Page 217 of Sin Bin

Logan shook his head. “You don’t wanna go down that road.”

“What road?” Hunter drawled, deftly chopping garlic with a chef’s expertise. “I just want to learn more about her, that’s all.”

Logan narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“She seems like a complex woman. As you know, complex women fascinate me.”

Logan frowned, shaking his head. “Don’t do it, bro. I’m telling you. Just stay away from her. For your own good.”

Hunter looked even more intrigued. He didn’t just welcome challenges—he actively went looking for them. But this particular challenge could get him heartbroken at best, killed at worst.

“Look,” Logan said, “even though they’re estranged, Santino is super protective of his daughter. He doesn’t think anyone’s good enough for her—”

“I know,” Hunter said dryly. “He made that abundantly clear in Vegas.”

“Exactly. He already warned you off once. Next time he won’t be so polite. So just leave it alone, man.” Logan took another gulp of wine and set the glass down. “Anyway, I don’t wanna get caught in the middle between my best friend and the only father I’ve ever known. So just forget about the Duchess.”

Hunter met his gaze across the island counter. There was an almost predatory gleam in his eyes.

Logan looked up at the ceiling and shook his head in defeat. “You’re not gonna forget about her, are you?”

“I can’t,” Hunter said simply.

“Fuuuccck.” Logan shoved both hands through his hair and groaned. “Of all the women for you to lose your mind over, you just had to choose the Duchess.”

“She’s fucking gorgeous. And her skin is just…” Hunter trailed off helplessly. It was the first time Logan had ever seen him at a loss for words. No, scratch that. It was the second time. The first time was when he met Cynara.

“Coño.” Logan shook his head and blew out a resigned sigh. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll consider myself forewarned.” Hunter’s eyes were glittering. “Now start talking.”

“Aye aye, Captain.” Logan drained the remaining contents of his glass and poured himself more wine. “Let’s see...what can I tell you about the Duchess? As I’ve mentioned before, she’s a women’s rights advocate and a U.N. ambassador, so she’s involved in a lot of philanthropic projects—like you. She has a shit ton of friends around the world and she’s multilingual—also like you. She’s fluent in Spanish, French, Igbo and Swahili. But she rarely speaks Spanish because she doesn’t embrace her Latino side—you know, daddy issues. And because of me, she hates hockey with the heat of a thousand burning suns. So good luck with that.”

Hunter listened with impassive calm. But Logan had seen that look before. He knew Hunter was cataloguing every detail as if he were strategizing a game plan.

“You said she doesn’t embrace her Latino ancestry because she has issues with her father.”

“Major issues,” Logan said ruefully. “Her feelings are justified, but there’s a lot to unpack there.”

Hunter nodded slowly, absorbing this information as he wiped his hands on a dishcloth and picked up his wineglass. “Does she date nonblack men?”

“She does, but she prefers men of color.” Logan hesitated before adding, “She’s jaded about marriage because of her parents. But I’ve heard her say on more than one occasion that if she ever does get married, it’ll be to a black man in the diaspora.”

Hunter nodded again, staring into his glass for a long moment. “Does she have any deep-seated racial hangups?”

Logan frowned. “What do you mean?”

Hunter sipped his wine and lowered the glass to the counter. “A few years ago I dated this amazing black woman from Missouri. She was beautiful and she wore her hair in this sexy little Afro that I absolutely loved. We didn’t share many interests, but that didn’t really bother me because I’m always open to exploring new things. She was smart and educated and classy, and I admired how socially conscious she was. A woman with a strong sense of racial pride is incredibly appealing to me. But this particular woman took things to an extreme. She had a ton of anger and hostility toward white people. Wherever we went, no matter what we were doing, everything out of her mouth was ‘the white man this, the white man that.’ It was exhausting and frustrating, and it became a huge turnoff.”

“I can imagine,” Logan said with a grimace.

Hunter’s expression hardened. “You know I have no tolerance for racists. I wish they could be wiped off the face of the earth, never to exist again. They’re primarily responsible for the horrendous state of race relations in this country. Fuck every last one of them,” he growled, his Québécois accent thickening. “But here’s the thing. Just as I would never date a white supremacist, I refuse to date another woman of color who hates all white people. Relationships are challenging enough without adding racial animus and strife. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I think real love can overcome just about anything, and I know people can evolve and change their views over time. But I don’t have the patience or desire to stay in a relationship where I’m constantly being judged and blamed for the despicable actions of other white people. I won’t spend the rest of my life atoning for their sins.”

“I hear you, bro,” Logan grimly commiserated. “I was raised by a man who proudly identifies as Afro-Latino. He never shied away from discussions about racism, colorism, and the legacy of slavery in America and the Dominican Republic. He talked frankly about white privilege and explained the many advantages I would always have as a white person. He took me to protest marches and made sure I understood what people were fighting for.”

After a reflective pause, Logan went on, “But you know what else he taught me? He taught me the importance of pursuing peace and happiness. That was the word he used—pursuing. He said you have to work really hard to achieve happiness. You have to approach it the same way you train to be an elite athlete, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. His family didn’t want him to marry Cynara’s mother because she’s a dark-skinned black American. But he didn’t care what they said. He loved Roxanne and nothing was going to stop him from being with her. Even though their marriage fell apart, he still believes that differences in skin color, ethnicity or culture should never come between two people who belong together.”

There was a soft smile on Hunter’s face. “Santino is a good man, and I agree wholeheartedly with him.” Pause. “Even if he won’t let me date his daughter.”

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