Rogue Alpha (Alpha 7) by Carole Mortimer

cheeks.
    Diana gave his thumb one last, lingering lick from base to tip before slowly releasing him. “Aren’t you glad you’re not Jonas, stuck out there alone in the cold?” she teased.
    Seth tensed as he stepped back, hands clenching at his sides. “And if I was the one out there, would he be standing here instead of me? Or maybe, as you seem to have suddenly discovered your sexual freedom, you would like us to wait until he comes back, and we can make it a threesome?”
    “What did you say?”Diana felt as if she’d had a bucket of ice cold water thrown over her, drowning all desire and arousal in the process.
    “You heard me,” Seth snarled.
    Yes, she had. She couldn’t believe he’d said something so—so… So what? She had come on to him just now, had almost been begging for it. Who could blame him if he now thought Jonas would have suited her needs as easily?
    She could blame him!
    She and Seth might not have known each other very long—discounting that meeting eight months ago—but he certainly knew her well enough to realize she wasn’t promiscuous— Damn it, he was the one who had brought up the subject of her lack of experience only minutes ago.
    How dare he now accuse her of—of— “Oh yes, I heard you.” She barely managed to control her anger. And hurt. It hurt a lot to think this was what Seth thought of her. “It’s been a long and tense day. I believe it’s time we both went to bed. Separately,” she added pointedly.
    “Fine.” He nodded.
    “Fine,” she echoed.
    “Good then.” A nerve pulsed in his clenched jaw.
    Diana gave him one last narrow-eyed glare before turning on her heel and marching down the hallway, opening the first door she came to and going inside, slamming that door behind her.
    Before she suffered the further indignity of bursting into tears in front of Seth.

Chapter 8
    Seth wondered what the hell just happened as he stood slightly dazed and completely alone in the hallway.
    One minute he’d had no other thought in his head than anticipating a night in bed with Diana, and the next—
    The next he had seen red and reacted like a bloody caveman, because she’d mentioned another man’s name.
    Jonas’s name.
    The other man had been his best friend for over five years, the two of them having worked and played together, and often shared the same suite when they were away on assignment. Despite the difference in their appearance and upbringing, Jonas was the closest thing to a brother Seth had.
    If nothing else, he should have known Jonas wouldn’t allow himself to be seduced by the woman he knew Seth had more than a passing interest in.
    If nothing else?
    That was insulting to Diana, implied she would have been willing even if Jonas wasn’t.
    As insulting as he’d been to her when he voiced his suspicions just now.
    What the hell was wrong with him?
    Women came; women went again. He and Jonas had even shared the same woman a couple of times in the past. Not at the same time, but even so…
    If this really was jealousy, then they could keep it. Because Seth wanted no part of it. Or the woman who was causing him to feel this way.
    The sooner Diana Moore was out of his life, the better.

    “Want to talk about it?”
    Diana flicked a glance at Jonas across the kitchen table as they sat eating breakfast together. Well…Jonas was eating a hearty breakfast. She was ignoring the plate of toast on the table and still nursing the cup of coffee she had poured herself when she came into the room a few minutes ago.
    A room absent of Seth, thank goodness.
    Jonas had informed her, with his usual economy of words, that he hadn’t seen anything of Eduardo Garcia the night before, and he and Seth had now changed places. Jonas intending to have something to eat before he grabbed a couple of hours’ sleep .
    Diana had heard Seth pass by the bedroom door the previous night, just a few seconds after she left him. No doubt on his way to sleep in one of the other bedrooms.
    The