Hidden Betrayal (O'Connor Girls Book 1) Page 5

  “If I’ve got anything to do with it you’ll be home sooner rather than later,” Dean growled.

  Hannah waved her hand in front of her to show she no longer wanted to talk about her situation. Dean hated to see his sister so upset.

  Dean changed the subject and chatted for the rest of the visit about Peyton, his business, and life in Hopedale.

  “Sounds like you found a wonderful place to call home.” Hannah smiled.

  “Yes, and there’s one there for you and Pey, too.” Dean smiled.

  The smile she gave him didn’t reach her eyes, and it was apparent she couldn’t see a future out of prison. What the hell was he supposed to do?

  He’d stopped to grab a coffee and a muffin for Peyton and made his way back to CLC. He arrived after lunch with the hopes he’d at least get to meet the day shift nurse at some point during the day. He needed to get back to Hopedale at least for a few days, but he hated to leave Peyton.

  “Hello, Mr. Flynn.” Dean had to force himself to stop the roll of his eyes as Gemma glided by him on his way to Peyton’s room.

  “Ms. Grimes.” Dean nodded his head.

  “You can call me Gemma, and I’ll call you Dean.” She smiled. It seemed a supposed married man didn’t keep her at a distance. She looked even more interested.

  “I think we need to keep this on a professional level.” Dean nodded again and continued down the corridor.

  He pushed open the door to Peyton’s suite and smiled at her excitement. Not over his return but over her muffin. She held out her hand like a child to receive her treat.

  “Oh my, God, chocolate chip.” Peyton tried to squeal. “This is huge. Kristy, do you want some?”

  The name caused his head to snap up, but it was the woman on the other side of the bed that made his heart pound in his chest.

  “Kristy, are you okay?” Peyton sat straight up on the bed when whatever Kristy held clattered to the floor. If anyone asked him what it was, he wouldn’t be able to tell them because he couldn’t pull his gaze from her.

  “Umm… no… I mean yes. I’ve got to get…..” Kristy spun around, yanked open the door and stomped through it.

  “I’ll be right back, Pey.” Dean hurried out of the room in time to see Kristy disappear through a door leading to one of the viewing decks.

  In nothing flat, Dean made his way down the hallway and pushed open the door. Kristy paced the small deck while she mumbled under her breath. Her hands flailed around in the air, and it made him smile because that was the Kristy he knew and loved. Feisty and beautiful.

  “I’ll kill aunt Cora for this. She knew. She definitely knew. I bet Keith did too. Asshole, that’s why he wanted to know about interesting people.” Kristy babbled while she shook her hands in front of her.

  “She didn’t know, but I don’t know about Keith.” Dean braced his shoulder against the door and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Don’t you think you should be in there with your… ummm…. niece.” Kristy rolled her eyes.

  “Peyton is my niece,” Dean emphasized the word niece because Kristy seemed to have other ideas.

  “Sure, she is. You have a niece my age.” Kristy rested her back against the rail and braced hands on the top behind her back.

  “My sister Hannah is fourteen years older than I am and she had Peyton when she was twenty.” Did he just tell her that?

  “Where’s your sister?” Kristy narrowed her eyes.

  “It’s a long story and ….” Dean began but got cut off before he could finish.

  “Oh right, nobody can know about the secret life of Mr. Dean Nash.” Kristy stomped toward him and motioned for him to move.

  “It’s not a secret life, Kitten.” The scent of apples surrounded him, and he stifled a groan. Every fucking time his dick reacted to her scent. He wasn’t sure if it was her shampoo, body wash or perfume but it drove him crazy.

  “Can you move?” Kristy reached around him and grabbed the door handle.

  “You can’t talk to anyone about Peyton or me.” That wasn’t going to go over well with Kristy. He knew that before he even uttered the words.

  “Why not? Wait, your name isn’t Flynn.” Kristy dropped her hand from the door handle and crossed her arms over her chest. He was thankful she wasn’t wearing anything to accentuate her incredible breasts.

  “No, it isn’t.” Dean met her beautiful blue gaze.

  “Why does everyone here think you have the same last name as Peyton?” She wasn’t going to let it go.

