How does a lady know when a guy likes her?

First, I should say that a guy wants the sex, even though he is willing to wait when he is a nice guy. So, he wants it no matter what. Some guys are just classier about it than others.

You'll know it's for real when he goes out of his way to make you feel special, and keeps on doing so even after you've given it to him the first time.

I think in this day and age it is pretty difficult to really know someones true intentions. However, I will say this if you want a guy to respect you and take you seriously, you need to respect yourself and let the person know that you are interested in something more than just a physical relationship. I see these girls all over some guy and next day they are surprised that he is not interested anymore. Well, what do they expect. They were too easy. I think when you have a special connection with someone you will naturally feel that and wouldn't feel like you have to act different than you usually do. You would really know deep inside. Trust your intuition! How can you tell? He will try to protect you instead of putting you in difficult situations, he will focus on what makes you happy rather than what makes him happy, and he would definitely make you feel like you are the only one that matters in the entire universe.