He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 84 - 77: Peace of Mind

Isla Prescott’s face flushed.

Sometimes, she was truly in awe of Shane Sterling. His every action carried a certain radiance, an open and honest quality that was utterly captivating. No matter what he said, it always came out sounding completely candid.

She didn’t say yes or no. But as his lips met hers, she parted them in welcome.

In an instant, their breathing grew ragged and intertwined.

As Shane Sterling’s touch found her most sensitive places, Isla Prescott instinctively tried to pull away, but he only held her tighter, more assertively.

Pressed flush against each other, they could feel with startling clarity how their bodies were reacting.

After a few moments tangled together on the sofa, Shane Sterling scooped Isla Prescott into his arms, kissing her all the way to the bed.

His bathrobe fell to the floor. At some point, Isla Prescott’s nightgown had been torn, and now it hung from her frame, half-covering, half-revealing.

As they tumbled onto the bed, Isla Prescott pushed against his chest, stopping him.

"Are there condoms here?"

Hotels usually provided condoms, but the quality was often hit-or-miss, and Shane Sterling had no intention of using them.

"I brought some."

He got up to rummage through his suitcase.

Isla Prescott craned her neck to see, catching a glimpse of several indistinct boxes inside his suitcase.

"You came prepared?"

"Of course." ’Everyone else is here for the trip. I couldn’t care less about the trip. I’m only interested in you.’

"How many did you bring?"

"Not many."

"How many is ’not many’?"

"Well, one box a day means at least seven boxes for the week."

"Seven boxes?"

Isla Prescott’s brow furrowed slightly as she recalled the days he had left her aching all over.

Shane Sterling seemed to read her mind and quickly clarified, "I didn’t bring that many, don’t worry."

Isla Prescott was still anxious. Shane Sterling lowered himself onto her, kissing her earlobe as he promised, "I won’t let you get sore again. I’ll just make you beg for more."

"Just shut up."

His hands were already doing enough; his words were just adding fuel to the fire.

"You’re right. Actions speak louder than words."

He said no more. Gripping her waist, he drove into her.

There was only a brief moment of discomfort as she took him in. Then, her world turned upside down as a wave of breathtaking pleasure washed over her.

The sound of the waves rolled in from outside the window. He held her securely, letting her rise and fall with him in a different kind of ocean...

That night, the condoms in Shane Sterling’s suitcase suffered heavy losses.

Finally, as the sky began to lighten at dawn, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The biggest drawback of sleeping late is waking up late.

Originally, everyone in the group chat had agreed to wake up early the next day to watch the sunrise. In the end, only Annabelle Leighton got up to see it the next morning.

At lunch, Annabelle Leighton glared at the pairs of lovebirds who had bailed on her, huffing in irritation.

"You all had a fun night, didn’t you?" Annabelle Leighton asked, her eyes like a school dean on the hunt for illicit romances.

Isla Prescott silently focused on the salad on her plate, saying nothing.

"I had a little trouble sleeping in a strange bed, so I woke up late," Kiki Ford brazenly met Annabelle Leighton’s gaze and replied.

"Don’t you try to argue with me, Kiki Ford. Cover up that hickey on your neck before you talk."

Kiki Ford yelped, covering her neck and shooting a glare at her boyfriend, Troy Fletcher.

Troy Fletcher chuckled.

Annabelle Leighton declared self-righteously, "You’re all still young. I advise you to practice some moderation!"

Shane Sterling picked a few grapes from the fruit platter and placed them in front of Annabelle Leighton.

"Stop worrying if their grapes are sour. Just eat your own."

Annabelle Leighton glared at him. "If you guys keep picking on me, I’m going to call the police!"

Shane Sterling replied, "Go ahead. If Officer Hayes is the one who responds, it’ll be just what you wanted anyway."

Annabelle Leighton was silent for a moment, then she started laughing.

’With how often Morgan Hayes is being mentioned,’ she thought, ’it’s like he’s on this trip with us in spirit.’

