A Smell So Sweet by BelovedStranger

Wild Ride

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Another AU chapter. 

Prompt: Clove

UNEDITED VERSION!

NOW EDITED!

“Brother, are you busy?”

Rin poked her head into her eldest brother’s study and eyed him hopefully. Amber eyes lifted from staring at the laptop’s screen, long fingers ceased their tapping as Sesshomaru met her gaze.

“Is there something you require, Rin?” he asked her smoothly, while removing his wire rim glasses and putting them on his desk in an offhand manner.

Smiling, Rin opened the door wider and stepped farther inside. She eyed her brother as she took a seat on the edge of his desk. She could see why all her girlfriends admired him. When he was standing, Sesshomaru was six feet and four inches tall, and no amount of clothing could hide his physic. He wasn’t overly muscular but he wasn’t small either. Even though her hair was black, her eyes dark brown, both of her elder brothers, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, had long, silver locks and amber irises. While she took after their mother, the boys took after their father.

Cocking her head as she perused Sesshomaru’s angular features, his strong jaw, and innate beauty that was all man, she could see why her best friend Kagome was crushing on him. And there was little doubt in her mind that Sesshomaru was interested in Kagome, too. Though her best friend seemed to be clueless, Rin was not. She’d seen how her brother’s eyes had fixated on Kagome whenever she’d come over for a visit.

At first, Rin had been shocked to realize Sesshomaru’s interest, because Kagome and she were seniors in high school, both eighteen years old, while Sesshomaru was twenty-six and a famous, published author to boot. Though young, Sesshomaru had quickly made a name of himself in his chosen career as a fictional writer. And like many of her friends, Kagome had read all of his novels, even owned the books. Not only was Kagome crushing on Sesshomaru, she was a huge fan.

When Rin had realized their feelings for each other not so long ago, she had decided to try and get them together as more than acquaintances.

“Why are you staring?” Sesshomaru asked as he lit one of his small cigars, the scent of cloves permeating the air in a not unpleasant aroma. “Did you want something?”

Without preamble, she said, “Kagome needs help.”

She watched her brother become motionless, his eyes taking on a strange light. “Continue.”

Rin shrugged. “Kagome is failing her English class. She’s having a difficult time understanding, and since I know you are more than proficient at the subject, I was wondering if you could tutor her. If you’re not too busy, that is.”

Sesshomaru blinked, and all at once, that stillness seemed to leave his body. He took another, long drag of his sweet smelling cigar. Thick waves of smoke filtered from his mouth when he exhaled.

“Bring her to me.”

Brightening, she asked, “So you’ll help?”

Sesshomaru nodded. “Will that be all, or did you need anything else, Rin?”

Shaking her head, Rin thanked him and skipped out of the room, a small, secret smile curling her lips in a happy grin.

The next day, Sesshomaru had to force himself to remain in his seat behind his desk. He was watching the clock almost three times a minute, waiting impatiently for his new ‘pupil’ to arrive. After Rin had surprised him with her request the day before, he’d been in such a state many would call frazzled. He was more eager than he should have been to see his younger sister’s best friend, a girl still in high school.

Yes, he’d been aware of Kagome’s presence as Rin’s friend for the last four years, but it hadn’t been until Kagome’s eighteenth birthday that he’d been aware of the girl as a woman—a woman he wanted. Rin had held Kagome’s party at their place since they had an outdoor pool, and when Sesshomaru had seen Kagome’s curvaceous figure in a skimpy bikini, lust had hit him in the gut without warning.

Five months later, his lust had turned into obsession. No, worse. Love. Even now, realizing the depths of his feelings for a girl eight years younger than himself was capable of making him wince. Why? Because he was jaded, his eyes open to the world around him, and love did not enter the equation, not for one such as he. His parents were wealthy, and since becoming a successful author, he was making plenty of money on his own, so when a woman saw him, she had dollar signs in her eyes. But then he had to concede it wasn’t only because of his funds that made females flock to him like bees to honey. Without sounding conceited, he knew he was physically appealing to the opposite sex, and many wanted in his bed for his looks alone.

No woman had ever talked to him with the intention of becoming friends. Every one of them were either zealous fans or fortune hunters. Until Kagome. Not once in the few times they had conversed had she tried to use her position as Rin’s friend to get close to him. She didn’t seem to care about his money, and though she was a fan of his writing, she didn’t gush about it.

