Literary figures who made you drool

This is something which has me interested...

These days, teenagers everywhere are just dying for Edward Cullen to take a bite out of them. I can think of quite a few male leads who made me a bit weak at the knees. But is it just a girl thing? Do guys ever read books and fantasize about the heroines/femme fetales?

A buddy of mine said: "The problem I have is that most women in male orientated books, if designed to be bedded, are not at all real."

Interesting, eh?

So is it simply that most books which focus on getting the guy/girl are aimed at a female audience? Is it the case that when reading a book with a strong male character, women want to bed them and men want to be them?

When I read Monsoon, by Wilbur Smith, I both wanted Tom Courtney and wanted to be him! Sans genitalia. I know many authors choose male leads to broaden their audience as it is thought that the ladies are better able to empathise with male protagonists than men are able to empathise with female leads. I'm not sure if it's true, but I once heard that Harry Potter was originally meant to be female, but Rowling thought a male protagonist would attract more readers.

So. Here's my question, readers. What characters have you both wanted and wanted to be? Who did you admire and who did you want?

Comments PLEASE! I'm honestly interested.

Lx