--

After lunch, everyone boarded the yacht.

Shane Sterling and Troy Fletcher went surfing.

The girls changed into bikinis, ready for a photoshoot.

Annabelle Leighton had actually hired a photographer for them. Her name was Tilda, a woman in her early twenties. Despite her youth, she was a true professional. Annabelle described her as a "hunter of light and shadow," claiming she could give any ordinary scene a cinematic quality.

Kiki Ford and the others were thrilled, pulling Tilda outside to start taking pictures.

Isla Prescott wasn’t too fussed about the photoshoot. She just wanted to gaze at the ocean and clear her head, enjoying a few carefree days without having to practice her dance routines or brainstorm ideas for video content.

Annabelle Leighton felt the same. The two of them put on sunscreen and sat side-by-side on the flybridge deck, enjoying the sea breeze.

Before long, squeals of excitement came from below.

"Wow! Young Mr. Shaw is so hot!"

At the sound, Isla Prescott turned to see Shane Sterling on the sun-drenched sea. He stood on his surfboard like an unsheathed sword, slicing through the rolling turquoise waves.

The sea breeze gilded his tanned skin with a fine sheen of salt. The waves pushed him up and down, yet he maintained a balance that was almost arrogant in its perfection.

His eyes were locked on a massive wave forming in the distance. Suddenly, he crouched low, the board tilted sharply, and he plunged down the face of the wave.

The wave crashed over him, swallowing him whole.

Isla Prescott watched from the deck, her heart in her throat. She didn’t dare to blink, terrified he was in danger.

But her worry was completely unnecessary.

The next moment, Shane Sterling burst out from inside the tube of the wave, his surfboard carving a silvery arc through the water.

He was soaked through. Glistening with water, his lean waist, powerful back, and strong arms—every line of his body seemed charged with a primal energy.

"WOW!!!"

"SO HOT!!!"

"SO COOL!!!"

The shrieks and cheers rose and fell in waves. At some point, Tilda’s camera had turned on Shane Sterling, her shutter clicking so furiously it might as well have been smoking.

It was as if his surfboard had split Isla Prescott’s own heart open, filling it with a surging, churning sea.

Annabelle Leighton had seen Shane Sterling surf before, so she was relatively calm. Seeing Isla Prescott’s shining eyes, she smiled and said, "That rascal Shane Sterling finally got to properly show off in front of you! I bet he’s been waiting for this moment for a long time!"

"He really is handsome," Isla Prescott said, genuinely finding the sight of Shane Sterling conquering the waves incredibly charismatic.

"Tell me the truth, is he that amazing in bed, too?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Annabelle’s sudden change of topic caught Isla Prescott off guard, and a deep blush spread across her cheeks.

After a while, Shane Sterling climbed back onto the yacht.

He slicked his wet hair back, revealing a broad forehead. His swim trunks were soaked, clinging tightly at the tops of his thighs and outlining his powerful muscles. He was ridiculously sexy.

"Hey, handsome!" The photographer, Tilda, was the first to dart over, phone in hand. "Is it cool if I add you?"

"It’s not," Shane Sterling refused coldly.

Tilda didn’t know Shane Sterling had a girlfriend, much less that she was on the yacht. She continued to pester him, "Come on, add me. We can chat when you’re free, get to know each other a little."

Shane Sterling shook his head firmly. "Sorry, when I’m free, I’m with my girlfriend."

As soon as Tilda heard he was taken, her eyes filled with disappointment. She backed off and went back to photographing the others.

Annabelle Leighton watched this scene from her perch above, then leaned close to Isla Prescott. "Your boyfriend is so damn reassuring. Whoever started those rumors about Shane Sterling being a player must have been seeing things."

Isla Prescott smiled.

She had entered the Lockwood Family as a child and had always lacked a sense of security. But in that moment, she suddenly believed that no matter how turbulent the world became, Shane Sterling would be like solid land beneath her feet. He gave her a sense of stability that settled her anxious heart. With him, she could finally put down roots instead of just drifting.