MEN: is it common practice to try to keep the one you really want around while you "sow your wild oats?"?

My best friend sends mixed signals almost hourly (only slightly exaggerating) and I’ve demanded an answer from him about our situation. He says he would rather keep me around for a long time and be intimate later than to “love ‘em and leave ‘em,” as he is currently so fond of doing. He’s worth the wait, but not if he’s thinking years down the road. What is he really trying to say?