Incognito
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Bella snuggled further into her pillow, not wanting to wake up from an interesting dream. Her imagination had worked overtime during her nap, blending Edward with all the hunks from the Marvel movies. She sighed as Loki laughed it up, and Thor crowed about a snake biting him. Edward wrapped an arm around her, waving a plate of delicious smelling food under her nose. The others started to call out for her to join them, while Thor bragged about his barbequing skills.
The sheets beneath her shifted along with her, stretching as she did. The dream lingered as reality set in, but she didn't mind. Edward was out there, probably waiting for her to wake up. He had sent her to take a nap after almost falling asleep as they spoke to his sister, Kate, and his mother over FaceTime. It wasn't the best introductions, but they had to make do. The media turned relentless once word came out as to who she was, and it didn't seem it would stop any time soon.
Convincing him to join her hadn't worked, much to her disappointment, but he did have to make arrangements for their departure and their "vacation" somewhere other than their homes. Once the word had spread, her employees were quick to remind her that she hadn't had a real vacation that was not work-related in over five years. They understood and would finish any orders while she was away. Apparently, it was a madhouse at her studio, too.
"You wield that thing any higher, you're liable to hit your face, Chris." The British accent from her dreams continued to linger, though why Loki called his brother Chris, she had no idea.
"You underestimate my abilities once again." Thor's voice wasn't quite as deep as usual.
"If you don't stop arguing, you're going to burn the burgers." Bruce, always the voice of reason.
"If you don't quiet down, you're going to wake up my girlfriend."
Bella's eyes snapped open, and when she heard nothing else after a minute, she sighed in relief. Maybe a little disappointment. The voices were all a part of her dream, but what a dream it had been. The one thing that wasn't only in her dreams was the smell of something delicious in the air.
Not just Edward's smell, but that was a whole other level of deliciousness.
One more stretch and she climbed out of bed, grabbed a pair of maroon velour shorts and a black bikini top in the hopes to rile up her boyfriend. The AC unit was giving them a little trouble, so the house felt warmer than usual. The salty sea air carried in by the ocean breeze wasn't enough to cool down her heated skin.
Wanting to catch Edward in the act of cooking again, she decided to tiptoe out of the bedroom. The last time was rather fun and ended with them fucking on the kitchen floor. Maybe she should come out naked, but with her luck, he'd catch her trying to sneak toward him.
She rubbed her hands together, already thinking about the feel of him in her mouth when she walked into the kitchen that opened up to the back deck where several people stood.
Like famous people.
Chris Hemsworth was cheekily flipping a lethal looking spatula near the grill in his hand. Mark Ruffalo waved his hands around as he spoke to Edward and Paul Rudd. Paul was only nodding along, listening to Mark, looking a bit starry-eyed himself. Tessa Thompson and Chadwick Boseman were sitting at one of the patio tables, talking among themselves, munching on some food set up on the table.
She should pinch herself, but that would mean waking up. "I've got be dreaming."
"Would you mind giving me a hand, sweetheart?"
Bella whipped around, coming face to face with Tom Hiddleston. "I-I…This is just a dream."
Tom's eyebrow cocked as his smile grew tenfold. "If it is, what exactly would you be doing right now?" His face was all innocence, but that voice was liquid sex.
Her first thought was to grab a phone book and put the theory about his ability to read anything and not find him boring to the test. "Um." She could hardly breathe.
"Isabella?"
Once upon a time, she hated her full name. It only came out from authority figures in her life when she was in trouble. Now, she had no fucking issue with the way Tom said it. Not in that accent and with that gleam in his eyes.
"Yes." Did that sound like a sigh? She felt her skin flush from the tips of her ears to her toes.
Tom looked down at his full hands as if the problem was obvious.
"Oh!" She lunged forward and grabbed the two bags of chips that were threatening to fall from one of his hands. His large, long-fingered hands. "Sorry!"
"That's all right." He gestured toward the patio and asked if she was ready to head outside.
"Yeah, that would be a good idea." Her body wouldn't move. She didn't know if she should kill her boyfriend or kiss him to death.
"I think the man wouldn't mind a kiss, sweetheart," Tom whispered, leaning in close. Why did he smell so damn good? It should be illegal and combined with that voice, her insides were goo.
Had she said that out loud? That only meant one thing, her filter had been obliterated by Edward's surprise. "I can't believe he did this."
"Most of us couldn't say no to the idea of a home cooked meal. Paul was with us when he called. Besides we all wanted to meet the woman that helped Edward go incognito this weekend."
From the look in Tom's eyes, she understood. It wasn't easy to get around in public, much less an event like Comic-Con.
"I had to do it for him. He looked so lost when he asked for my help." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Okay, how do I look?"