Kagome was very different from the women he was accustomed to meeting. Was it any wonder he’d fallen for her in such a short amount of time? It was maddening to realize that she probably only viewed him as Rin’s older brother. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was a few minutes past four in the evening when there was a knock on his study door. It was a Wednesday evening, and Kagome had come almost right after school as Rin had said she would.

Forcing his racing heart to slow to a more normal pace, he simply said, “Enter.”

The door opened, and Kagome walked in. Sesshomaru couldn’t help but stare at her legs, which were revealed by her short skirt. Obviously, she had changed out of her school uniform and into normal clothes—a blue skirt, a stripped, short-sleeved shirt that was form fitting, and high-heeled sandals that gave her an extra three inches of height to her normal five foot four inch frame. Even with the added height, he knew the top of her head would barely reach his shoulders.

She was so tiny, her figure trim and athletic. Compared to him, she appeared fragile. Her delicate size made him protective, heightened his awareness of her.

As she entered, her face lit up with a becoming smile of open friendliness. Like his sister, Kagome had long, black hair and deep brown eyes, but unlike Rin, Sesshomaru was captivated by Kagome. Her face still held signs of her youth, but her body was that of a woman, full breasts, round hips, and killer legs as she strode in.

“Take a seat,” he murmured, indicating one of the two chairs before his desk.

“Thank you.”

In a move that was all feminine, Kagome smoothed her skirt in back before taking her seat, her knees together and angled to the right. When she sat, Sesshomaru couldn’t help but notice how her skirt rode up just an inch higher, revealing even more flesh. His blood heated without his consent. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be sporting an erection just at the sight of her.

“So… ah, Rin said you could help me with my English class,” Kagome began. Sesshomaru noted a becoming flush tinting her cheeks pink. “And I’m really grateful. I just hope I’m not bothering you or getting in your way.”

Sesshomaru waved her concern away. “If you were ‘bothering’ me, I would not have agreed to assist you, Kagome. Furthermore, I have already completed the portion of my next manuscript per my editor’s request, so I have some free time.”

The girl seemed to perk up at the mention of his newest novel, and the next few minutes they talked about how his work was coming along without him giving away spoilers. That she obviously enjoyed his labors of love—for he did love writing—was gratifying. When Kagome told him what she liked about the plot and characters of his previous books, he realized that she paid attention to the progression of things and really understood even the finer, subtler details, which made him think more highly of her comprehension skills. But then when she bemoaned that it was one thing to recognize great writing and to actually put thought to paper was a whole different matter had Sesshomaru cracking an amused grin.

“I shall endeavor to help you, Kagome,” he reassured confidently.

At his words, she beamed happily at him, and for the next two months, four days out of the week, she visited him for an hour where he tutored her not only in English but in writing. At first, she seemed slow in learning, but when he devised ways to help her grasp a concept more easily, she was an apt pupil and retained the knowledge imparted to her.

One day she came running into his study a little earlier than usual for their sessions and surprised the hell out of him when she rounded his desk, jumped into his lap, and threw her arms around his neck. With her so close, her breasts pressed against his chest and ass on his lap, Sesshomaru was hard pressed to concentrate on her ecstatic words. He understood enough that she was raving about getting a higher grade on the last paper she had written all thanks to his help, but the erection in his pants and months of denied desire made him deaf to everything but his need.

He silenced her prattle with a hard kiss.

Kagome stiffened against him, but he didn’t desist. He couldn’t seem to stop. Her lips were so soft. They were dry, so he used his tongue to wet them. At that, she trembled against him noticeably. He knew it was not from disgust when her body relaxed against his. Her lips parted when he licked at the seam of her mouth. The hitch in her next breath when he took what was offered had his body swelling further to painful degrees.

After long seconds when she dueled her tongue with his, licking and stroking in an erotic movement of lips, she drew back, panting. He followed her retreat, catching her mouth with his again and cupped the back of her head, devouring her. The small whimper of surrender she made next had his heart skipping a beat, and Sesshomaru knew he had to stop or pass the point of no return.

Still, he savored her lips for a few seconds more before moving his head back, effectively breaking the kiss. He watched her. When Kagome blinked her eyes open, his cock twitched at the glazed look he saw in them. Her cheeks were flushed, lips parted as she breathed heavily, sharing her breath with him.

