then, something small. We'll go out for dinner, just the three of us."
"All right," Jess sighed reluctantly.
Feeling that he'd won the argument, Connor headed back toward his lab. Sheaf of requisitions in hand, Becker fell into step beside Connor as he passed.
"So what's this I hear about Jess' birthday coming up?" he said quietly as they headed down the hallway away from the center of the ARC.