Is it unkind to stop dating someone nice when I don't feel a romantic pull?

After our third date, he sent me a thoughtful message about a story I'd told him. I smiled at the message, then felt guilty because I wasn't excited about a fourth date.

He is kind, interesting and easy to talk to. Nothing has gone wrong. I keep wondering whether I'm expecting too much from the first few meetings, especially because I enjoy his company once we're sitting together. But when he mentions holding hands or making a plan for next month, I feel myself stepping back.

I haven't promised a relationship. I have said I've had a lovely time, which was true. Should I go once more to see whether my feelings become clearer, or tell him now that I don't want to continue romantically? I don't want to make a decent person feel that he failed an assessment he didn't know he was taking.