“Sesshomaru…”

The way she whispered his name had his heart lurching, and if he hadn’t already been sporting a full-blown erection, that soft utterance would have done it for him. As it was, he had to bite back a groan. How the hell could one kiss—no matter how erotic—turn him on to this degree? She’d barely touched him, but her response to his kiss, her taste, had him throbbing behind his fly. There was no way she could miss it. Kagome sat so close, her hip was pressed intimately against his straining groin.

Without preamble, surprising both of them, he demanded roughly, “Go out with me.”

Shock then something more, deeper—longing?—flashed through her expressive eyes, and she nodded.

That was all the encouragement he needed, and Sesshomaru grinned.

That night, Sesshomaru had picked Kagome up from her place and taken them to a romantic restaurant. There, he put all his skill in charming and seducing her. With veiled sexual innuendos and light touches, he watched her reactions, testing her. She responded beautifully. Though he was still unclear as to her feelings for him, it was obvious she desired him, shared in his need. Afterwards, he took her to a late night movie. There, in the dark, he had planned to snuggle her close to his side, but before he reached for her, Kagome was already leaning into him.

As the movie played, he was barely aware of it, hardly paid attention. His whole focus was on the woman against his chest. Because he had all his senses trained on her, Sesshomaru noticed when her breath caught. He glanced at the huge, theatre screen, and stiffened. Not because what he saw appalled him but because a couple—a man and a woman—were at that moment locked in each other’s arms, and it was clear they were headed for the bedroom for obvious reasons.

Lust hit him in the gut like a freight train, knocking the air from his lungs. The moans coming from the screen were also coming from the couples around them as a good portion of the audience mimicked the lip lock playing before them.

She was staring at him. He could feel her eyes on him. In reaction, his heart thumped almost painfully against his chest. He turned to her, met Kagome’s hooded gaze. What he saw in them hurt him physically, his cock strangled by his denim.

Primed for sex, he knew he had to cut the movie short, his control on the brink of breaking. Had he been in his right frame of mind, he would have sneered at his own lack of control. He was acting like a youth with his first woman. This had never happened to him before, this total, all-consuming need. Only with Kagome had he ever experienced this amount of lust, but it was more than that. His heart had been caught and she didn’t even know it.

“We are leaving,” he grated out before standing.

Without waiting for her to do anything more than stare at him in surprise, he gently hauled her to her feet, and escorted her out of the dark room, out of the movie theatre, and to his car, where he opened the passenger door for her, and helped her inside. He shut the door with a little more force than necessary and walked around the hood, taking his own seat behind the wheel. He drove in silence, breathing heavily. His grip on the steering wheel was too tight as he fought against his baser urges. Now was not the time to molest Kagome despite his dick having other ideas.

“Sesshomaru? Are… you okay?” Kagome asked him in a low, tentative voice.

He turned his gaze towards her for a couple seconds. She wasn’t looking at him, and he knew he’d fucked up by hauling her out of there so unexpectedly. He almost cursed.

“Yes.” No. His voice was too tight. Sexual frustration literally had him by the balls.

She was silent for so long, he knew he had to say something, to explain his actions, but right now, he was too busy trying to calm his racing heart. Not an easy task when the object of his desire was mere inches away from him.

“Did I do something wrong?” she asked next.

He barely heard her, but when he comprehended what she said, they were already at his place. He’d driven there automatically, and he parked in the drive, not even bothering to make it all the way into his garage. He’d have to take her home anyway. But first, he shifted to stare at her. She was gazing back at him hesitantly, a frown pinching her brows, making her lips pucker in a pout.

Whatever he’d been about to say withered and died in his brain. He had to kiss her, touch her. Almost mechanically, he unbuckled his seatbelt and reached over the gear shift. He leaned his upper body across the space separating them, grabbed the back of her head, and took her mouth in a savage kiss.

Her lips parted on a gasp, and he took full advantage. He gave her his tongue, licking and stroking. The stiffness in her body melted in about three seconds. Her hands went into his hair, keeping him to her as she kissed him back with the same raging need as he showed her. When she strained towards him, her seatbelt kept her rooted in place.

Before he could even think to call a halt to this madness, Kagome was frantically trying to release her seatbelt and shrug the strap off her shoulder. As soon as she was free, he acted. With a show of strength, he yanked her from her seat. It was slightly awkward lifting her over the gear shift and onto his lap in the small confines of the car, but he managed it. Unfortunately, he had to break the kiss to do so.

