Incognito
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bella found it difficult to catch her breath after the workout Edward had given her and laughing only made it worse. The bed beneath her bounced as Edward turned to his side to glare at her.
"Stop laughing, woman!" Edward started to tickle her sides, straddling her body soon after. His smile was infectious, he looked so fucking happy. In all the years that Bella followed his career, it was rather rare to see that smile.
"I can't breathe!" She twisted and turned under him, giggling—something so unlike her. For once, she didn't care if she sounded like a lovesick teenager. She felt like one. "I'm only laughing because you lasted less than forty-five seconds before you gave in, Edward!"
He playfully growled, nipping at her chin and ear, whatever was within reach. "What do you expect when you're looking like fucking sin with my cock in your mouth?"
It couldn't be helped; she moaned. He rarely spoke like that. "Oh, I don't know, maybe remain in character," she sang, off-key to add to his playfulness.
"I'm a good actor, baby, but not that good." He dipped down to kiss her reddened lips, groaning as she shifted to accommodate his hips between her thighs. "It didn't help that you were fingering yourself." The memory made his cock twitch; too bad he needed a little more time. His body wasn't that young anymore, even though he felt like a horny teenager.
"We should get ready," she whispered as his lips continued to brush against her sensitive skin.
"We will, but right now, I just want to hold you."
Bella noticed the slight blush on his cheeks. She smiled up at him, caressing one side of his face. "I love you."
His smile widened a little. "I love you, too." He fell on the bed beside her, pulling her to lay on his chest. "We have a few minutes." He held her close, pressing soft kisses to the top of her head. Her soft sigh of contentment matched his own. He shivered as her fingers traced indistinct patterns on his chest.
"What are we going to do?" She sounded worried and she had a good reason to be. Hollywood ate people alive. One pissed off person could end your career. Bella had already gone through that and dating him could make it worse. His world wasn't the easiest to navigate, and it was even harder for couples.
Relationships were either fake or real, but they rarely lasted.
"I don't want to hide, Bella." Again, Edward couldn't resist hugging her tighter, as if he could hold them together.
"I wouldn't want to, either." She looked up at him, her chin resting on his sternum. "So much will change."
"For you, yes." Edward looked away for a moment to imagine how bad it would get for her. It could increase her sales in the community, help lift the blacklist by that asshole producer and so much more. However, for every benefit, there was a downside. She would no longer have privacy when she left her home or his, everything she said would be scrutinized by the media and what he called The Red Circle fans would do what they could to prove they were together or apart. Many would see her as opportunistic, using his fame to boost her career.
He didn't give a fuck what the media and people said about him. Most of that shit he learned to just roll off his back. Yet, he knew it would be hard to do the same if someone spoke poorly of Bella. Paps were ruthless, using his family to get that one photo that could line their bank accounts for years. It was a wonder how he hadn't punched the asshole that called his mother a lazy bitch for forcing him to take care of her in her retirement. Which was bullshit—his father was a doctor and his mother was from old money. They were trying to goad him.
"For you, too." She shrugged, biting her lip for a moment. "You're going to have to learn to rein in your temper."
"I know."
The worry in her eyes intensified. "You can't react if they dig up dirt on me."
"You don't have much dirt, I'm sure."
"Not really, but I have enemies that would love a chance at their fifteen minutes of fame. My ex will want payback." Edward remembered about the asshole that did her master bathroom, the one that wouldn't finish the job she paid him for. She explained how there was some love triangle in her past, and how the supposed ex of the boy she was dating had accused her of cheating. She hadn't known they were still together since she'd gone to a different school. "That's the kind of stuff they'd use against you to piss you off."
"Thanks for telling me about that, and though you're right, we know the truth. All we have to do is ignore assholes that come out from the woodwork looking for some kind of payout."
She nodded, sighing deeply. "Then there's the fact that I'm blacklisted."
"That will likely change, especially if they see your quality of work." He shifted their bodies until they were face to face. "Don't let the haters ruin this before we get a chance to start."
She rolled her eyes. "Wondering how it'll come out is not me being scared, just practical and logical. I need to know what to expect. We're going to be okay because we want this to work."
"How did you get so smart? Was it all the sex?"
She laughed pushing him away as he crawled over her body, kissing her until she was breathless again. "We have to get ready."
Edward groaned but managed to climb out of bed. He stretched, his arms over his head, some aches in his muscles made themselves known—not that he minded one bit. It meant he exercised good and proper.
"Whoa," Bella murmured, watching Edward with awe. His body was fucking insanely gorgeous. She couldn't stop staring at him. He wasn't overly built like some that had muscles on top of other muscles. He was leaner and defined, his body sculpted like Olympic swimmers.
He chuckled, grabbing a hold of her hand and tugging her up. "Stop looking at me like that, or we'll never get out of here."
