Ingrid caught her breath at his smile. The way it created little creases at the corners of his mouth and wrinkled up his eyes just made him even more wildly handsome.<br/><br/>"That would be lovely," she replied mechanically, even though her eyes were glued to his face, an expression of shyness and wonder in her eyes. She slipped her little hand through his arm, allowing herself to delight in the feeling of how strong he was. She could feel his muscles through his uniform, and she caught her breath at the thought of touching them, skin to skin, in less than 24 hours.<br/><br/>Alexei guided her deftly through the twisting corridors and out into the vast, quiet imperial gardens. They wandered past beds of fragrant flowers and carefully manicured shrubs. The moonlight turned blue-and-gold Ingrid into silver and white.<br/><br/>She looked about her in absolute wonder, marveling at everything in its silver beauty in the cool evening. Despite the fact that the air was cool, her skin felt burning hot, and her heart was hammering in her chest.<br/><br/>The walked until they came to a large hedge maze.<br/><br/>"A maze!" she exclaimed, smiling. "I love mazes. My father had one built in the royal gardens for me. I loved getting lost and making my nannies come find me."<br/><br/>A sudden, devilish idea took possession of her, and she slipped her hand from Alexei's arm.<br/><br/>"Catch me if you can," she breathed, then fled into the maze in a flutter of silver silk and white skin.<br/><br/>She ran nimbly through the maze, getting herself completely lost until she reached what she guessed must have been the center of the maze because there was a beautiful fountain and a carved stone love seat nestled in a nook in the hedge.