*Isabella's POV*
The drive back was mostly quiet, the low hum of the engine filling the space between us. Jacob had one hand lazily draped over the steering wheel, the other tapping against his thigh in rhythm with whatever song was stuck in his head. "So… have you found a place to stay yet?" he asked suddenly, shattering the silence.
My eyes narrowed. "What place to—wait… were you listening to my conversation with Cole?" I turned in my seat, glaring at him. "I swear, you're the nosiest billionaire I've ever seen." He smirked. "Oh please, you've only seen two."
"Still," I muttered. "So?" he pressed, glancing at me briefly before returning his gaze to the road. "Have you found anything yet?" I sighed, leaning back against the seat. "No, I didn't find anything yet." "Then move in with me," he said, like he'd just offered me a second helping of dessert. I stared at him, wide-eyed, waiting for the punchline. But it never came. "What do you mean move in with you? Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
He only chuckled. "Oh, relax. We'll talk about it over coffee. Don't freak out."
"But..."
"No buts," he cut in smoothly. "We don't have coffee at home, so I'll take you somewhere nice. Or better yet, let's spend the day out. I haven't seen the scene here since I got back." God help me, the way he said scene made it sound like we were about to be in some glossy magazine spread.
"Where do you wanna go?" I asked, glancing over at him.
"I don't know. Surprise me."
I rolled my eyes. "I don't know where the hell I'd take you. I'm not exactly an outdoorsy person." "But you live here," he countered, throwing me a sideways grin. "There's gotta be a nice place we can visit." I thought for a moment, then it hit me. "Oh—I know. You might actually like this. There's a battleship museum from World War II about two hours from here."
The second the words left my mouth, his face lit up like a damn Christmas tree. "Battleship… World War II?!" he practically shrieked, immediately breaking into a ridiculous little happy dance in his seat. "Would you stop dancing and focus on the road?!" I yelled, trying not to laugh. "You're gonna get us both killed."
"Nobody's dying today," he shot back, still shimmying like a dork behind the wheel. "First, we see the battleship." I shook my head, smirking despite myself. "It's so stupidly easy to make you happy. You're such a fucking goof." And damn it, he was cute when he was happy
An hour into the drive and I was already ready to claw my way out of the damn car. Jacob had decided—without so much as a vote—that we'd go straight to the battleship before anything else. My bladder, however, was staging a rebellion.
"Jacob, there's a gas station coming up in two miles. Pull over, I need to use the ladies' room," I groaned, shifting uncomfortably in my seat.
"Nope. First battleship, then pee," he replied like it was the most logical fucking order in the world.
I whipped my head toward him. "So let me get this straight. You expect me to sit in this car for two goddamn hours while you rejoice like a clown over some giant hunk of metal, and I pretend you didn't just casually ask me to move in with you?"
He smirked, eyes fixed on the road, clearly enjoying my misery. "Oh, just admit it. Seeing me drive this car turns you on." Then he had the audacity to wink at me.
I scoffed so loud it could've rattled the windows. "Besides, two hours is what the app says," he went on, smug as hell. "We'll be there in no time. Have you seen how I'm driving?"
"Trust me, I know," I snapped. "I'm just praying to every deity I can think of that we make it back home in one piece. You drive like a fucking maniac." "You said you trust me, doll," he shot back smoothly, his grin infuriatingly wide.
"I take it back," I said flatly.
"No take-backs," he countered, smirk carved into his face like he'd just won something. I groaned, slumping against the seat, but deep down—fuck—I couldn't deny how good he looked when he was cocky like that. Annoying as hell, but dangerously charming.
We made it to the coast of Wilmington quicker than the damn app predicted, thanks to Jacob's heavy foot and zero regard for speed limits. By the time we stepped onto the battleship, he was practically vibrating with excitement, like a kid on Christmas morning.
"This is so fucking awesome," he breathed, running his hand along the cool steel walls as if the ship itself were alive. "I can't believe they actually let us see the engines. Do you know how insane this is?" His eyes were lit up, bright and boyish, and for a second, it made my chest ache.
I trailed after him, pretending to be unimpressed, though secretly I loved seeing him like this. He was usually so slick, so composed—watching him geek out over rusty pipes and giant machinery was… adorable. Dangerous word, but true.
Then, out of nowhere, Jacob stopped dead in his tracks. I barely had time to register the sudden halt before he spun around, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me flush against him. His lips crashed onto mine in a kiss so sudden it stole the breath straight from my lungs.
"Jacob—" I started against his mouth, but he silenced me with another kiss, deeper this time, like he'd been holding back all day and finally snapped.
The cold metal walls, the echo of distant voices, the scent of oil and iron—it all blurred away under the heat of him. His hands were firm at my waist, his body crowding mine against the wall.
When he finally pulled back, his grin was cocky, breathless. "Sorry, doll. Couldn't help it. Something about kissing you in a battleship engine room feels fucking epic."
I rolled my eyes, though my cheeks were hot. "You're ridiculous."
"Maybe," he said, still grinning. "But admit it...you liked it."