She looked about ready to tell him to stay, which he had no problem with, at all. "Ugh! I want to stay, even though my lady bits are in serious need of a break. But I need the exposure downstairs for my company."
He agreed for two reasons. One, because he didn't want to cause her any more discomfort, and two, her work deserved to gain some attention. "I'm going to shower quickly."
Bella looked down at her body, wincing slightly and shifting her feet. "I should to, I smell like sex and you."
Edward grabbed her to place a hard kiss on her mouth. "Leave it, that way the asshats that try to get your number know you're taken."
She cocked a brow as he walked away, knowing she couldn't join him. A wet Bella was never to be wasted.
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"Why are there so many people lining up to take pictures with us?" Edward scanned the crowd, worried that someone may have found out who was under the prosthetic makeup and face mask.
Bella shook her head, pulling out her cellphone from a hidden pocket she sewed into her Loki inspired tunic. "I'm going to kill him!" She looked around, craning her neck and standing on the tips of her toes. There were so many people; not just around them, but everywhere. It didn't help that she wasn't sure what James was wearing. The asshole had a habit of changing costumes a couple of times a day.
"What is it?" Edward remained stiff and intimidating since Bella decided to give him a new chin, with a small scar so that he wouldn't have to wear the face mask all day. The plan was for him to remove it in another hour or so. She handed him her phone that was opened to her Twitter app.
DarkMonster is here darkmonster – I have it on good authority that Isabella's gender-flipping Loki is hanging with The Winter Soldier (aka REAL Sebastian Stan).
The number of retweets rivaled Edward's most popular tweets. "Fuck, he may not have found out who I am, but he still thinks someone famous is hiding behind the mask and makeup."
"You don't look like Seb, people would clearly see that…"
"If I took off the mask," Edward finished for her. She looked worriedly at him, shaking her head. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?"
"We can leave?" The entire conversation was whispered, said against each other's ears to prevent eavesdropping from all the people around them. Since they had come back downstairs, they were swarmed by the other Marvel characters to take group photos, which garnered attention from fans.
"Are there any more panels today that you wanted to go to?" Edward racked his brain, but he couldn't remember. It hardly helped that the group of people seemed to have doubled in size in the last few minutes.
"We're good there." She looked at her phone and typed out a message. "We have to get the word out that you are not Sebastian without giving away who you really are."
"Call me Anthony or Tony," Edward said, taking a deep breath. He removed the mask that covered the lower part of his face, keeping the glasses on as a precaution. His eyes and eyebrows are distinctive and didn't want to risk it, plus he hadn't put on the contact lenses. "Let's take a picture like this and post it on all your accounts."
"Are you sure about this?" She was worried, and he loved her even more for it.
Edward cradled her face, ignoring the Ironman asshole that was trying to get another group photo and moving closer to Bella. "I'm absolutely sure about you and your work." He winked and grabbed her phone, holding it out in front of them. He loathed taking selfies, most appeared so posed and fake. "Smile, beautiful."
Bella smiled at the camera, then turned to look at him again. It was hard to look away from someone so darn pretty.
Edward started to chuckle. "You're so darn pretty, too."
Bella laughed, looking away. "You're killing my brain cells, I swear." She grabbed the phone after he'd taken a series of photos. After picking out a few, she posted them to her accounts, with the caption, Anthony and Bella Comic-Con, SD 2017.
"Let's go. Hopefully, they'll think I'm not Seb or anyone else famous." Edward looked at the photos she picked. She was smart enough to avoid any with too much of his face, keeping their cosplay costumes the focal point. His longer hair helped disguise him a bit more, and adding the prominent scarred cleft chin, most wouldn't know it was him.
Bella sent a quick text to Jacob and Seth, posing for a few more photos until they joined them. Darth Vader and a stormtrooper helped them through but made it look like they're just friends instead of bodyguards, even stopping a take some quick photos.
Edward and Bella breathed a sigh of relief once they were in his car and out of the parking lot. Those few minutes of him without part of his facemask helped expose DarkMonster for his lie. Already hundreds called him out on it, though he refused to back down that it was Sebastian under the fake makeup and costume. Some fans called him an idiot, telling him that Sebastian wasn't stupid enough to come as his most famous character.
Within a few miles of the beach house, Bella was laughing since Sebastian posted on Instagram a video of him in bed, looking sick and miserable, apologizing that he would not be able to be there for the Marvel panels. It further discredited DarkMonster, aka James.
"Something tells me that you made a call earlier," Bella mused out loud, her eyes closing. They had to separate to divide the attention on them being together. People were still looking for a female Loki and Winter Solider together, wanting to confirm that it wasn't Sebastian Stan.
Edward gave her a cheeky smile. "Honey, he did it for you."
