“Yes,” he says wryly. “I’m sure wrapping Christmas gifts is such a chore for you.” He takes his coat from me and starts to put it on.

My gaze drifts to the window as I put mine on, and my body follows. Our offices are at the very top of this skyscraper, so when I look outside, I see flurries of snow and a sea of city lights set against the pitch-dark backdrop of the night sky.

Manhattan looks so small from way up here. The taxi cabs look like toy cars.

I feel Lee move up behind me. Standing so close as he joins me in looking out the window, his heat seeps into me and melts my bones. My tummy flutters, but I’m quick to lock that errant butterfly right back up in its cage.

I turn my head to look at him. Our faces are so close, if either of us leaned in just a little, they would touch.

“What are we looking at?” he asks, his tone lower and a touch more intimate.

I swallow. That persistent butterfly can’t be contained and bursts free from its cage. “The city is so pretty when it snows.”

The corner of his mouth tugs up with a hint of amusement. “The smallest things make you happy.”

I shrug, unrepentant. “What can I say? I’m a happy girl.”

Especially when he stands this close to me.

“I wasn’t complaining,” he says, taking a step back and turning away.

I feel his absence immediately. I can breathe again, but a thin blanket of disappointment swaddles me, too.

Trying my best to ignore the lapse, I grab my purse and follow him to the elevator.

“You didn’t pay for them yourself, did you?”

I look up at him blankly. His question is so sudden—and I’m so distracted—that I don’t immediately follow the thread of his thoughts. “Hm?”

We step into the elevator. His eyebrows rise as he looks over at me. “The presents you bought on your lunch break.”

“Oh.” I shake my head to clear it and paste on a smile. “The presents. Yes, of course I paid for them.”

“You shouldn’t have. I’ll reimburse you.”

“It was my idea.”

“They’re coming from my company.”

It is his company, but I’m so invested, I think of it as ours.

I don’t have many people to buy presents for anyway, so I wave him off. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. My boss pays me the big bucks. I can afford to splurge a little on Christmas gifts,” I tease.

His lips tug up faintly. “Your boss pays you all that money for having to deal with him.”

“Oh, he’s not that bad.”

“He’s an asshole. You’re frankly underpaid.”