  “Kristy, I’ll explain, but you’ve got to keep this quite.” She glared at him.

  “Dean, this is my job and why should I jeopardize it for you?” Kristy grabbed the handle again and pulled. Dean pulled her hand from the door and backed her against the enclosed wall. Her breath hitched, and it took all his strength not to cover her mouth with his and do what he’d wanted for more than five years.

  “Kristy,” Dean dipped his head until his mouth was only inches away from her lips. “This is why I’ve kept you at a distance.”

  “I don’t understand.” Kristy’s voice trembled, and she rested her hands on his chest. She had to feel his heart and how it pounded in his chest.

  “I don’t want you tangled up in all this shit.” Dean brushed his cheek against hers, and she held her breath.

  “Dean, please. Tell me.” Kristy's warm breath against his ear sent a shiver of desire through him.

  “Fuck,” Dean pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. “I shouldn’t do this, but I can’t fight this anymore.”

  “Dean,” Kristy turned her head, and her lips grazed his cheek.

  He turned his head and lightly touched his mouth to her plump, trembling lips. He knew the second he kissed her there was no turning back. It both terrified him and thrilled him.

  “Kitten,” Dean sighed when her eyes fluttered closed, and her mouth opened enough that the urge to drive his tongue between her lips overpowered every reasonable thought.

  Dean moved his hand to the back of her head and tilted it, so he could finally kiss her the way he’d always wanted. His lips moved to hers, and she flicked her tongue against his lower lip. With a groan, he plunged his tongue into her warm mouth and ran it across her teeth. She gently bit down on it, and his cock hardened instantly.

  Kristy fisted the front of his shirt and pulled him against her as he devoured her mouth. It was as if he’d been starved for years and finally gotten his first taste of nourishment. It was better than he ever could have dreamed. Kissing her was addictive and so fucking wrong, but he didn’t want to stop.

  Kristy seemed to be able to think rationally because she pulled her lips from his. Dean opened his eyes, but it took a minute to focus. Kristy licked her lips as she tried to catch her breath. He was equally low on oxygen, and his dick strained behind his zipper. It begged to be released, but that was his life since he met her.

  “Dean, eight years you push me away, and now you decide to give in.” Kristy flopped back against the wall. “What the hell is going on?”

  It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Kristy, because he trusted her completely. He didn’t know if his family drama would put her in danger, but he couldn’t take any chances because if anything happened to her, it would kill him.

  “It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life to keep away from you, Kitten.” Dean ran his knuckle down her cheek. “It’s complicated. A fucked up can of worms, and I don’t want to get you involved.”

  “Seriously? Complicated? You’ve met my family, right? Complicated is something I can deal with.” Kristy rolled her eyes.

  “But you’ve never been in the middle of it, and I always made sure you were safe. Even if you didn’t know it and no matter how pissed you got with me.” Dean made sure anytime danger hit the O’Connor family, Kristy was out of it.

  “This is so stupid.” Kristy pushed him away and headed for the door.

  “Can you trust me?” Dean threw his hands in the air.

&nbs
p; “Trust you? Are you serious?” Kristy spun around and rested her fists on her hips. “I trust you with my life Dean, but obviously you don’t trust my family or me. I can’t believe you haven’t even told Keith about this. He’s gonna be so hurt, but I won’t tell anyone. Not because I don’t want to but because I can’t. I’m not permitted to talk about patients.” With that, she yanked open the door and stomped inside.

  Dean turned and punched the wall several times until his frustration subsided a little. She was right. Keith would kick his ass not because he didn’t know but because the truth was Dean needed help. He knew Kristy would never jeopardize her job, but he hated to put her in this situation.

  You’re a stupid fucking asshole, Bull.

  Dean entered Peyton’s suite about fifteen minutes later careful not to let them see his cut knuckles. Kristy and his niece were deep in conversation. Dean made his way to the recliner and pulled out his phone as he pretended not to listen to them.

  “You’ve got such a big family.” Peyton chuckled.

  “Yes, too big sometimes but I love them. I hate being away from them but it’s nice to be able to hear myself think.” Kristy held up her phone in front of Peyton.

