Sophia woke slowly, her senses coming to life one at a time. The first thing she registered was warmth—a comforting, enveloping warmth that made her want to sink back into sleep. Then, the sensation of soft sheets against her skin, far softer than the ones in her apartment. Her fingers were splayed against something solid, something warm and—
Her eyes fluttered open, and she realized where her hand was resting.
Ethan’s chest.
Her heart skipped a beat as her gaze traveled down the expanse of his bare torso. His skin was smooth and tan, his muscles perfectly defined beneath her fingertips. Her hand was resting just above his abs, and without thinking, she let her fingers trace the ridges of muscle there. They were hard, every dip and curve a testament to his strength. She felt a strange flutter in her stomach, and her breath caught in her throat.
Ethan was lying on his back, his head resting against his hands, completely at ease. He was wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, and the sheets were pooled around his hips, exposing the sharp lines of his lower abdomen. Sophia’s face burned with embarrassment, but she couldn’t stop herself from marveling at how perfect he looked. She had never been this close to a man before, especially not one like Ethan—so powerful, so calm, so effortlessly dominant in every sense of the word.
As her fingers grazed his skin again, Ethan stirred. His chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and his eyes opened, locking onto hers with a playful glint.
“Like what you see, aye?” he teased, his voice deep and laced with amusement.
Sophia’s entire body went rigid, and her face flushed a deep crimson. She immediately yanked her hand away, mortified at what she had just been doing. Without thinking, she bolted upright in the bed, her heart pounding as if it might burst from her chest.
“I—I wasn’t—” she stammered, but the words wouldn’t come out right. She was too flustered, too embarrassed, and all she wanted was to disappear into the floor.
Ethan chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down her spine. “No need to run, Sophia,” he said, sitting up slowly, his movements deliberate and smooth. “I don’t bite. Well, not unless you want me to.”
Her eyes widened, and she scrambled out of the bed, nearly tripping over the sheets in her haste. She stood at the foot of the bed, her face still burning, her heart racing. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, and she couldn’t believe she had been lying there, touching him like that.
“What—what am I doing here?” she finally managed to ask, her voice shaky. “Why am I—” She glanced down at herself and realized she was still fully dressed in her clothes from the night before. Relief flooded her—at least she hadn’t done something completely reckless. But that didn’t answer the burning question: how had she ended up in Ethan’s bed?
Ethan stretched his arms above his head, his muscles flexing in a way that was both distracting and entirely inappropriate given the circumstances. He looked far too comfortable for someone who had just woken up next to a panicked woman.
“You passed out,” he explained casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. “After what happened in the park last night, you were pretty shaken up. I figured you shouldn’t be alone, so I brought you back here. You knocked out before we even made it to the door.”
Sophia’s mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of the night before. The men in the park—the fear, the adrenaline, Ethan’s arrival—and then… nothing. Her memory was hazy after Ethan had walked her home, and now here she was, in his bed. She felt like she was losing control of everything.
“You brought me here?” she repeated, her voice small.
Ethan nodded, still watching her with that calm, unbothered expression. “Yeah. You were in no shape to be by yourself. Don’t worry, you slept on top of the covers, fully clothed. I wouldn’t take advantage of you, Sophia.”
His words were meant to be reassuring, but they only made her more self-conscious. She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling exposed despite being fully dressed. This whole situation was too surreal, too intimate for her liking.
“I should go,” she blurted out, desperate to escape the tension that had settled between them.
Ethan’s expression softened, and he stood, moving with a fluid grace that was almost unsettling. He came to stand in front of her, and despite her best efforts to keep her distance, Sophia found herself rooted to the spot.
“You don’t have to rush off,” he said quietly, his eyes searching hers. “You’re safe here, Sophia.”
She swallowed hard, her heart still racing. “I—I appreciate what you did for me last night, but I really should go. I have work and—”
“Work can wait,” he interrupted gently, his gaze never leaving hers. “You’ve been through a lot. Just take a moment.”
Sophia’s resolve faltered. There was something about the way Ethan looked at her, something in his voice that made her want to trust him, to believe that she could let her guard down for just a moment. But that terrified her. She had spent so long building walls, protecting herself from the world, from getting hurt. Letting Ethan in—letting anyone in—felt like the biggest risk she could take.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, though her voice wavered.
Ethan’s eyes darkened slightly, as if he could see through her lie. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, his touch gentle yet commanding. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Sophia’s breath hitched in her throat, and for a brief moment, she was tempted to let herself lean into his touch, to let him be the one person she didn’t have to be strong around. But just as quickly, she pulled back, shaking her head.
“I—I need to go,” she said again, more firmly this time.
Ethan sighed, his hand dropping back to his side. “Alright,” he said, his tone resigned but not angry. “I won’t stop you.”
Sophia nodded quickly, stepping around him and making a beeline for the door. Her mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, and she needed to get out of there before she did something she would regret.
As she reached for the door handle, Ethan’s voice stopped her.
“Sophia.”
She paused, her hand hovering just above the handle, but she didn’t turn around.
“Last night… those men… they were drunk, but there was something else.” His voice was low, serious now. “You’re different, Sophia. There’s more to you than you know.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she turned slightly, just enough to see him standing there, his gaze intense and unreadable.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan didn’t answer right away, but the weight of his stare made her feel like he was looking into her soul. Finally, he spoke, his words sending a chill down her spine.
“You’re not just human.”
Sophia’s blood ran cold, and her fingers tightened around the door handle. She didn’t know what he meant, but the certainty in his voice scared her more than anything else.
Without another word, she yanked the door open and fled the room, her heart racing as if she were running from something far more dangerous than the darkness of the night before.
But as she hurried down the hallway and out of Ethan’s apartment, his words echoed in her mind, refusing to be ignored.
*You’re not just human.*