Tom's eyebrow went up again. "Do you really need to ask?"
Then Bella remembered what she was wearing. She should have felt embarrassed, but she worked hard to maintain her health and a toned body. "He's going to have a heart attack, isn't he?" She grinned up at Tom, fluttering her long lashes, to let him know she was going to enjoy it.
He laughed, pushing her ahead of him. "This should be fun."
Bella walked out onto the deck, grinning and waving at the unexpected guests, waiting for Edward to turn around. Everyone on the deck stopped talking, a few gaping, others snickering behind their smiles.
Edward whirled around and his mouth dropped open. "What the hell are you wearing?"
She shrugged, making his gaze move to her chest. "If I had known we had guests, I would've dressed in something else." Her arms wove around his neck when she reached him. "Besides, my original idea was to come out naked to catch you cooking again."
His arms tightened around her, his hands falling to the small of her back to tug her closer.
"Such a shame." Tom laughed when Edward leveled a glare at him. He put down the platter of various dips and sauces he'd been carrying. "Since our host is a bit tongue-tied—"
"For good reason," Tessa stage-whispered, waggling her eyebrows.
Bella laughed and winked at her.
Tom nodded. "This is the illustrious Isabella Swan."
Bella tried to move away from Edward, but he wasn't letting her go anytime soon. She turned within the cage of his arms as their guests greeted her with handshakes and hugs, much to Edward's displeasure.
"Can you please put some more clothes on?" Edward whispered in her ear as Chadwick shook her hand.
"I say we all strip down and take a dip in the pool," Paul said, giving Bella a crooked smile.
"Maybe we shouldn't. Bella would see that her Edward here isn't the fittest among us." Chris Hemsworth then proceeded to take off his t-shirt, his blue sport jacket long gone. "It is getting a bit warm out."
"That's hardly fair," Tom playfully hissed, rolling his eyes. "Some of us do not have hours a day to dedicate to working out." Tom and Chris started to argue about their work out routines.
Tessa stood up from the table again, grabbing a small bag from under her chair. "I don't know about any of you, but I'm getting in that pool." She turned her full attention to Bella. "Any chance you have something I can borrow, beautiful?"
Bella gave Edward a hip bump as she joined Tessa, arm in arm, each of them talking as they walked inside the house.
"Anyone else here wishing they could be a fly on that wall?" Mark shook his head and pointed out to Chris that he had to turn the grilling vegetables.
"Did you even tell her why we're all here?" Tom served himself a drink and offered another bottle of beer to Edward.
"I was too busy being a possessive asshole." Edward groaned after running through the entire exchange again in his mind. "She's not going to be very forgiving for me going all Neanderthal."
"Personally, I think she was enjoying it this time, but I do advise you not go overboard." Tom patted his shoulder. "You're going to have to learn not to react in such a way in the future if you want your relationship to work out."
Paul agreed. "Its hard enough being who we are, but even harder when your partner is as hot as she is."
"That's not nice, it's not just about looks," Mark said, shaking his head. "Don't listen to them. Be yourself, communicate, and ignore all the bullshit."
"If you wanted to emulate any couple in Hollywood, my wife and I keep our lives private, or you could follow John Legend and Chrissy Teigen's example and put it all out there, but Mark's right." Paul patted Mark's back. "Be yourself, since you're not an asshole, and I'm guessing neither is she. She seems to roll with the punches, and that's important in our lives."
Edward nodded, listening to the advice of some of the most popular among men in Hollywood, both in long-term relationships. Chris having the shortest relationship between the three, agreed a lot with what the others said and reiterated that being spontaneous was important.
Chadwick was relatively new to fame, and with Black Panther in theaters soon, he listened as well. He was in a relationship, but it was still in its infancy by comparison. It didn't help that he did all he could to remain private, but his girlfriend's sister decided not to stay silent.
Edward mentally took notes, willing to take any advice. One thing he wanted more than anything at that point in his life was a future with Bella.
.
.
.
"The bikini fits, thanks." Tessa jumped up and tested that she would not fall out of her borrowed two-piece. "Any chance I can invite a friend? She wanted to join me earlier, but her meeting ran later than expected."
"The more the merrier." She huffed, pouting as she covered herself in sunscreen, after throwing on her own bikini. "I wish I didn't burn so easily."
Tessa showed off her lack of tan lines, shrugging. "What can I say, I'm blessed. You okay?"
Something in Tessa's voice made Bella close her eyes, sent her heart racing again. "I don't know how to act in front of these people." She opened her eyes and matched Tessa's soft smile. "No offense."
