Dana came back to her place late. It was too quiet without Jesse. She went to her bedroom and threw her purse on her dresser rattling her perfume bottles.

Though the cookies had lifted her spirits for a little bit in the car, she also had the drive home time to think about what Colt had told her about his childhood. And that led her to thinking about her own childhood.

She hated feeling down. And her parents did it to her every year. Every birthday was the same thing. They were sorry. It was business. You have to understand. We'll do something when we get back.

Screw them, she thought, pulling off her clothes and slipping on a thin silk nightgown.

Dana liked the feel of silk on her skin. She started wearing nice nightgowns when she was dating Jeremy to impress him. Now, she wore them for herself. Dana liked the feel of them and she liked how she looked in them. Screw any guy that didn't appreciate it! She climbed into bed and turned off the light.

*******************************

Several hours later, she woke up hearing footsteps outside. Dana bolted out of bed. She was scared at first, her heart racing in her chest, her palms beginning to sweat, but then realized it was probably Joanna setting out her birthday flowers.

She grinned and then crept to the front door, determined to catch her in the act this year. Dana threw the door open.

"Well, nineteen years wasn't bad for not getting caught," Colt said with a sigh and turned around from the stairs he was about to descend.

Dana stared at the sunflowers in the vase on her front doorstep, where they always had been sitting every birthday. Even in college, when she was on the other side of the country, they had always been there.

She gasped. "You?!" she asked confused. Colt looked away but nodded. Dana saw a flush spread on his cheeks to his ears, which she found endearing. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Colt stuck his hands in his pockets. "I was pretty sure you would have thrown them at me had you known." He said his lip twitching up into an amused smile.

"I wouldn't have."

"Yeah, you would have," he said, picking up the vase and handing it to her, "and I wouldn't have blamed you any."

Dana stared at him and he closed her hands over the glass vase securely. "Happy Birthday, Dana," he said softly, and after only a second of hesitation, Colt leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered in disbelief. Her eyes met his and she searched them for the truth. Was he for real? Was it really him all these years?

Colt nodded and Dana wasn't sure if she had asked the questions out loud or if he was just acknowledging her thanks.

"Jesus, woman," he said in exasperation, his eyes traveling the length of her. "Get inside before you catch a cold." Colt pushed her lightly on the shoulder so she'd move back inside.

Dana walked into her apartment in shock. It had been Colt all those years. She would have never guessed in a million years that he would ever do anything for her birthday.

He always did attend the parties the James' threw for her, but he was family. He was obligated. And Colt usually sat in a corner and didn't participate much in the festivities.

Dana didn't think he cared at all about her or her birthday. And the whole time, it had been Colt who had gotten her the sunflowers that she treasured more than any other gift she got every year.

"How did you know?" she asked softly, setting the flowers on her kitchen counter.

Colt entered the apartment and closed the front door. "How did I know what?" he asked, puzzled, walking towards her.

"The sunflowers. How did you know they're my favorite?"

"You told me," he answered, looking her over like she was crazy.

"I never told you.

"You did too," he answered as he often did as a child, and crossed his arms with an amused smile.

"When?" she demanded.

Colt rolled his eyes. "I swear you have got to have the worst memory in the world."

Dana glared at him."You're not going to tell me?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "It's four in the morning. You want story time?"

"Well, you woke me up, so you might as well tell me a bedtime story," Dana said, walking towards him and put her hand on his bicep with a teasing, sexy smile.

She purposely avoided touching his chest, though she wanted to. He had the nicest chest she'd ever laid eyes on or had felt. Despite the scars. Or maybe because of them.

"Um, I got to get to work," he answered, back-stepping towards the door.

Dana took another step towards him. "At four in the morning?" she demanded.

The strap on her nightgown slipped down her shoulder. She suddenly felt naked compared to the suit and tie he was wearing. Dana was standing in the middle of the living room in nothing but a thin layer of silk.

Colt visibly swallowed. "I got a meeting at seven that I've got to prepare for."

"Just tell me how you know," she said, lightly running her hand up and down where his tattoo rested under his shirt.

He slipped the tempting strap of her nightie back on her shoulder. Colt stared at the edge of her shoulder so he wouldn't look anywhere else. Dana had the most delectable looking skin. He was wanted to touch every inch of her.

"When I first moved here, you were trying to cheer me up one day," Colt said quietly as she continued to stroke his arm. It was soothing. He was surprised to find that he was okay with talking to Dana about this after all these years.

"You had been following me most of the day, and I was being a jerk to you, like always. We were in Jesse's tree-house, which I had taken over as my own fortress of solitude. Jesse left me alone when I asked him to. You, on the other hand, followed me up there that day and wouldn't go away no matter how many or what ugly things I said to you to get you to leave me the hell alone," Colt said quietly.

He took a deep breath, "You said that when your parents left you alone that you got really sad, so you thought about sunflowers and that would make you happy. At least for a little while," he cleared his throat at the emotion that statement had brought.

Colt had felt totally alone at that point in his life and what Dana had said to him that day he could relate to. He was alone. Colt had been orphaned when his father killed his mother and got himself sent to Death Row. While his father was still alive, the man that had given him life was dead to him.

That wasn't the only thing Dana had said to him that day and everything she told him hit home. Even though Dana hadn't been through what he had, she had suffered too.

And Colt, at that time, didn't like that Dana at eight years old could deal with what her parents did to her better than he could handle at twelve what had been done to him. She could still look at a flower and see the beauty and the joy in it. Colt hadn't wanted to see anything past his anger.

He waited in the silence of Dana trying to recall the memory of that day. Colt kept his eyes on her shoulder not wanting to see her face as Dana replayed the past in her mind.

His past wasn't pretty and Colt had been horrible to her when he first moved to Jesse's grandparents' house. He wished he could re-do the whole thing from the moment he arrived until the day Grampa James passed away. He didn't treat the old man well either though the man gave Colt the same amount of love he showed Jesse.

And then, Colt thought it was mistake concentrating on Dana's shoulder because she had such damn sexy shoulders and he was tempted to pull that flimsy strap back down, but further this time, and put his mouth against her skin...

"I don't remember telling you that," she whispered. "And I can't believe you even remembered that!"

Colt cleared his throat, his eyes snapping to hers as her voice pulled him out of his fantasies. "You were eight. I was twelve."

"I appreciate you remembering. That was, is, really...thoughtful of you, Colt," she told him, looking to his eyes.

"I just want to see you happy," he told her, looking into her eyes. Falling into them. She smiled. He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair out of her face.

"But honestly, I really do have to go, Dana," he said, even though he didn't want to leave. Not with her body so close to his. "I'll see you tonight, though, right?" he asked, swallowing.

Dana nodded, straightening his tie. Colt leaned his forehead against hers, wanting some kind of contact, but none that would scare her away. He forced back a moan as his skin met hers and her sweet scent hit his nostrils. Colt kissed her cheek. "Have a happy day, Dana."