Embarrassing, Callie thought as she collected the bowls. A good hostess would have checked with her guest about likes and dislikes. She’d been so busy planning the perfect dinner, it hadn’t crossed her mind that Brundar might have a problem with any of it.

At least he’d enjoyed the onion soup as evidenced by his empty bowl.

The slaw wasn’t really a big deal either. The shrimp and the slaw were stored in separate containers in the fridge, so she could just omit the shrimp. If Brundar didn’t like seafood, the smell would probably bother him. She could have them for lunch the next day.

But the slaw on its own was more of a side dish than an appetizer. Serving it as a separate course wouldn’t look right. Instead, she decided to go straight to the main course and add it to the plates.

Taking her time to arrange everything the way she’d seen chefs on television, Callie looked at her creation with satisfaction. Not perfect, but pretty damn good for a home cook who’d learned her stuff from searching recipes on the Internet and watching YouTube to see how it was done.

“Fennel and rosemary-crusted rack of lamb, with spicy-sweet pepper medley, and fennel slaw,” Callie announced as she carried the two plates to the dining room table.

“Sounds fancy.” Brundar stood up and took one of the plates off her hands. “Smells good too.”

She sat down and pulled a napkin over her knees. “Bon appetit.”

The look of bliss on Brundar’s face was worth the hours of effort Callie had put into preparing this meal.

Would he look as blissed out during sex?

Regrettably, she wasn’t going to find out anytime soon. Brundar had made it clear that the blindfold wasn’t coming off. Ever.

We’ll see about that.

After finishing almost everything on his plate, Brundar lifted his head and glanced at her. “Aren’t you eating?”

“I’m full.”

He looked at her plate. “You’ve barely touched anything.”

“I kept tasting what I was making while cooking it, and I was already quite full when we sat down to eat. The soup finished the job.”

She smiled when Brundar glanced at her plate longingly. “Would you like to finish it for me?” She hoped he wasn’t grossed out by her offer. Shawn had had no problem polishing her plate clean. But Brundar wasn’t Shawn, and thank God for that.

“Are you sure? You could save it for later.”

“I’m sure.” Callie pushed her plate toward him. “I have plenty left over.”

That settled it for him. In a matter of minutes, he cleaned her plate as well.

“Can I get you more?”

He shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “I’m more than full. Thank you. This was the best meal I ever had.”

Callie chuckled. “Thank you for the compliment, but I guess you’ve never eaten in a gourmet restaurant. Not that I ever had the pleasure, but I’m sure I can’t compare.”

“On the contrary. One of my cousins is a gourmet chef, and until today I considered his cooking the best.”

Obviously, he was exaggerating. All she did was find interesting recipes to make. That didn’t make her a chef. Those people invented the recipes.

“Thank you.” Then the other part of what he’d said registered and she lifted a brow. “Another cousin? How many cousins do you have?”

“Many.”

“It must be nice having such a big family.”

“In some ways it is. In others, it is not.”

“Like what?”

He shrugged. “It’s good to have a safety net. As annoying as my family can get, I know they will catch me if I fall. But when those busybodies, who don’t understand the concept of privacy and boundaries, meddle in my life, I’m not sure the net is worth it. It can be suffocating.”

Callie heard little of what Brundar had said after his first sentence. She was taken by the idea of having a safety net comprised of family members who cared.

It was a rarity in the modern world.

How different would life have been if she’d had that? Not that she would have asked for help. But knowing it was there and available if she needed it desperately enough would’ve made her life a lot less stressful.

Would her father have recovered sooner after losing her mom if he’d had help?

He might not have sunk into depression if he’d had a support system in place. Brothers, sisters, and cousins who would have taken turns making sure he was okay and helped him raise his daughter.

“I wish I had a large family that actually cares. You should be grateful for yours.”

“I am. Defending the clan is my job, and I regard it as both a duty and a privilege.”

“A whole clan? And what about your cousin the big shot with the butler whom you guard, isn’t he your priority?”

“That’s part of my job too. He manages the family business for all of us. My brother and I make sure no harm comes to him.”

Fascinating. It almost sounded like a mob organization. But Brundar was too honorable of a man to take part in something illegal.

“I think so too. I mean about it being a duty and a privilege.”

Brundar dipped his head. “I’m glad you see it my way.”

“I wish I could be part of your clan.” She regretted the words the moment they’d left her mouth. The meaning he could attach to them could be very different from what she meant by them. Callie felt her cheeks get hot. “I mean to be under the protective umbrella of it, I didn’t mean to say that I wish you’d marry me or anything like that.”

A sad smile tugged on Brundar’s thin lips. “Of course, not. You’re too young to be thinking of marriage. The first one robbed you of your youth. You need to attend college, get your degree, and then get a job doing what you love doing. Not to mention the partying a young woman like you should partake in. All those things need to happen before you settle down again.”

All true, except for the partying. The train had left the station on that a long time ago. What the heck did she have in common with a bunch of college kids? They might be the same age as her, but that didn’t put them on an equal footing. Life had made her older than her years.

“Speaking of college. I’ll take you up on your offer to produce a fake ID for me. I hope you’re right about the administration accommodating my situation. It’s not like I have a restraining order against Shawn I can show them as proof.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the fake papers, and I’ll make sure they don’t give you any problems over the name change.”

“Don’t tell me. You have another cousin working at UCLA.”

That got a real smile out of him. “Not as far as I know. But my government contacts can come in handy again.”

Callie shook her head. “Amazing. I still can’t believe how lucky I am to have you as a friend. Fate must’ve prompted me to go to your club that night.”

Brundar shifted in his chair. “Are we friends, Calypso?”

She winked. “With benefits.”

Brundar ignored the suggestive remark, pretending as if he didn’t know its meaning. Not his usual style, true, Brundar was quite direct. But she couldn’t believe a handsome young guy like him didn’t know what the phrase friends with benefits meant.