I met someone......

The first and most obvious question is: Do you have reason to think he reciprocates these feelings? Unless the answer is an unequivocal YES, then you must proceed with caution.

Because on the one hand, yes, there are many men who are comfortable having sexual encounters with those for whom they don't have romantic feelings. But on the other, you don't want to assume he's one of those people and come on too strongly, which could jeopardize a potential friendship or else make him feel very threatened.

If you don't think he already reciprocates, then my advice would be to continue spending time with him and look for signals. When someone is "feeling you," they'll often be very touchy-feeling, looking for any excuse to be making contact, whether it's to pat your arm after you make a joke or throwing a brotherly arm around you in jest. Physical touch is a very intimate thing for most people; we don't usually touch someone (or want to be touched by someone) unless that person is someone we have some sort of emotional connection with.

I'd bet that it won't take too terribly long for you to know one way or the other. Once you know he reciprocates, initiating a sexual encounter is nerve-wracking but not actually that difficult. If you've been dating this person and it looks like things are headed in a romantic direction, then there's a good chance he's as ready for sex as you are. But beyond that, you can usually give subtle hints with, again, physical contact. Maybe place a hand on his thigh while sitting on the couch watching TV. Obviously, you're not trying to cop a feel, nor do you want to be within four or five inches of his groin, but putting a hand in this general vicinity will give him a slight nod. From there, he'll either respond in a way that pushes the encounter forward like a train leaving the station, or he'll ignore the gesture, which might imply that he's not ready to take that step. Just make sure you're prepared for either eventuality, and if he doesn't seem receptive to your advances, don't take it personally.

Hopefully this helps a bit. Another piece of advice I can give is to imagine being on the receiving end. What subtle gestures might someone make to indicate interest in becoming sexual with you?