Ingrid was practically positive when Alexei kissed her that she had burst into flames. His lips had been so soft, his touch so gentle, and yet...what a fire they had sparked within her body! She had no idea what to call the feelings that were running riot through her limbs and settling in the soft, private places in her body.<br/><br/>She realized that she had just had her first kiss, and my oh my, if this was how a kiss was, then she was more than open to learning all about it - even the thing with the tongue. Her thrill was mixed with trepidation as she realized that this was just the tip of the iceberg of what he would be showing her tomorrow night. She could only hope he was as gentle with the rest the lesson as he was with her first kiss.<br/><br/>When she had touched his scar, her face had assumed a puzzled, concerned and thoughtful expression as she thought of the hardships he had endured all his life. The thought filled her with both respect and compassion for him.<br/><br/>She bit back a gasp when he captured her retreating hand and pressed it to his throat.<br/><br/>"I'm a soldier, my body is riddled with scars," he said. "If you wish to touch me, touch me."<br/><br/>Her eyes grew wide at his blunt statement, and the feeling of his hand on hers only reinforced her feeling of his brute strength compared to her bird bones. She felt her cheeks burst into flame again, embarrassed at her forwardness. Yet there was something so compelling in his voice that it made her bolder than she would have been in any other circumstance with any other man.<br/><br/>She peered up at his face, studying it and noticing the tiny little scars scattered on his bronzed skin. With her free hand, she reached up and brushed her fingers under his left eye, as if trying to smooth away the faint lines there.<br/><br/>"You look tired, my lord," she said softly, her expression still solemn, though there seemed to be a shadow of a smile around her lips. "I hope you have not lost too much sleep over all of this."