Sexual attraction is typically defined as a pull or allure toward a specific person in which you wish to partake in sexual activities with them. It's looking at a person and having a feeling that makes you think "I'd like to have sex with them." Romantic attraction, on the other hand, is typically defined as a similar pull or allure toward a specific person, but instead of a sexual desire, it's a romantic desire. It's when you look at someone and have a feeling that makes you think "I'd like to do romantic things with them." What those romantic things entail depends on the person. For some, it may be dates, dinners, holding hands, and cuddling. Others may include kissing with that. Others may not like anything that involves touching. Whatever activities, thoughts, and feelings you think of when you consider what is "romantic," those are what you'd think about, feel toward, and want to do with someone you are romantically attracted to.
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Sexual attraction is having feelings of a sexual nature - you would like to have a sexual relation with this person - either in real life, or in fantasy. Romantic attraction is having feelings of a romantic, but not sexual, nature. It's perhaps wanting to kiss, cuddle, but maybe even less physical things like say I love you and go on dates and do the emotional-caring part of a relationship but not necessarily with the physical parts of a relationship. Often, sexual attraction and romantic attraction happen at the same time, but not always. Sometimes people are only sexually attracted to a person, or only romantically attracted.
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Well, this is a very difficult answer. I'm sorry for the wall of text: Romantic attraction can be completely platonic in nature. There can be no trace of sexuality in it. A gay guy can feel it for a straight girl. It can be anything from spiritual, intellectual, emotional. Of course it can encompass all of them, and also be sexual. But they are not necessarily inclusive, and they are not mutually exclusive. At the same time, sexual attraction can be purely physical. It's my opinion, of course, but I don't believe they have to overlap. I believe someone can have a sexual relationship with somebody without that marring or hurting an emotional relationship they have with someone else. I don't believe it's cheating, as long as everything is talked about from the beginning and they go through the basic notions of what it's to be expected of each other. Of course, if there isn't an explicit agreement, and you hide from your SO that you're having sexual relationships, even if you consider them to be meaningless, then it'd be wrong, it'd be cheating. I believe in honesty and full disclosure. Everything else is second to that.
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