SOLVED. Adult Science fiction - There's an institute of psychics. They're told that the genetic condition that causes psychic ability means they'll die by age 30(?). If they fall in love they smell oranges. [s]

[Robert]

Read 1980-2006.

There were at least two books in the series, but I think the first one was written as a standalone rather than having a series in mind from the start.

Spoilers below:

(view spoiler)[The dying at 30(?) thing, turned out to be the institute killing them because they were privy to too many secrets by that point.
The portagonist is about to turn 30(?) so needs to find a way to escape (hide spoiler)]

Narrator was a guy. There was a secondary character called, I think, Snake (a woman) who was into vicarious sexual experiences (i.e. would use her psychic ability to experience other people's sexual activity).

(view spoiler)[I think he falls in love with a girl in the first book who gets killed and then, at the conclusion of the second book, smells oranges indicating he's in love again (hide spoiler)]

[Joseph]

This is likely from a book in a series by the author Herbert Burkholz.
There is The Sensitives, Strange Bedfellows and Brain Damage.

[Robert]

I think you've got it!

Thanks for that.