She straddled him, but the space was still too small, too tight, constricting movement. As he buried his face against her neck, licking and nipping at her flesh, he reached under his seat blindly. Suddenly, they were rolling backwards a few inches as he found the lever to push his seat back as far as it would go. Then he touched another lever and his seat went down so fast, Kagome landed on his chest with a small grunt.

Only then did a measure of clarity return. They stared at each other from inches away, his hands splayed on her hips, her hands on either side of him. Was he actually contemplating taking Kagome for the first time here, in his car?

Then she shifted, her core rubbing against his erection. Circumstances be damned. He wanted her and she wanted him. He leaned up and captured her mouth again. Instantly she responded by molding her body along his, and it was heaven and hell having her so close.

Kagome had dressed up for their date, and he was damned glad when he palmed her ass, going beneath her skirt and filling his hands. He groaned when he realized she wore a thong and squeezed.

She moved, rubbing her body against his. Though he desperately wanted to push her panties aside and thrust his aching shaft deep inside her depths, he forced restraint. She wasn’t nearly aroused enough. He was sure she would be a tight fit, especially considering he was well-endowed. He didn’t want to hurt her. It would kill him if he did.

With that thought in mind, Sesshomaru reluctantly released her lush cheeks, and gripped her sides. As he edged her blouse up, he moved his lips to the side of her neck. She readily gave him access and soon came to realize she was extraordinarily sensitive here. He kissed her behind her ear and she shivered. His tongue rasped over her racing pulse and she edged closer. When he offered a little nibble, she jerked against him. But when he suckled her flesh, she began squirming uncontrollably in seconds. Her small whimpers reached his ears.

Was it possible that Kagome was an overly sensitive woman? The thought nearly took his breath away when a new wave of lust hit him. Already eager to touch and taste her, he decided to test his theory.

His palms smoothed up her flat stomach. She was so soft, so delicate. Shoving her bra up over her breasts, he cupped them. Moving his hands in a circular motion, he toyed with them, rubbing his palms against her nipples and squeezed rhythmically. They stiffened under his attention. Her reactions where so honest, so fierce. He continued to suck and lick at her neck, enjoying how she writhed atop him even as he pinched one nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Sesshomaru…” she moaned, more breath than sound, but he heard it—reacted to it.

Wanting to tease her, to see just how wild she could become in his arms, he rolled both hard peaks, pinching and pulling. Leaning back, he watched her flushed face, her eyes tightly shut, lips parted on a silent gasp.

“Look at me, Kagome. I want to see you. Don’t hide from me,” he said in a low, gruff voice.

It took her a few seconds, but she did as he ordered and met his gaze.

He pinched her just a little harder, pulling. Her back arched.

“Does this feel good?” he murmured wickedly.

“Yes,” she gasped.

“Would you like me to touch you more?”

She nodded sharply, and he took a nipple into his mouth, teeth scrapping the delicate flesh. When he lashed her with his tongue, she wrapped her arms behind his head, holding him to her breast. He suckled strongly, pulling with his lips. Her reaction was instantaneous. Hips rolling, he could feel her hot core rubbing along his shaft through his denim. He groaned with her, hips bucking upwards.

She moved with him, undulating her hips.

Suckling, nipping, he toyed with her, and Kagome was far from silent in her obvious enjoyment.

So responsive, he thought in wonder and lust.

Though he hurt, Sesshomaru continued to feast on her breasts, going from one nipple to the other for long minutes. How long he enjoyed her, he couldn’t say, didn’t care. He couldn’t get enough of her. Would he ever? Doubtful.

Her scent was strong, her arousal permeating the small, confined space between them. God, her scent! It drove him to the brink of madness.

It appeared she was already there. He felt how she stiffened for a telling moment before quivering around him uncontrollably, and he knew she came. He watched her in fascination. Her expression was pinched, almost tortured. Then she collapsed against his chest, her face hidden against his throat.

He had to feel her, touch her. He had to know how— God, she was so wet! He cupped her through her panties, the fabric soaked with her juices. His cock throbbed in longing.

Using two fingers, he stroked her folds. She shifted. Instead of denying his intimate touch, she ground against his fingers. Experimentally, he rubbed harder, faster, and like a switch, Kagome responded.

