Chapter 36
Competence under pressure
Finn
I woke up to the sound of my phone vibrating on the nightstand and Alex’s warm weight against my side, her hand resting light on my chest. Last night came back in flashes—our competitive game winding each other up at dinner, how completely she’d surrendered when I finally took control, the sound of my name on her lips when she came apart under the stars.
More importantly, I woke feeling like myself. Steady. Strong. Ready for whatever the day might bring instead of calculating energy reserves and managing limitations.
I reached for my phone carefully, trying not to wake her, and opened the family chat.
Elowyn: Good morning, lovebirds. Hope you slept well after your... evening activities.
Elowyn: Had three separate guest complaints about “balcony noise” around 10 last night.
Mom: ELOWYN
Elowyn: What? I’m just reporting the facts, Ma.
Dad: Son you might want to remember you’re staying in a lodge with other guests.
Mom: NOLAN
Elowyn: One guest mentioned... very... victorious sounds.
Mom: I’m pretending I can’t read any of this.
Dad: Bridget they’re adults.
Mom: Adults who apparently forgot other people exist.
I grinned, typing back quickly.
Me: Morning family. Thanks for the heads up. We’ll try to keep it down
Elowyn: TRY? Finn Walker, you better SUCCEED. Poor Janet from the front desk looked traumatized. You’re lucky she didn’t know it was you!
Luke: What exactly were you two doing out there anyway?
Me: Stargazing
Elowyn: Is that what we’re calling it now? Must’ve been some mighty interesting constellations.
Mom: I’m going to pretend you were really looking at the stars.
Luke: Pretty sure they were seeing stars at least
Enzo: Not entirely sure what’s happening, but I feel I should issue congrats to my sister. Congrats sister!!
Dom: ENZO.
I grinned, typing back quickly.
Alex stirred against me, mumbling something into my chest before reaching blindly for her phone. I watched her face as she scrolled through the messages, her expression shifting from sleepy confusion to dawning horror.
“Oh no,” she whispered, sitting up and staring at her screen. “Oh no… Finn…”
“Yes, darlin’?” I grinned, making no move to hide my satisfaction with the situation.
She turned to stare at me, face flushed. “You’re proud of this?”
“Damn right I am,” I pulled her back down against me, letting her feel exactly how proud I was of last night’s discoveries.
“Finn!” She buried her face in my shoulder. “Your family is going to think I’m—”
“Perfect for me,” I finished. “Which you are.”
My phone buzzed with more messages.
Enzo: Is Alex dying of embarrassment yet??
Me: Currently hiding her face against me
Elowyn: Tell her we’re just happy you’re both... satisfied with ranch hospitality.
Mom: ELOWYN! I swear, this family...
Luke: We tease because we love.
Dad: And because it’s funny as hell. You kids should know better.
Mom: I give up. You’re all terrible.
Alex lifted her head to look at her phone again, then typed slowly.
Alex: I’m never leaving this room again.
The response was immediate.
Enzo: Text me later. I want ALL the details. We should compare notes on… twin things.
Dom: ENZO IGNACIO YOU WILL NOT COMPARE MY DICK TO MY brOTHER’S
Luke:
Mom: Boys! Language!
Claire: omg what is happening?
Alex groaned and tossed her phone away. “Come on, they’re just happy for us,” I kissed the top of her head, still grinning.
She looked up at me, still flushed but starting to smile despite herself. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”
“Can’t help it. Last night was...” I trailed off, remembering how she’d completely let go, trusted me with everything. “Worth a little family teasing.”
Alex buried her face in my chest again, but I felt her smile against my skin. My phone buzzed.
Mom: Are you 2 joining us for breakfast today?
I glanced down at the woman burrowing against my side, mumbling things about walking into the Snake River and letting it sweep her away, and chuckled.
Me: I think we’re gonna have breakfast in our room
Enzo: Is that what the straights are calling it these days???
Mom: ENZO!!
I set my phone on the nightstand and climbed out of bed, stretching my sore muscles—still feeling the slight exhaustion of having stayed up so late. Maybe work on the ranch could wait a day or two.
“Are you working at the house today?” I asked Alex as she threw an arm over her eyes, still trying to deal with her lingering embarrassment.
“I’ve got a call at nine with our attorneys,” she grumbled.
“Well, it’s eight-thirty now,” I pulled on a pair of jeans. “I’ll run down and get us coffee and breakfast if you want to shower and get ready. Then I can skedaddle during your call.”
“You’re a prince,” she moved her arm and sat up again, pulling the covers over her chest. “But you don’t have to leave during the call. I don’t mind if you’re around.”
“Okay, I’ll be back with breakfast then,” I smiled, leaning over to kiss her before tugging on the sheets.
“Finn!” She gasped as she gripped the fabric against her body, a laugh escaping her throat.
“I can’t help it,” I winked. “I want another look at the woman I love.”
She blushed before kissing me harder and pushing me away with one hand. “I love you too. Now go so I can get ready for my call!”
One more kiss and I finally let her be while I went to find us something to eat.
When I returned with breakfast, Alex was sitting at the small desk by the window with her laptop open, looking like the most distracting contradiction I’d ever seen.
Hair swept back in a low ponytail, makeup done, wearing a soft green sweater that made her eyes look even more blue—ready for a boardroom.
