Free Adventure to Love by Bethany Ramos Page A

topic to discuss on their first on-camera date, Ky pointed to the horizon. “And there it is. Have you ever been in a hot air balloon before?”
    She was taken aback. It was the kind of shit you would see on some over-the-top romantic comedy. But it was happening to her in real life. Right now.
    The hot air balloon came to rest at the edge of the cliff. She and Ky hurried over. Ky opted to chivalrously give her a boost with his fingers interlaced, which quickly turned into her being dumped like a sack of potatoes into the hot air balloon basket.
    No matter. She was in! She was going to tour Bali like no one had ever done before!
    Okay, so she probably wasn’t literally the first person to ride a hot air balloon around the coast of Bali, but she probably was the first person to do it with a gorgeous guy while being filmed for a TV show. She couldn’t get her heart to stop thumping, she was so thrilled.
    “Are you excited?” Ky shouted into her ear over the roar of the balloon.
    Yes, Captain Oblivious. Of course, I’m excited, she thought sarcastically. But instead of speaking her mind, she bit her tongue and smiled. “Absolutely! You sure know how to impress the ladies,” she joked.
    Ky smiled and shouted something else into her ear that she couldn’t make out. She shrugged and smiled back. The date was getting better and better by the minute. Not only was she going to ride in a hot air balloon, but it was so loud that she didn’t have to worry about keeping up with all of the boring conversation topics Ky threw at her. It didn’t get any better than this.
    After fifteen short minutes spent floating along the glittering coastline, the hot air balloon lowered to a stop on the cliff where the ride had started. And surprise, surprise, a romantic candlelit dinner had already been set up for them at the edge of the cliff, giving them yet again the perfect view of Bali and the ocean in front of them.
    Ky gestured to the table and pulled out a chair for her. “Milady?”
    Okay, he really needed to stop that. It was just a little too corny. But besides Ky’s theatrical overtones, the date was going pretty well so far. Granted, they hadn’t had to talk to each other for at least fifteen minutes, but she was beginning to relax and enjoy herself.
    Ky topped off her glass with champagne. She could definitely get used to the free-flowing alcohol and the never-ending supply of champagne on the show. But she had to watch herself. If she weren’t careful, she’d end up getting tipsy and saying something even more embarrassing than she already had on their date.
    All three cameras were on her. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? Think, think, think.
    “Um, so what do you like most about this whole experience so far?” she blurted out as she downed half her glass of champagne.
    Screw sobriety . Being on camera was nerve-racking. She would take any liquid courage she could get.
    “Well, that’s certainly an interesting question.” Ky grinned. His cheeks were flushed in the glow of the tiki torches surrounding them. “I have to say that I’ve enjoyed getting to know each and every woman on the show so far. Each woman has her own special characteristics and intricacies. It’s going to be really hard to vote someone off week after week.”
    Bo-ring. That was an expected answer. Although she didn’t know why she thought Ky would say anything other than his pre-rehearsed lines about how great everyone was on the show and how special they all were. Blah blah blah.
    She decided to spice things up. That, and the half glass of champagne had already gone to her head since she hadn’t eaten yet.
    “Yes, I would imagine it would be difficult. So, tell me more about you. Why did your last relationship end?”
    She could tell Ky wasn’t expecting that question. Had he not rehearsed any answers for the stickier questions that women might throw at him on the show? For shame. Morgan sat back in her chair. She