  “Who’s the sweet baby?” Peyton cooed.

  “That’s my cousin Keith’s baby. We actually have two new babies added to our family this year, and I’ve got a feeling there will be more in the near future.” Dean didn’t miss the emphasis she put on Keith’s name.

  “Isn’t Keith your business partner, D?” Peyton asked.

  “Mm-hmm.” Dean didn’t look up, but Kristy must have told Peyton she knew him from Hopedale.

  “This was at Keith’s wedding,” Kristy said.

  “Wow, D you look so handsome, and you both look great together.” Peyton sounded way too excited. “You two dated?”

  “No, I’m too young for Dean. We were in Keith’s wedding party but this guy,” Kristy swiped her phone. “He’s the guy I brought to my cousin Mike’s wedding a couple of weeks ago.”

  “He’s hot.” Peyton gasped, and Dean stifled a growl.

  “I know, right?” Kristy sighed as she looked down at the phone.

  “He was okay for a pretty boy,” Dean mumbled loud enough he knew Kristy would hear him.

  “Trust me he’s way more than a pretty boy.” Kristy fanned herself.

  Dean clenched his teeth because the thought of another man with his hands on her made him want to punch something or someone. Mainly the pretty boy from the wedding.

  “Well, I need to check on my other patients. I’ll be back in a bit.” Kristy waved to Peyton as she left the room.

  “You’re such an idiot.” Peyton sat straight up on the bed.

  “Thanks, and why am I an idiot?” Dean didn’t bother to look up from his phone.

  “I saw her reaction when she saw you and the way you ran after her was pretty obvious how you feel about her.” Peyton was way too perceptive.

  “It’s complicated,” Dean grumbled.

  “That’s only because you make it that way. Let me see if I can figure this out.” Peyton tapped her finger against her chin.

  “Let’s not and say we did.” Dean groaned.

  “You’re keeping your distance because of what’s going on with mom and me.” It was partly true but the truth was he kept his distance from her because of who he was.

  Between the reporters printing stories before his father died about him making questionable business connections and then his death the reports got out of control. Then there was the fact that he’d hidden his true identity from most of the people that he considered family.

  “Not talking about this, Pey,” Dean shrugged out of his jacket.

  “Of course not, mom always said you weren’t the best at communicating.” Peyton sighed.

  “I communicate fine. One has nothing to do with the other.” Dean sat back in the recliner and closed his eyes.

  “Why are you staying here again?” Peyton groaned.

  “You don’t want me here?” Dean lifted his head and stared at his niece.

  “I think you would be more comfortable in a hotel bed or maybe Kristy could…” She stopped when Dean held up his hand.

  “I’m not asking Kristy.” Dean held his breath as he tried to calm the thoughts he could spend the night alone with Kristy. It would be heaven for him, but he had to stay in hell.

  “Again, doth protest too much.” Peyton closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

  A few minutes later Peyton had fallen asleep. She always seemed to get tired in the late afternoon. More so lately. It killed him that there was nothing he could do to save her, and she’d moved up on the transplant list, but her pulmonologist wasn’t sure she’d survive the surgery even with the respiratory therapy she received.

  Dean quietly left the suite to grab a cup of coffee in the small kitchen next to the nurse’s station. It had nothing to do with the possibility he’d run into Kristy.

  He walked by the nurse’s desk, but it was empty. He turned into the door across the hall and was happy to see a full pot of coffee on the coffee brewer. As he grabbed the pot and poured the hot coffee into the cup, someone moved behind him. Before he turned to see who, it was, he felt a hand squeeze his ass.

  “Fuck,” Dean growled when the coffee slopped onto his hand when he spun around.

  “Mr. Flynn, we keep running into each other.” Gemma ran her well-manicured finger across the top of her pushed up breasts. Her blouse opened a little more than he’d seen earlier.

  “Yes, but I guess since you work here that’ll happen.” Dean stepped to the left to leave, but she moved in front of him.

  “Mr. Flynn, you don’t have to leave on my account.” She took a step closer.

