Guarded Tenderness

When I was on the staircase, she shifted lightly in my arms. Her fingers twitched against my shirt and she blinked her eyes open slowly, her lashes heavy with sleep. She looked up at me, confused and barely awake.

“What are you doing?” she said sleepily.

“Carrying you to your bedroom,” I answered quietly, adjusting my hold so her head rested properly against my chest.

“I can walk,” she murmured,