"Look, Anne." He pulled her towards him, to a more private corner of the hallway. "It's not that I don't want to. It's not that I'm not almost 100 percent certain that I've fallen so..hard for you. I'm just...being careful. I don't wanna mess this up, and the last thing I want to do is hurt you."
His thumb stroked the soft skin on her hand.
"So...we'll go slow, okay? But never, ever think that I don't want you as bad as I'm sure you already know I do."