Page 65 of Insta Bride

I’d looked to Kye who pressed my hand to his lips. I realized that whenever we were together, he was always touching me. Either holding my hand, or arm around my waist. I liked it. A physical and visual sign that we were together. He gave me no room for doubt.

“I’ll be honest, I thought I’d rock up here, flirt and sleep with a bunch of sexy women, and head back home a hero amongst men.”

I’d tried to pull away, but Kye only picked me up, twirled me around and planted me on his lap. “Oh, no you don’t. If you say you don’t want to date a liar, then you’ve got to be brave enough to hear the truth.”

“Hearing about you wanting to sleep with other women, is not a truth that is going to make you welcome in my bed.”

Kye laughed as if it was only a matter of time before we were the loved-up couple everyone thought we were. “Babe, you changed all of that. I met you, and bam.” He turned back to the camera, “You want to know how I’ve changed? Elena. I am fucking head over heels in an emotional spin, because of Elena.”

“Can we try it once more without the swearing?” Bree asked. “Your passion kind of loses something when we have to beep out every second word.”

“You want passion without profanity?” Kye hadn’t needed a second invitation before swinging my legs across his lap, his hand resting comfortably halfway up my thigh, and my yoga pants not thick enough to protect me from his erection underneath my leg. Although, these days, I didn’t know if it was an erection or a permanent state of being.

“That would be nice.”

He’d ignored the camera, giving me the full impact of his beautiful grey eyes.

“How has this experience changed me? For the first time in my life, I’m not looking for the next woman to sleep with. I’m not looking for someone hotter, sexier, new. I’m not looking for anyone other than the woman in my life. Elena, you’ve got my head spinning in so many directions, I don’t know what country I’m in. I’m not going to use the word, love, because it’s only been a month and I’m hoping we’ve got the rest of our lives to explore what that means. I didn’t expect to change, but you’ve changed me.”

We’d kissed and I wanted to believe it was real. Not for the cameras or to make Bree jealous. I wanted to believe Kye felt as much when he kissed me, as I did. I wanted to believe in him.

“What about you, Elena?” Bree had asked me after I’d caught my breath. “How has this experience changed you?”

I’d taken my time before answering, thinking about everything Kye and I had gone through. Everything from me standing up to Campbell, to the boat, to the night in the restaurant where he had done hundreds of pushups over the top of me.

I wouldn’t be going back to Sydney the same woman who’d left.

“It’s made me realize that I can get back into the dating scene.”

“Woo,” Kye slapped the armrest and turned to fully face me. “What do you mean, dating scene? You’re dating me.”

“We are now, but the experience is about to end and neither of us really know what that means.”

“I do,” Kye had said, his face serious and no twinkle. Had I hurt him? Was I supposed to assume we would walk out of here still holding hands?

“How?”

“I just do.”

Before we’d had a chance to finish the interview and head back to breakfast, one of the other production assistants chased us away.

Apparently, there were big plans in store for tonight’s elimination ceremony.

We’d been separated from our partners before our coffees had time to cool. I’d joined Georgia and Kenzie in a room with more mirrors and makeup lighting than most studios.

For all other ceremonies, we’d been trusted with our own hair and makeup. We’d even been trusted with our own clothes.

Not today.

Strangers pushed and pulled us into every direction. Hair was shampooed, blow dried and styled. Eyebrows were plucked and eyelashes attached.

For hours, I became a canvas for others to work on. I didn’t know why twenty different foundations needed to be applied, or why the first hairstyle had to be completely redone.

By the end, while Georgia and Kenzie looked exactly the same as normal—which probably proved how much makeup they needed to look natural—I stared at a stranger in my mirror.

I didn’t look like me.

For the first time, I looked like a woman who could walk into any room on the arm of Kye. Standing beside other women, I’d always felt plain and boring. But tonight, I felt beautiful. I felt like I belonged on Kye’s arm.

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