Joshaya V.S Lucaya

Chapter 25

Josh's POV

When I wake up, it's sickeningly hot inside the tent. Maya is nowhere to be seen. I quickly pull on a pair of shorts and pop my head out of the tent. Riley and Lucas are sitting at the picnic table eating breakfast together. My eyes scan the campsite and surrounding area as I climb out of the tent. Still no Maya.

"Morning guys!." I say cheerfully as I walk over to join my neice and the cowboy. Riley looks up at me with a bright smile, but Lucas just continues to eat. Weird.

"Good morning uncle Josh" Riley says before taking another bite of her eggs. Suddenly I feel a pair of arms around my torso and a small, warm body pressed against me from behind. The shockwaves that course through my body confirm that the arms belong to Maya before I turn around to face her.

"Morning gorgeous." I say, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead before she rests her head on my chest, mumbling her own good morning.

"Well, I've lost my appetite." Lucas says coldly before he stands up and walks away. I wonder for a moment what's wrong with him but quickly push the thoughts from my mind when Maya looks up at me.

"So... what's on the agenda for today?" She asks me. I honestly don't know. I hadn't thought about it.

"What do you wanna do?" I ask her simply, shrugging slightly. She looks like shes pretending to think for a moment before she reaches up and pulls me down, our lips only centimeters apart.

"I can think of a few things." She whispers suggestively before closing the minuscule gap between us. I smile into the kiss, knowing exactly what she wants. When she deepens the kiss, I hear myself moan. Thoughts of last night flood my brain and I have to stop myself from throwing her onto the picnic table and giving in to every desire coursing through my veins.

"Well, as fun as this is..." Riley interrupts sarcastically, getting up from the table. "I'd much rather be at the beach!" She continues and makes a hasty exit. Maya and I start laughing, breaking our kiss.

"Beach?" I ask her breathlessly when the giggles have subsided.

"Beach." She states, smiling at me

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"It's so beautiful when the sun begins to set." Maya says simply, staring up at the sky. I cant take my eyes off her as she marvels at the view. I notice goosebumps beginning to form on her beautiful sun kissed skin, so I take the hoodie I brought and wrap it around her. Her eyes finally break away from the setting sun and turn to me.

"I love you Joshua Matthews." She says while a smile pulls at her lips. I smile back at her, probably looking like an absolute fool.

"I love you Maya Hart" I say back. No sooner do the words leave my lips do I see her shift herself closer to me. Close enough to lean on my chest.

"You two are so nauseatingly adorable. I hate you" Riley says smiling the entire time. Maya and I both chuckle and she turns her head to face me. I lean down to place a quick kiss on her lips, causing a slight blush to rise on her cheeks.

"I'm gonna head back. I hope Lucas is back." Riley announces, standing and gathering her things. "See you when you get back!" She shouts over her shoulder and she trudges through the sand on her way back to the campsite.

"See ya Riles!" Maya calls out, probably too quietly for Riley to even hear her.

Lucas. My thoughts drift back to this morning. He didn't seem like himself. I know he has never liked the idea of May's and me, but still, his reaction was weird. Maybe Maya knows what his issue is?

"Speaking of Lucas..." I start, and she looks at me, chewing her lip nervously. Now I know she knows something. She starts speaking before I have the chance to continue.

"He was acting weird. That's my fault." She says the last part quietly. Why would it be her fault? She continues to explain. "After I, um, ran away from you and the beach last night, I went to talk to Riley..." she trailed off. I took this as my opportunity to fill in the blanks.

"But instead you ended up talking to Lucas?" I question as I study her face. She almost looks guilty as she looks down, avoiding my eyes.

I reach out and brush a stray piece of hair away from her face before I take her chin and guide her to look at me. I can hear my heartbeat in my ears and I'm almost certain she can hear it too. Before I say another word, she jumps into the details of her encounter with Lucas. The last part sends me almost into a rage.

"... and then he asked me to stay." She says cautiously. I jump up from my spot in the sand, leaving my towel and Maya behind and stalk towards the campsite. I dont even know I'm doing it until I hear Maya calling out after me. I ignore her and keep going.

He made a move on her. He tried to take advantage of her. She was upset and hurt and he tried to use that to his advantage. I can feel my blood boiling as I get closer to the campsite.

When I get there, I stop and I'm shocked at the sight before me. Riley and Lucas, cuddled up next to the fire, laughing and carrying on like he wasn't some kind of creep. I walk over quickly and I hear myself yell at him.

"YOU!! GET AWAY FROM MY NEICE! AND FURTHERMORE, STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY GIRLFRIEND!!" I shout at him. Riley instantly moves away from him, giving me a questioning look. He stands and moves closer to me. Hes so close I can feel his breath on my face.

"What are you gonna do if I don't, Josh?" He whispers, a smirk evident on his face, taunting me. I think about his hands on Maya and something inside me just snaps.

"JOSH!" I hear Riley yell my name, but it's too late. I've already stepped back and connected my fist with his smug face.