She leaned back to stare into his eyes. “Sesshomaru? I… I already…”

She was beet red and he chuckled, the sound pained. Embarrassment and lust warred on her face, but she did not tell him to stop. As if he could! That was beyond his control to do at this point. It took everything in him not to just rip that bit of cloth from her person, free his cock, and thrust powerfully inside her moist heat.

The mental image was so vivid, precum leaked from his slit, and he gnashed his teeth.

He finished her sentence when she did not. “Came?” Again he chuckled, amusement leaking through his lust. “I know. I felt you. You’re so wet for me.”

His verbal comments seemed to embarrass her, for she hid her face against his neck again. He let her. Taking more liberties, he waited—almost feared she’d stop him—and slid her panties to the side. She was bare. His breath caught.

“You waxed.” He could tell the difference between a smooth wax and the rough stubble of shaving, and damn if that didn’t turn him on more, if that was even possible at this point. “Naughty girl.”

“I did it for you…”

So low did she speak, he didn’t comprehend at first, but when he did, he threw his head back, chest heaving with his labored breathing. Had she been expecting this? Wanting this? Yearning for him? Just the thought drew up his balls painfully. If he wasn’t careful, he’d embarrass himself by exploding in his pants just at the images in his mind. Her scent invaded his senses, her body along his made it hard to think straight.

Using two fingers, he parted her swollen, slick folds and dipped downwards to see just how wet she was. He shuddered at what he found, knew she was ready. Still, he ignored his aching length and found that bundle of nerves at her clitoris. Using his thumb, he stroked her. Her small, whimpered cry echoed in his ear.

Rubbing in circular motions, he tested her by sinking one then two fingers inside her. Again his name fell from her lips. He would never tire of hearing it. He pushed a third inside her and pumped, all the while toying with her folds with the palm of his hand. Her juices coated his fingers. She was tight but probably as ready as she could be.

Kagome was already on the brink of another orgasm. He could hear it in her desperate moans, feel it in her tensing body. Her inner walls quivered around his fingers. He couldn’t wait a second longer.

As he continued to pump his lucky fingers inside her, he fumbled with his jeans with his free hand. Slowly so as not to catch the zipper on tender parts, he freed himself, but if he thought Kagome was mindless in her own pleasure, he was proven wrong.

As soon as his throbbing length was free, her small hand wrapped around him above his own. Her touch was tentative, exploring. His breath caught, and for the life of him, he could not stop her.

He needed to see…

“Lean back, Kagome.” His voice was rough, more gravelly than normal, barely discernable, but she understood.

She sat back on her knees. Their eyes caught.

“Do you know what you do to me, little one?” he asked huskily, moving his hips, thrusting his cock into her palm. Her hand tightened. Sweat beaded on his brow, his muscles tight from forced restraint. “Watch. See how easily you take my fingers.” He gave a forceful thrust in emphasis. She cried out, but she did watch.

At first, he thought she watched how his fingers sank easily into her, in and out, but when she licked her lips, he knew. His shaft pulsed in answer to her heated look. Was she imagining taking him into her mouth? The thought had more pre-cum slipping from the slit, and her thumb swirled around it, coating the head in his own arousal.

He trembled, trembled!

Sesshomaru snatched her hand away and kissed her palm when she made a sound of discontent at his actions. He removed his fingers and had to smirk when she tried to follow him, to take them back inside herself.

He held his glistening fingers to her lips, touched them to her mouth. “Taste yourself,” he murmured huskily.

Her lips parted, and he pushed his wet fingers inside and stroked her tongue. “Suck on them,” he whispered.

His cock jerked as if her lips were wrapped around it instead of his fingers.

Then and there, he came to a decision. He’d waited long enough—too damn long. Removing his digits, his hand slid her panties away from her swollen folds again, too impatient to drag them down her thighs. There wasn’t much room for that anyway. Leading himself to her weeping opening, he pressed.

“Protection…Sesshomaru…” Kagome reminded him.

It was only then that he realized how far gone he was. He’d forgotten to put on a rubber he kept handy in his billfold. Dammit! But he couldn’t stop, not now. He’d rarely taken a woman without a rubber, and the intense feeling of bare flesh on bare flesh was mind-blowing.

Through clenched teeth, he said, “Don’t worry. I’ll pull out.”