"No problem, because I get it. A few clips of me as Valkyrie and trailer for Thor: Ragnarok and I couldn't walk down the street from my place." Tessa took one more look in the mirror and grabbed her phone to send her girlfriend a text with the address. She soon returned her full attention to a nervous Bella. "You have to think about Edward for a second. What would he want?"
"For me to be myself. At least, that's what I'm hoping."
Tessa smirked. "Good, because if he didn't then I would've said, fuck him and be yourself anyway."
Bella laughed. "He's not like that." She looked away and wondered, though; his reaction outside had been a bit much. "I think."
"Hopefully you two figure it out soon because people are going to eat you both alive." She draped her arm over Bella's shoulders. "The media would be just as horrible and women will pull out all the stops in the hopes that he'd cheat, so they'd be the mystery woman in pap pictures." She rolled her eyes while Bella's went wide. "I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about, you're gorgeous, and if he's too stupid to realize that you're a hundred times better than anyone falling all over him, he doesn't deserve you."
"I realized it shortly after meeting her. Still, I don't deserve her." Edward offered them a smile, though it was a bit forced, as if he was unsure about how Bella was feeling.
She sighed and told Tessa she'd join everyone outside soon. "Hi."
"I'm sorry for acting like an ass earlier." He ran his hand through his hair, meeting her eyes for the first time since she woke up. "I guess I wasn't as ready to share you as I thought I was."
"You will never have a say about what I wear." She had to put that out there. "Ever."
He nodded and sighed. "I'd say the same, but I'm fucking useless when it comes to style."
She laughed and nearly screamed when he tugged her into his arms. "Why did you do this, Edward?"
He shrugged, his lips settling on her bare shoulder. "I felt guilty for making you miss your photo ops and autographs with most of them. I checked your pass…"
Bella pulled back and gave him a little glare. "That was in my purse. We're seriously going to have a discussion about privacy." She was teasing in a way, but also letting him know it was not cool for him to go through her stuff.
"I'm sorry, but I wanted to know how much money you wasted. You paid for photo ops with everyone that signed up to do them. It was over two grand, Bella, and that's a big deal, I may be rich, but I don't like losing money like that."
"Did you call in a few favors?" Bella looked at Edward, holding back a smile. He appeared a bit shy, maybe unsure about his gesture.
"They were curious, and with the promise of food and a pool party…"
"I would've thought they'd go out for drinks or after parties."
"Some do after a Comic-Con event, but some much rather relax and they've been working together off and on for years."
She draped her arms over his shoulders, her fingers curling into his hair. "Thank you, I hope they wouldn't mind taking a few photos."
Edward grinned and rolled his eyes. "Did you think I'd go through all this trouble without making sure you get your money's worth?" He dipped down to kiss her, humming when she lifted to her toes to meet him halfway. It was soft but soon gained momentum and a healthy dose of passion.
"It's getting hot in here," Paul sang on the way to the bathroom. "So hot, so take off all your clothes."
Bella laughed as Edward groaned, pulling away. "Tessa left the bedroom door open, oops."
"We should probably head outside anyway." Edward walked over to a dresser and grabbed a pair of swim trunks. He grabbed the back of his shirt with one hand and pulled it off in that way that made people stop and stare. "Ha! Look at your face! I may not have eight-pack abs, but I still got it."
He was smug and a bit cocky as he headed outside with her tucked along his side. Several whistles came from the others, but when they told him they were all for Bella, he grumbled a bit, but it didn't last long. Soon music, laughter, good food and excellent conversation made for an unforgettable night.
The mini photo shoot was hilarious, especially when the others teased Edward about stealing Bella away from him. They insisted she needed to wear her Loki costume in a few photos.
"I'm not sure how I feel about you taking pictures looking so damn sexy in your Loki costume." He helped Bella into her chest plate, tying the back for her. Once done, he followed her into the living room where Chris was messing with one of the fancy cameras Edward had rented for the week. "In fact, I insist that I must be in the photos, too."
Tessa and her girlfriend, Janelle, were giving Edward the stink eye from the love seat across from the backdrop Paul and Chadwick managed to arrange with a few clips and bedsheets. Janelle whispered something in Tessa's eye, which made her smirk.
Tessa rose to her feet and sneakily spoke with all the guys, except for Edward, earning a few laughs.
"What are you up to?" Edward's eyes narrowed as Tessa pulled Bella aside.
"We're discussing the poses for group photos." Tessa offered a bit too sweet of a smile.
"Tess had a good eye for that kind of thing," Janelle spoke up, running her fingers through her short, dark hair.
Chris clapped his hands and rubbed them together, his Australian thicker than usual. "The camera is ready, let's do this."
After some adjusting, Edward was farther away from Bella while the group of men surrounded his smiling girlfriend. "If you insist on being in the photo," Chris said, with a shrug, "this is how it's going to be."
