Anticipation thrummed through his stomach. Only a couple more minutes and Tyler would see them: Steve Sommers and Katelyn Rosewood, his closest friends. All at once he couldn’t wait. He felt like charging out there, smashing through the glass in his haste. God damn, he hadn’t seen them for two years, and suddenly he was desperate. They were here: Steve, his mate since childhood, and Katie, the only woman he’d ever loved.

Christ, it would be good to be with them again. Good and bad. Really good, and, really—well, really goddamn awful.

An eternity passed before he cleared the doors, before he found himself in the massive bowels of the arrival hall. Quickly, methodically, he scanned the throngs of people, searched the faces.

There he was. The blonde hair towered above the masses, and a huge grin split his face. Steve’s arms waved madly in the air, and Tyler couldn’t suppress his answering smile. No matter what his reasons for returning, there was Steve. Sure, he’d met people in London, made a couple new pals. None of them could ever take Steve’s place. A best mate was inimitable.

And then his heart smashed into his ribs, and he stumbled. Katie.

Lord, she was more beautiful than he remembered, which was virtually impossible, since he remembered an angel. Tyler forced breath into his airless lungs. Time stood still, background noises faded to insignificance.

Sweet Katie. The last time he’d seen her, her midnight black hair had bounced around her shoulders, curly and out of control. Now it hung in a thick, straight sheet down her back, the silky strands catching in the rays of sunlight filtering through the airport windows.

Fuck, this was going to be harder than he’d ever imagined. Already he remembered the lustrous curtain of hair sweeping over his belly, tickling his thighs as she reached for him with her lips…

The urge to sprint to them dissolved. His feet became leaden weights, dragging his legs down like anchors. Each step was a struggle. Like old times, it was his buddy who came to his rescue. Steve pushed through the crowds, efficiently sidestepping luggage and travellers, to envelop Tyler in a welcoming hug.

His embrace was strong and uninhibited. “Welcome home, mate. We’ve missed you.”

“Man, it’s good to see you,” Tyler enthused, hugging him back. Damn, it was. It was frigging unbelievable.

“I’m glad you’re home,” Steve said.

“It’s good to be home,” Ty grinned, and knew that whatever happened between them in the future, their timeless friendship would always be one of the most important, most significant, relationships of his life. He’d grown up with Steve, shared his childhood with him, shared most of his life with him. Steve knew everything about him. Everything that is, except two, small issues.

Issues that had the potential to blow their tight bond all the way to hell.

Katie took a little longer to reach him. It was all he could do to hold himself back, to give her a chance to catch up with Steve. He craved her touch, yet was unprepared when Steve pulled away, when he could finally turn to her and face his fantasies. She was all woman, and even more devastating in the flesh than she was in his mind.

She swallowed, twice.

“Hello, Katie.” It was all he could manage.

“Ty.” Her voice washed over him, like hot sun heating cold skin.

Instinctively, he looked her up and down, taking in the curves of her body, the length of her endless legs. “You look well.” No, she looked drop-dead gorgeous.

“So do you.” Her gaze darted to Steve, and then back to him.

Their eyes caught and held. Hers were a perfect mix of green and brown, and they had him spellbound, like always. The air between them hummed with the echo of words uttered long ago. He couldn’t speak, could barely find the energy to move.

The memories were hidden in the subtlety of her actions, in the understated way her eyes narrowed and then widened. In the almost imperceptible nod she gave seconds before she spoke.

“So you going to give an old friend a hug, or what?” Her voice was casual, her face amused, but her eyes contradicted her cool composure. They held an intensity that whipped the air from his lungs.

He struggled to focus on her words. Old friend? No, she wasn’t that. Not anymore. Not since their first kiss, two years, and one month ago. Not since they’d become lovers, ten minutes after their first kiss. She was the only woman he’d ever loved. The only woman he’d ever have sacrificed his own happiness for.

She was also his best friend’s future wife.

Katie’s mouth parted in a smile.

No matter the raging swirl of emotion churning through his gut, he couldn’t keep his hands off her another minute. “I sure am,” he promised, and put his arms around her waist. Then he lifted her off the ground, leaving her with no choice but to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hold him.

Memories of how well their bodies fit together careened back. Memories of Katie locked in his arms, of both of them lost in the tangle of soft, cool sheets. Memories of a time that fate itself could not have prevented.

“Tyler,” she murmured against his neck.

Fuck. He’d heard that voice before, heard the passion infused with the restraint.

“Hey, Katie,” He didn’t mean to whisper, but the blood in his body drained to his groin, making speech damn near impossible. “It’s been a while.”

Soft breasts squashed against his chest, the heat from her body seeped through his shirt, messing with his head. “Two years,” she agreed. “It’s a long time.” She held her shoulders stiff, kept her neck straight. Tension hummed through her muscles, straining against his arms.

“Not long enough to forget,” he said hoarsely, his voice audible only to her.

Knowing Steve’s eyes followed his actions, he planted a chaste, friendly kiss on her cheek, and set her feet firmly back on the ground. “Now take me home and feed me, people,” he said, aware of the alarm in Katie’s face. “I am starving.”