too lazy to read the whole thread to check if this has been already explained.
That apparent "pause" is basically a change in the pitching characteristic as you transition from rotating the airplane about its main gear, to pitching it up about its longitudinal axis, that is forward. That´s all. If you´ve rotated the plane a few times already, you know that by the time you are passing by those 10 degrees, you apply about 2 inches more of aft elevator displacement, so that the 3 degrees per second are not interrupted.