Edward glared for a bit but realized he could stow the jealous boyfriend away so that Bella could have some fun. She hadn't stopped smiling since she'd woken up. Who was he to put a stop to it? He shrugged and decided to just go with the flow. He stood at the far end of the backdrop, his arms crossed over his chest, and side-eyeing the others.
Chris, being the tallest among them, reached toward Edward with his hand, putting it on the side of Edward's cheek. The others laughed as Edward did his best to scowl and not chuckle, too. Meanwhile, Bella was all smiles, with Tom and Chris at her sides, while the others posed as if they were her protectors.
Tessa, who was behind the camera, asked them to do more fun shots. Tom and Paul lifted Bella off the ground and had her do the "laying on her side" pose, holding her up while a shocked Edward started to protest. The series of photos from that move turned out hilarious, Edward jokingly appearing upset but soon laughing his ass off with the others. Janelle figured out how to set up the timer on the camera and ran into the photo frame to join everyone for the last few photos.
Excited, Bella grabbed her laptop to check out all the pictures, Tom and Chris joining her on the couch. Everyone else disbursed to grab drinks and more food, except for Mark and Edward, who stood aside to watch over the others.
"You're a lucky man, Edward."
Edward only nodded, caught up in the moment. Bella fit in so well, was so genuine with his friends, yet he couldn't help but worry, and he said as much.
Mark patted his shoulder a few times. "She's stronger than she appears. I mean, look at her. She's sitting there with Tessa and Janelle as if they've been friends for years. Actually, she makes us comfortable because she doesn't treat us differently. You know that's rare in our business, right?"
"Yes, but there are those that treat us like anyone else, and it's all a show to make us comfortable." Edward had dealt with a few people that pretended they didn't know who he was, only to give out details of their encounter within minutes after meeting. "She's not like that, though. If someone is acting like an asshole, she'll call him or her on it."
Mark looked grim for a moment. "Which means some people in our world would automatically hate her because she doesn't fit the Hollywood mold."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Edward looked over at Mark. "Fuck them. I'll take a page out of her book and never allow someone to make me out to be someone I'm not."
"Then you two will be just fine."
"I want us to be happy," Edward was quick to point out.
Mark winked, nodding. "Like I said, just fine."
.
.
.
Everyone left some time after midnight with full stomachs, laughter on their lips, and promises to get together again. Already Bella had a dinner date with Tessa and Janelle the following month.
Bella sighed as she settled beside Edward on the couch. There was a small smile on her face before it fell. "At first, I worried that you paid them to join us."
Edward was ready to deny it, but she put her finger on his lips.
"That was until I got to know them a little." She sighed, laughing a bit. "I think I finally understand that some huge movie stars are just like everyone else, rather than what Hollywood makes them out to be."
"Some," Edward emphasized the word a bit more. "We both know there are quite a few that have egos as large as the fucking moon and think they deserve to be treated like damn royalty. As we attend events together, you'll learn who those people are."
Bella was curious but wasn't one to gossip; she'd rather see it for herself. "Now that everyone is gone, I can do this." She straddled Edward on the couch, earning a deep moan as his hands gripped her hips.
"Which also means I can do this." His hands slid over her ass and tugged her closer. The warmth between her thighs hit his cock just right. Their lips fused together, a melody of groans and moans, whispered love mingled in the air. There wasn't much talk after that, their mouths too preoccupied with the other. A trail of discarded fabric led to the bedroom where they lost themselves for hours.
Edward watched over Bella as she slept, a touch of worry still on his mind. It wouldn't be all rainbows and flowers; he knew that there would be bumps along the way. As long as they communicated well, they could work through whatever Hollywood would throw at them.
Bella's hand skimmed the trail of hair between his belly button and his cock, deeply sighing when she realized it was still there. "Thank God," she whispered, giving him a little pat.
Edward captured her hand before she brought him back to full attention, not wanting to wake her. She finally settled again with her head on his chest, his arms securely wrapped around her.
One day, she'd be his wife, and fuck anyone that would dare get in the way of that future. He was never more thankful for the sudden desire to do something normal, to be incognito among thousands of people with the same interests. It led him to Bella and for that, he'd always be thankful.
AN: Only the epilogue left. I have some things planned for the epilogue, but every time I sit down to work on it, my brain is in denial and won't let me. What would you like to see? I have a few things in mind, hopefully, my brain will jumpstart after I post.
Thanks to Kyla713 for your help with the chapter. I'm currently sitting beside kyla713 (visiting her for 10 days!), each of us working on fic, and I'm ever so thankful for this fandom. I never would've met my best friend without it.
