Page 91 of Falling for the Grinchy Bad Boy

“I never got a chance to smack Lynn for what she did,” Katrina said suddenly, her voice taking on a darker edge. “The coward ran off to Salt Lake City or wherever before I could tell her exactly what I thought of her. I’d love to throat punch the bitch. If I ever see her again, I’m gonna get that ho ho ho.”

“Ho ho ho?”

“It’s December. I’m keeping my insults seasonally appropriate.” Katrina’s grin was fierce and protective and absolutely believable. “But seriously, she’s lucky she left town before I could get my hands on her.”

“Remind me never to get on your bad side,” I said, still laughing.

“As long as you don’t hurt my brother, we’ll never have a problem.”

The warning was delivered with a smile, but I didn’t doubt that Katrina meant every word. Cooper was lucky to have a sister who loved him that fiercely.

“I won’t hurt him,” I said again, meaning it with everything I had. “I can’t promise that things will work out the way we want them to, but I can promise that I’ll be honest with him about what I’m feeling and what I want.”

“That’s all I can ask for,” Katrina said, apparently satisfied with my response.

“For what it’s worth, you’ll have to get in line,” I said before taking a sip of my wine.

“What?”

“If I ever see Lynn again, I’ll be the one delivering a kick to her shins and then maybe a shove. I’m not sure I know how to throat punch someone, but I imagine in the heat of the moment I’ll figure something out.”

Katrina grinned. “Good.”