Page 62 of Insta Bride

At least, from Kye’s point of view, we looked good. We were the perfect looking couple.

“Hey,” he said, creeping his hand around my waist.

No matter how much we fought—and made up—I didn’t want to go back to reality. I didn’t want to go back to my normal life. And in places that I didn’t want to admit, it kind of felt good having him work so hard to convince me that the man in his pre-show interview wasn’t the man in my bed.

“Hi, yourself.”

“Did you get any sleep?” Kye laughed.

“Um, only once you stopped snoring.”

“I do not snore.” He was almost defensive. Okay, totally defensive. I’d hit a sore spot and it felt good. Lately, I’d had to work harder to up him in our daily banter.

“Yes, you do.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You know, you do.”

“Well, I look forward to more nights where you’re not sleeping and you think you can blame it on snoring, but you know that it’s because you’re lying awake, wanting me.”

Just because it was true, didn’t mean I had to admit it.

“You have got so many jokes.”

“Yeah, and—”

“And nothing.”

JP took his position and the remaining couples stood around as if we were his adoring audience.

“I’ve been instructed to offer the ultimate challenge. You all know the prize for the last remaining couple. You know who you’re up against.? So, I’m giving you the option.”

We all looked around, stunned.

“A couple is going home today, the only question is who?”

JP went rogue, leaving the safety of his mock pulpit, to walk around us and annoy the camera crew who struggled to get the right angles. But JP seemed determined to milk every second of camera time and remind us of the star.

“Only one couple is going to win this competition. You know, the other couples. You know, their strengths, and you know their weaknesses.”

He pulled a cloth from a long table. A red button had been placed in front of each of our name tags. Kye was to my left. Tony and Staci to my right. The power couples of Benjamin and Kenzie, and Harris with Georgia, were on the other side of Kye.

A second cloth revealed a digital display with 50,000 glowing in green.

“In a few moments, we’re going to start a reverse auction. Bidding starts at fifty thousand dollars.”

I looked at Kye who was staring straight ahead. He looked pissed, as though he’d expected a different sort of surprise. Staci and Tony were almost jumping for joy. I tried to decide what I felt.

Excited? It would make a sizeable dent in my mortgage.

Scared? There had to be a catch.

“You all came here looking for love. Some of you might have found it. Others might be able to turn their fame into love when they get back home. This is an elimination challenge. When I start the auction, the dollars will reduce. Whoever pushes the red button first, stops the auction. They split the money with their partner, and you will both leave the island.”

He paused, to let the idea sink in.

Did I want money or Kye? He said we’d try to make it in the real world, but was that for the camera? Probably.