Her nails sank into his shoulders, his shirt saving him from welts. It was then, as he feed her his shaft inch by slow inch, that he realized the absurdity of their situation. They were outside his home, still in his car, and at each other like wild animals. Though they were both almost fully clothed, Kagome’s breasts were bared, her shirt and bra pushed up, and their intimate parts were joining ever so gradually. The windows in his car were fogged from their heat. For all the privacy they had, they were still all but outside, and he was pushing, pressing farther inside her moist heat regardless of time and place.

He should stop, take them inside, but he could not. Not when her silken walls were squeezing his shaft like a vice. When he finally hilted himself, Sesshomaru groaned, and Kagome mirrored his sound of bliss. Hands on her hips, he bounced her and shoved, pressed back, then upwards again, impaling her hard and deep.

A hiss slithered from her lips.

Sesshomaru leaned forward and captured a nipple in his mouth, teeth scrapping.

“Please, harder, Sesshomaru,” she begged.

Did she mean suckle harder or thrust harder? Without asking, he did both. He barely heard her cries over the rushing of blood in his ears. She was so tight. Was he hurting her?

“So big. You’re so deep inside me.”

Her words enflamed him further as she unconsciously answered his inward question. She didn’t sound like she was in pain but like a woman in need to be fucked good and hard—by him, only him.

“Take me. Have all of me,” he grated between clenched teeth.

Control shattered, he held her hips tightly above him, and pounded inside her, his buttocks flexing as he lifted and fell back, only to repeat the motion over and over. The sound of flesh slapping filled the small space. When Kagome arched her back away from him, Sesshomaru did likewise and continued thrusting, thrusting.

She tried to move, to follow his brutal pace, but he held her in place, forcing her to take what he had to give. Sesshomaru was rough, leaving behind any signs of gentleness. When her inner walls clamped down on him, trying to trap him inside her, he pushed past the restraint, growling at the tighter fit. She was going to kill him, and what a sweet way to go.

He shoved inside her, held, and swiveled his hips. His pelvic ground against her clit, and she orgasmed around him. He cursed heatedly when she spasmed around his pumping shaft. It was too much for him. With difficulty, he pulled out and palmed himself. With just two strokes, his seed exploded out, and he cupped his free hand over it, catching the hot evidence of his climax.

Kagome fell forward, but caught herself, her hands flat on his heaving chest. Sesshomaru opened his eyes, having shut them in his release, when he felt her move closer still. Her lips brushed against his lightly, and she whispered, “I love you, Sesshomaru.” 

Clove

The clove is a flower bud from an aromatic evergreen tree with sanguine flowers that grows in the tropics of Asia and South America. The bud and stem of the dried clove is widely as a spice and food flavoring. The oil extracted from the plant, leaves, flower buds, and fruit itself is used in herbal remedies and some dental practices. They have a numbing effect on mouth tissues. Clove has a history of greed, blood shed and adventure. Its name originated from the French word "clou" which means “nail”, as many have remarked on how much cloves look like nails. Cloves have antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, antispasmodic, antiviral, antiparasitic, analgesic, and simulative properties making them a great overall healer. 

They can be used to stimulate the mind as well as prevent nausea, diarrhea, ease coughs, aid in digestion, and even treat conditions like malaria and cholera. They can also be used topically to treat acne, styes and sores. Clove may reduce blood sugar levels as well. The Chinese chewed the flowerettes prior to having an audience with the Emperor so that their breath would not smell bad. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine considered cloves to be acrid, warm and aromatic and used them to treat hiccups and impotence. Clove oil is also used in aromatherapy. Popular with the Romans, they were used more as a fragrance or perfume. 

In the Moluccas islands, native tradition dictated to plant a clove tree upon the birth of a child and the life of the tree was psychologically tied directly to that of the child. If something happened to the tree, that did not bode well for the particular child with whom it was associated. Today, cloves are also used as an ingredient in baking and cooking and in perfumes, small cigars, mouthwash, and toothpaste. Cloves are often used in cooking for adding flavor to meats, curries, and meat marinades. They are also used to create sweet dishes, such as with fruits like apples, pears, or rhubarb. Considered a very strong spice, the quantity of clove used in recipes is usually small. Clove also works as an ant repellant. Clove oil can be used to anesthetize fish, and prolonged exposure to higher doses is considered a humane means of euthanasia.