"Rafe?"

He smiled at her, taking a sip of his drink. "Nice to see you too, Tasha."

"What are you doing here?" Tasha asked as she tried to collect herself. She hadn't seen Rafe in over a year, and she was sure he would have forgotten her by now. They could hardly be considered friends, acquaintances at best, but she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed his company, even if it was always short in duration.

"Work." He replied with a smug smile. "And you? What's a beautiful, young lady, such as yourself, doing here all by her lonesome?"

Tasha scoffed, "I'm not alone." She pointed towards Sam and Nate who were on the other side of the extravagant ball room.

"Why am I not surprised. You always seem to have at least one Drake brother at your disposal." Rafe chuckled. "I'm surprised they'd let you this far out of their reach."

"Haha." Tasha replied as she continued to play with her drink. "What can I say? I have impeccable taste."

"Clearly."

Tasha took a moment to look at Rafe. "What?" He asked after a moment, noticing the girl looking at him.

"Nothing. You look good." She replied with a shrug, taking a small sip of her drink.

"Well," Rafe chuckled. "A compliment from the princess herself, I should be flattered."

"I'm no princess." Tasha replied with a small smile. "Don't let this dress fool you."

"It is a stunning dress," Rafe admitted with a small smile, "However, I'm sure I'd much rather see you without it."

This made Tasha laugh, her cheeks flushing as she shook her head. "Always the gentleman."

"How am I doing so far?" He asked almost playfully.

"Ask me again later."

The two shared idle chit chat for a while, until eventually Rafe stood up, holding his arm out to Tasha. She eyed him suspiciously, unsure of his motives. He simply smiled at her.

"C'mon, a princess should have at least one dance."

Tasha fought the urge to roll her eyes at him, instead feeling her heart flutter at the way Rafe gazed at her. She wrapped her arm around his as he gently pulled her onto the dance floor where couples were dancing slowly. Tasha blushed when Rafe dropped her arm, and instead moved both his hands to her waist, pulling her uncomfortably close.

"I've... never danced before." Tasha admitted quietly as she rested her hands on his shoulders, averting her gaze from his.

Rafe chuckled, "I'll lead you, don't worry, darling." The nickname poured from his mouth like honey, making her blush further as he began to slowly sway her hips.

Tasha was tense at first when Rafe pulled her closer, but he slowly rubbed circles into her hips with his thumbs. "I got you." He reassured her.

Tasha met Rafe a few years back through Sully when they were both treasure hunting, and after that they had spoken on and off. Tasha always held deep feelings for him, but knew nothing would ever come of it. She never imagined she'd be spending time with him, let alone dancing this intimately.

"You know, I wasn't going to come tonight..." His voice was soft against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"Really?" Tasha asked.

"I could have sent one of my men. These occasions are constant."

"Then why didn't you? Why did you come here?" She asked, pulling back enough so she could look up at him.

"When Sam told me you would be here, I just couldn't resist seeing you." He admitted, glancing down at her. His usual serious demeanour always faltered around her, and he couldn't help but smile adoringly at her. "It is your birthday, after all."

"You remember that?" Tasha asked in surprise.

"Of course I do. You're a difficult one to forget, no matter how hard I try."

As the music stopped and a new song came on, Rafe let Tasha's waist go, instead opting to hold her hand in his. He pulled her through the crowd and out onto a deserted walkway, leaving the two alone as the joyous speaking of others could be heard faintly from the ballroom.

"I've never seen you dance before." Tasha mused with a small smile as she walked along the garden, her hand still held gently in his own. "You're good. I'm impressed."

"A business man such as myself needs to have certain skills." Rafe let her hand go as Tasha walked up to a balcony that overlooked the sea. The two could hear the waves crash against the shore, the cool air sending a shiver down Tasha's back, but all Rafe could focus on was her beauty. The moonlight lit her pale skin perfectly, her curled hair resting on her shoulders.

"I'm sure you're very skilled in all aspects of life, Rafe." Tasha teased as she glanced back at him, winking before turning back to the water.

"Perhaps I'll have to show you my skills." Rafe chuckled as he stepped behind her, using his hand to gently brush her hair away from her face, resting it against her mid back. "You're beautiful, you know."

Tasha blushed, averting her gaze. "I'm not, but thank you."

Rafe scoffed. "Tasha, you are the most beautiful woman in the world."

"I'm sure you've spent a lot of time with many women." Tasha replied with a shrug, slightly pulling away from his grasp.

Rafe used the opportunity to rest his hand against her mid waist where her dress was open, his warm fingers brushing against her cool skin. "Ah ah ah. You're not going anywhere, princess."

"Oh, please. If I wanted to leave I could do so quite easily." Tasha smirked at him, but leant into his embrace, trying to ignore the way her heart beat quickened as Rafe held her waist a little tighter, pressing his thumb into the skin there.

"Could you?" Rafe leant down so his lips grazed her ear. "And do you want to leave, princess?"

Tasha gulped, the feel of his warm breath against her ear and neck sent a warmth throughout her only he had ever made her feel. "N-no."

"Good girl." Rafe smiled, pressing his lips gingerly to her temple.

•••

A/N: Please comment any ideas you have for future chapters! I'm having writers block with the bits with Rafe so please help lol