  “I came to get a cup of coffee and head back to my niece.” Dean glared at the woman.

  “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if you sat and had a cup of coffee with me.” Gemma pressed her finger against his chest.

  “No, but my wife may.” Dean smiled as her flirty expression changed to annoyance.

  “I guess your wife might mind you sticking your tongue down the throat of one of our nurses as well.” Gemma stepped back and smoothed the front of her hair back. The bitch saw him with Kristy.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my niece.” Dean stepped around her but stopped with her next statement.

  “I will have to inform Mrs. Frost of Ms. O’Connor’s indiscretion.” Gemma gave an exaggerated sigh.

  Dean could always control his anger and speak calmly to people to ensure a situation didn’t get out of control. This woman was testing that control, but Dean didn’t want Kristy to get hurt. Dean turned around slowly to face Gemma.

  “Ms. Grimes, I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play here but let me give you a warning. If you do anything to interfere with Kristy, my niece or myself, I will file sexual harassment charges against you.” Dean would never do it, but she didn’t have to know that. He pointed to the camera in the corner of the room. “I’m sure that recorded your little flirtation with me and the less than subtle grab of my ass.”

  Gemma’s mouth dropped open and closed again. She pressed her hand against her chest and let out a fake chuckle.

  “Mr. Flynn, are you threatening me?” She spoke loud enough that he was sure someone had either walked by or entered the kitchen behind him.

  “It didn’t sound like a threat to me.” Dean turned around to see an older man casually propped against the door of the kitchen. “Looking for a rich fuck again?”

  Gemma narrowed her eyes, but a second later she stomped out of the room. The man stepped aside with a chuckle.

  “Sorry about her. Submit a complaint with Sophia. Not many men turn that woman down, so there’s only one other complaint about that bitch.”

  “She does this a lot?” Dean shook his head.

  “Gemma’s what I would call a pussy looking for a golden dick.” The man’s language put Dean in total shock. He lo
oked in his mid to late fifties and dressed in a very expensive suit. If he remembered correctly, it was probably Ralph Lauren or Gucci.

  He chuckled to himself because if the guys in Hopedale knew he could pick out name brand clothing, they’d give him such shit.

  “She’s a piece of work, that’s for sure.” Dean refilled his cup.

  “I’m Graham Frost by the way.” He held out his hand to Dean.

  “I’m Dean N… Flynn.” Dean quickly caught his slip up. “Wait, Frost? As in Sophia Frost?”

  “That beautiful lady is my wife.” The way Graham’s face lit up it made it more than obvious he loved his wife.

  “I get the feeling the complaint on Gemma is from you.” Dean raised an eyebrow, and the man laughed.

  “No, she’s not that stupid. First, I’m her boss, and second, Sophia would scratch her eyes out and come back for the sockets.” Graham chuckled.

  “She seems pretty mild-mannered.” Dean laughed.

  “Most of the time she is but don’t piss her off. That woman is beautiful, sexy and sweet but she can rip you a new asshole if you cross her.” Graham poured the coffee into a cup he’d pulled out of the cupboard.

  “Darling, are you spreading lies about me?” Dean laughed when he heard Sophia’s voice, and Graham almost dropped the cup of coffee he poured.

  “I was raving to Mr. Flynn here on what an incredibly wonderful wife I have and how lucky I am to have her.” Graham grinned.

  “Graham, after almost thirty years don’t you know I can see when you spew bullshit from that sexy mouth of yours.” Sophia twirled her finger as she walked toward her husband.

  “On that note, I’m going to go back to check on Peyton.” Dean laughed.

  “Traitor,” Graham called out as Dean left the kitchen.

  Over the next three days, Dean spent most of his time with Peyton. Kristy did her rounds and would be there when his niece had her therapy. Mostly, she ignored Dean, and as much as he wanted to pull her aside and tell her everything, he let it be.

  He’d made a point to join Graham in the kitchen a couple of times a day for coffee and a chat. Dean liked the man. He and his wife reminded him of Kathleen and Sean O’Connor. They teased each other, but the love was undeniable. When he thought about it, all the couples he knew had this deep love that people dreamed about.