I think it should mean "giving" and not taking. I mean I understand that relationships are about "give" and "take." And that one "gets" from such loving relationships, but the getting part is just a by-product from you giving. Does that make sense?

Love of it's own seems to me that it's all about other and not you. Rather it's about offering and service. What comes back is like an organic fall-out from being loving. You simply reap the results of being loving. That is if you are really loving and your love is unconditional. Love with a price tag or conditional love, by default, leaves you always in the state of wanting something back. Conditional love doesn't seem like love to me. Like, "I'll love you if you do "blank" for me." This seems more like a contract, which may or may not include love.