[ Quietly. He's had this conversation a few times before, with a few different people and it's never a question of him not believing that they can take care of themselves. Hell, they're probably much better at it than he is but it's not about that.
The slower pace allows him to continue where he'd normally stop, the intimacy of the situation calling for honesty. ]
But... even if you don't need protecting, is it really so bad that someone wants to..?