“Do I have a ring tone?” Deanna asked.
Jonas grinned. “Hang on a second, Wade.” He wagged his eyebrows at Deanna and murmured, “I added one for you after you agreed to go to Miami with me.”
Her eyes lit up. “You did? What is it?”
“ ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love,’ the Bad Company version,” he answered her as he patted her bottom and stepped away.
“So every time I call you, it plays that tune.” She laughed. “Figures.” Deanna went back to cleaning up their breakfast dishes, and Jonas put the phone back to his ear.
“Sorry about that,” he said. “Now, what’s this about my computer skills?”
“Gracie got a phone call this morning from a woman claiming to be her long-lost sister.”
“How is that possible? I thought her mother was history. Unless it’s a sibling on her father’s side?”
“No, she claims they have the same mother. Gracie’s a mess. I need you to run a check on this woman. She’s not coming anywhere near Gracie until I know she’s telling the truth.”
Jonas watched Deanna bend to pick up a fork she’d dropped. Her ass stuck up in the air, and he had to tamp down the need to reach out and grab a handful. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
“Thanks, man.”
“No problem.” Hell, he was supposed to be at the office anyway, not playing around with Deanna.
Jonas flipped the phone shut. “I need to go.”
Deanna swiveled around, a frown marring her pretty face. “Already?”
“It’s important. Someone called Gracie, claiming to be her sister. Wade wants me to check into it.”
She sucked in a breath. “Oh, wow. Gracie must be going crazy.”
Jonas nodded. “Especially considering this could potentially be the only living relative Gracie has left. Unless you count her worthless drunk of a father, which I don’t.”
Deanna looked down at the floor. “I’m happy for Gracie, really I am, but I was hoping to show you the design I’ve been working on for that client I told you about. I’m really excited about it.”
“Are you talking about Valdez?” Jonas couldn’t believe his ears. “I thought we agreed, Deanna. Valdez is bad news.”
Her head snapped up. “We didn’t agree I’d dump the guy based solely on your word,” she said as she moved around the kitchen, cleaning up and putting things away. “If I remember correctly, you all but ordered me to tell him to find a new designer.”
He forced himself to calm down. If he came at her with ultimatums and went all dictator on her, she would only dig her heels in further.
Moving up behind her, Jonas grasped her shoulders, urging her to look at him. She refused to turn around. “Okay,” he said, relenting. “Then at least let me run a background check—before you meet with him. There’s no harm in being cautious, right?”
She turned around and planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not an idiot, Jonas. Of course I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Jonas took her into his arms. She was stiff at first but slowly relaxed. “I’m only concerned for you, kitten. I’m not trying to tell you how to run your business.”
Her gaze sought his, and again Deanna’s sweet nature kicked Jonas square in the chest. She saw the good in people, while Jonas knew not everyone had a good side. Like Valdez, for instance. The guy specialized in using kids to run his drugs for him. In Jonas’s mind, the guy was the lowest form of scum.
“It sure sounds like that from this end, Jonas. And I don’t want another person in my life treating me like a child.”
“Trust me, you’re all woman in my eyes,” Jonas growled.
“I’m serious.”
“I am too. Your safety is the only thing that matters to me, Deanna. I’m not trying to take over.” Jonas did a mental survey of her home and wondered why she didn’t have a security system. “Speaking of safety, I’m surprised Wade hasn’t installed an alarm for you.”
“He and I have talked about it, and I intended to get one, but I’ve been busy trying to get my design business off the ground.”