Bella giggled at his mock glare, though maybe there was a hint of jealousy. She had a lot of friends in the industry, and some actors and actresses did take the time to know the crews. Sebastian was one of them.
"I'm in the mood for some food, Mr. Cullen."
Again, hearing her say his name that way made him think of marriage. He wanted to try something. "I live to serve you, Mrs. Cullen."
She didn't gasp or choke with surprise. Instead, she took his hand in hers and looked happy.
And that made him hopeful.
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"What are you saying, Edward?" Jasper, a long-time friend and well-known rock star, had called early the following morning. "You're in love with her after less than a month?"
Edward read the instructions once more and started the coffee machine, careful to make as little noise as possible. He wanted to serve Bella breakfast in bed.
"Excuse me, this is Jasper Whitlock I'm talking to, right?" Edward wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew Jasper had his best interests at heart. "You called me two weeks after meeting the most amazing photographer," emphasizing the last part with a falsetto voice, "and that you were engaged to be married."
"My sexy wife, Alice, is different. When you know, you know."
"Well, the same goes for me." A look toward the hall indicated he was still alone. "I'm going to marry her one day."
Jasper's silence lasted long enough for Edward to wonder if the call dropped. "You mean that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. What sucks is that it's going to have to be a long engagement, to show the media and fans that she wasn't only after my money."
"Who gives a fuck what they think? You think I didn't take that into consideration with Alice. In the end, life is too fucking short, man. You're not living the life you want if you cater to everyone else but yourself. Does this girl deserve that?"
"Woman," Edward corrected, shaking his head, at himself. A stupid nightmare brought all his fears back to the surface. "I'm not worried about how she'll handle it, she's capable of standing up for herself. I'm worried if I can handle asshole interviewers that will use bullshit from our pasts to get a reaction out of me."
"I get that and trust me I know all too well." Jasper had lost his shit after an interviewer asked how he felt about Alice's former job as a stripper. "Someone will say something about her, do whatever it is you have to do. If you punch him, oh fucking well. Walk away from an interview if some bitch crosses the line."
"If I hold it in, it'll be worse in the long run."
"You'll be a ticking time bomb."
Edward finished the omelet he was cooking and turned toward the kitchen island to put it on a plate, startling when he came face to face with Bella.
She tapped her fingertips on the tile, then a hand gesture. "Who?"
Shrugging, he put the phone on speaker. "Hey, Jasper, I want you meet Bella Swan." He passed her the omelet and worked on a cup of coffee for her. Her sleep rumbled appearance was cute, and he was having a hard time not walking around the island and kiss her hard.
"Hello, Ms. Swan. Is Edward treating you well?"
With a cheeky smile, Bella answered, "I'm not sure, have you ever had one of his omelets?"
Edward's eyes narrowed as he reached for her plate, but her hand was on it, too. They played a mild game of tug o' war until he relinquished the plate to her.
All the while, Jasper laughed his ass off. "I can't wait to meet you face to face, Bella."
"Sounds good to me, but it'll be a while. I'm locking him away for a few weeks after Comic Con."
"Locking? Don't you mean taking?"
Bella grinned, shrugging; not one bit apologetic. "Locking, taking? There's no difference to me."
"I'm a willing prisoner." Edward laughed as her cheeks reddened for a moment.
"Locking? Prisoner? Looks like I found the perfect excuse to go buy some handcuffs for your birthday present."
They all laughed, taking a few minutes to make some plans for a barbeque at Edward's place once Jasper returned from his tour. After the call, Edward and Bella had only an hour before they had to leave for their last day at Comic-Con. It was, in a way, bittersweet to reach the end.
Edward looked at Bella as she spoke with her hands about a cabin a client of hers had up near Yosemite that they could visit. His fingers rose to move a wayward curl of her hair behind her ear. She smiled at him, sensing he was barely listening, too engrossed with her.
"What are you thinking, Edward?" She held on to his wrist on her cheek, pressing a kiss to his palm.
"Realizing just how much I've fallen for you."
Her cheek moved beneath his hand, her smile radiant. "If it's anything like how I feel, it's pretty damn incredible."
They kissed and held each other close, talking quietly until it was time to get ready and head to the hotel for their last day at Comic-Con.
AN: The next chapter is the Marvel Panel and the conclusion of Comic-Con. I say with the two outtakes I'm writing and the epilogue, I'll reach the 30 chapters total. Almost done! And yes, I'm writing the scene where Bella tests Edward's acting skills while going down on him, lol. I'm off to go camping tomorrow (so glad I could post this before then) where I hope to get some writing done, I'll be working on ONLY this until its done. Then I'll go back to the other fics. Thanks to kyla73 for all your help and for getting this chapter back quickly. Love you!