Chapter Three

Bella watched as Edward faked a laugh and flipped her off under the guise of running his fingers through his hair. It was cute. Hot. And she was staring, oops. He fidgeted under her gaze, so she started going on and on about what she does and how she does it. Whenever she was even slightly nervous, she rambled. Everything she said seemed to go over his head as she led him through her kitchen and into the backyard. The closer they made their way to her small studio in the back, the more apprehensive he became.

"I'm not going to knock you out and keep you hostage ala Misery style, Ed—" She grimaced. "Mr. Cullen, sorry."

"I wasn't worried about that. You're too small anyway."

She stopped walking, turned to face him and glared. "My size is deceiving. I promise I pack a punch."

The corners of his mouth suddenly lifted into a smile, leading into a hot as fuck laugh. "I'm joking. You're pretty easy to rile up, Ms. Swan."

"It's Bella and your mood swings are giving me whiplash, Mr. Cullen," she said, unlocking her studio and leading him inside. The property was larger than most in the area, surprising for an artist to afford.

"How are you making ends meet since you were blacklisted?"

Of course, he'd know about it; she huffed behind him. Everybody did, luckily some clients didn't give a shit. "I inherited the property from my black sheep of an aunt five years ago. And for your information, between my art, some custom cosplay work, theatre work, photography business, and my holiday decorating business, I'm doing just fine."

"It must have helped when Rosalie Hale outed the studio for not crediting you for your Oscar winning costume design."

"She's amazing. She was so pissed Howell had me fired." She showed him around the modestly sized studio. The ceilings were vaulted and a light color, windows made up most of one side of the small building, and every surface of the place was covered in artwork of just about every kind.

"I love this place," he said, mesmerized by a kinetic art piece, as a fan blowing nearby kept it moving. "You did this?" It looked like an imploding star.

"Meh, I have a lot more to learn before I'm ready to put them out on display or sell them."

"Let me know when you do. I'd love one of these."

Bella ducked her head so he wouldn't see her face flush, but he was still watching the sculpture. "Thanks and I will."

"You're sort of a jack of all trades."

She nodded absently as she grabbed her iPad and tools. "Let's have a seat so we can discuss what you're looking for."

"Jake said you like working with leather," he murmured, his gaze on a self-portrait of a woman from the neck down.

A nude one.

"Mind not looking at my tits while I'm talking to you," she teased, keeping her voice light. His eyes widened before he backed away from the painting and followed her to a wall with a mural of a panoramic view of a forest. The details of it were amazing as was the colors.

"Uh, sorry about that," he said, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder. "I didn't know it was you."

"Now you know."

He rolled his eyes and gestured for them to get on with it. She pulled a skull wall scone to unlock the mechanism and pushed the doors to reveal her sewing room.

"You disguised barn yard doors to look like a wall, nice." Impressed, he walked further into the room. He headed toward a comfortable-looking leather couch she pointed to as she grabbed a couple bottles of water from a small fridge. He settled on the chaise portion of the couch after thanking her for the drink. "I have a few ideas, and unfortunately, they're all complicated."

"I'm guessing you want to cover your face." She sipped on her water and grabbing her iPad off a leather ottoman.

"As long as I can breathe, see, and talk, well, yeah, I'd like to wear something over my face. But not Chewbacca level coverage."

"That eliminates him out of the running." She made a few notes and looked at him. "Th new hair helps a bit, but you'll have to keep talking to a minimum." She tapped a few buttons on her iPad and hummed. "Villain or superhero?"

"No preference."

"Kylo Ren?"

He snorted. "What he wore was cool, but he leaves a lot to be desired character wise. I'd like to go as someone I like." Her hand fluttered over her heart, trying not to swoon. At least he agreed with her thoughts about the character. "Why do I have to keep talking to a minimum?"

"Your voice helped me determine who you were before you got here."

"Well shit, I thought I was being all mysterious on the phone with you yesterday and kept my voice kind of low."

Her eyebrows rose, one more than the other. "Oh, so that was on purpose?"

Edward casually shrugged and sat back to watch her as she continued to look through an array of characters on the screen. She was beautiful, the woman who seemed to have her fingers in a lot of pies. How she kept it all straight, he had no idea. Her home and studio were as awe inspiring and gorgeous as their owner. Her dark hair was held up in a messy bun with a paintbrush and what appeared to be a clothespin. He wanted to see all those waves come down over her shoulders.

"Are you going to make me keep calling you, Mr. Cullen?" she asked without looking up, but there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Not sure I can handle you calling me by my first name."

She looked up from her screen, cocking her head to one side. Her lips pursed a little and fuck if it didn't set his blood to a simmer. Any more looks like the one she was giving him right then, he'd be a goner. Trying to keep her at arm's length hadn't been easy since his arrival, for every attempt she found a way to break through his walls even if he tried to deny it. He didn't have time to pursue a relationship at the moment, and she had commitment written all over her sweet face.

You have nine months off, asshole.

He smiled.

"Mind telling me what has you smirking, Mr. Cullen?"

It wasn't the time to share, yet. "Call me Edward."

"All right," she said slowly, shrugging. "I have a few suggestions."

"Lay it on me." He waited to see if she'd take the bait.

Her right leg started to bounce a little, but she returned her eyes to the screen. "Okay, how about Loki?"

"He doesn't wear a mask. How would he work for me?"

"But he does wear a helmet, and if I added a few extensions and darken your hair," she glared at him playfully when he tried to protest. "The color would wash out. You'd have to wear contacts."

"Contacts aren't a problem," he lied easily, hoping she'd move on. It was something he always had an issue with all his life. The idea of putting something in his eye repulsed him. He'd cross that bridge and fight to avoid it when it was time.

"The helmet and staff are simple enough to not take too long to create. Loki's costume is incredibly detailed. It will be cutting it close, but I can manage." She turned her iPad for him to see the costume she had in mind, it was the one from the second Thor movie.

"The helmet looks uncomfortable, but let's put it on the maybe section." She nodded and continued down a list, they spoke in depth about all of them and finally narrowed it down to two Marvel characters.

"I can make this easy for you, I'll gender flip the one you don't choose and I'll wear it." His jaw dropped open, staring and imagining her in said costumes. Her eyes narrowed when he hadn't responded. "Please tell me you're not one of those guys who pitch a fit over gender swaps."

"No, I'm not. Just imagining which one you'd look like as either one." Meaning, which one would be a touch more revealing?

She placed her iPad on the ottoman, waiting for him to continue. Only he didn't, he was still imagining what she'd look like. It couldn't be helped, since she'd look amazing as either one. "And?" she urged, in need of a reply.

"Will you come with me to Comic Con?"

AN: I know, I know. I'm evil. So Edward will go as either Loki or another Marvel character. We'll find out who in the next chapter. Thanks everyone!