You're not going to like this answer, but it really depends on the man. Did the four or five meetings seem like dates? What was her body language like? Was there other furniture in the room where she decided to share a couch with you?

I'm a bit shy when it comes to romance unless I've had a lot to drink, and I usually do expect the guy to make the first move (yeah, yeah, patriarchycakes), and I can usually tell when a guy is going to make a move. I have a lot of totally platonic male friends, many of whom are older than me, and I've been shocked more than once when someone's made a pass within a relationship that I considered completely non-sexual. Again, because I'm shy, I seldom make a move unless I know the guy's attracted to me.

Sometimes an invitation to dinner is just an invitation to dinner. But asking is good. It doesn't so much demonstrate cowardice as it does respect, IMO.