One leg was tucked under her on the chair, the other bare from hip to toe except for floral-patterned panties.
“Darlin’,” I set the takeout boxes on the dresser, “you planning to conduct business like that?”
She glanced down at herself and shrugged. “Didn’t have time to finish getting ready and I was running a little hot.”
“Hmm. Hot indeed,” I handed her the cold brew, letting my fingers linger against hers longer than necessary.
“The call starts in five minutes,” she took a sip and opened a folder of documents. “I figured pants were optional since they can’t see below the desk anyway.”
I settled onto the edge of the bed—close enough to hear but out of range of the camera. “You sure you don’t need me to clear out?”
“Stay. Eat,” she looked over her shoulder at me as she pushed her earbuds into her ears. “I like having you here.”
Alex straightened her shoulders as she turned back to her laptop, transforming from the woman who’d been hiding under pillows twenty minutes ago into someone who could command a room—even half-dressed.
“Good morning, everyone,” she smiled. “Thanks for making time for this.”
The shift was immediate. Her voice dropped into that crisp, authoritative tone I’d heard before as she switched from soft and vulnerable to sharp and completely in control.
“Let’s start with the Jordan situation. Joe, what’s our status on the criminal charges?”
I tried to focus on my breakfast, but found myself watching the way she moved—leaning forward when making a point, gesturing with her hands, the slight furrow between her eyebrows when she was listening and jotting down notes.
The confidence in her voice as she took control of the entire conversation.
“Good. And the FBI’s findings on the code theft?” she asked. “I want to make sure we have everything documented before we move forward.”
The confidence in her voice—zero hesitation or fear—only complete certainty about what she wanted to have happen. Alex in her element, running the show, was intoxicating in a completely different way.
“Understood. What about the forensic analysis of his systems?” She pulled a folder closer, flipping through documents while keeping the conversation moving. “I need confirmation that we’ve recovered everything he stole.”
She was handling multiple people, multiple complex issues, and keeping track of multiple details I couldn’t even follow. And doing it all while sitting there in her underwear like it was completely normal.
“No, absolutely not,” she said flatly to whatever proposal someone had made. “We are not negotiating with Titan at all. They’re complicit in all of this. I want to move forward with filing the FTC and SEC complaints and the lawsuit. Frank Fucking Goodwin can get bent for coming at me.”
Heat shot through me at her casual authority, the way she could drop an f-bomb in a business meeting and make it sound like strategic planning. This woman—brilliant, fierce, completely in command—was mine.
“Marcie, what’s our legal position if they try to claim Jordan’s work as independent development?” She straightened in the chair, chin lifting slightly. “Because I want ironclad documentation that everything he took belongs to Catalyst.”
She listened to whatever Marcie was telling her—eyes fixed and determined and her posture still ramrod straight. She wasn’t just running a company; she was defending something she’d built from the ground up.
“Perfect. Tabitha, what about the employee communications? I want everyone to know exactly what happened and why we took these steps,” her voice softened slightly.
“Make sure the messaging emphasizes that we’re protecting their work, their jobs, and their futures.
This isn’t about punishment; it’s about preserving what we’ve built together. ”
The way she shifted between legal strategy and protecting her people—completely natural, no hesitation—made my chest warm.
“Good. Send me the updated documentation by Thursday and we’ll schedule a follow-up call.” She set the file folder to the side and took another sip of her coffee. “Thanks, everyone.”
The transformation back was just as dramatic. Shoulders relaxing, that boardroom authority melting back into the Alex who belonged in my arms.
“How’d that sound?” She pulled out her earbuds and stretched in a way that made the sweater ride up slightly.
“Like you could buy and sell half the entertainment industry before lunch,” I stood up, unable to resist moving closer. “That was incredible to watch.”
She blushed. “It’s just business.”
“That wasn’t just anything.” I moved behind her chair, hands settling on her shoulders. “That was you being brilliant. Watching you take control like that...” I let my thumbs work at the tension in her neck. “That was sexy as hell.”
“Finn…”
“Alexandra, I’m serious. Especially the part where you said Frank Goodwin could get bent,” I murmured, leaning down to brush my lips against her ear. “Really liked that.”
Her breath caught. “I’m sitting here in my underwear.”
“Trust me, I noticed. Makes it even better. My brilliant girlfriend, conquering corporate America in her panties.”
She laughed, the sound breathless. “You’re terrible.”
I let Alex finally eat her breakfast while I cleaned up and got properly dressed for the day instead of “stumbled out of bed and down to pick up food” ready. Much to my disappointment, Alex had pulled on a pair of leggings and was brushing her teeth when I emerged from the bathroom.
“Wanna go flying?” I asked, standing behind her and working product into my hair and beard before pulling my hair back on top of my head. It needed trimming badly—as did my beard. I was starting to look a little too scruffy.
She spit the toothpaste out and grinned at me. “Absolutely I do! Could we go a little further this time?”
“Sure. Let’s fly up toward Jackson Hole. If there’s time, we could refuel and maybe head toward the Yellowstone South Entrance.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up at the idea.
“Really,” I laughed.
She turned and threw her arms around my waist. “Have I mentioned how much I love you?”
“I love you too,” I kissed the tip of her nose. “Now go get your jacket.”