Ah - thank you very much for that info, I really appreciate the warning. The story is actually paranormal with the female being a bear shifter/werebear which is why I was going in that direction for the pet name. That connotation is not really where I want to go with this one, though, so I'm grateful for the head's up.
The male character is actually a vampire - I know it sounds trite, but I honestly do work hard on character development and try to be realistic with the constructs of my world. Anyway, is anyone familiar with any terms of endearment that might have been used in older times?
Thank you!