Attorney Charles Barnett thought it was all over for him and his heart. In the three years since his partner died, he hasn't felt so much as a spark of attraction to another man. That suddenly changes when Charles is assigned a new case and meets his new client.<br><br>Recent widower Philip d'Autremont has been traveling in all the same circles as Charles, but somehow they've never managed to meet. Now that they have, both men find themselves falling hard and fast.<br><br>But there's more than one hurdle to Charles and Philip beginning a love affair, much less maintaining it: Philip is on trial for murder, a politically ambitious and homophobic district attorney is determined to convict him, and Charles is responsible for Philip's defense.

Trial

When we got home—it was beginning to feel like home—we went directly upstairs to freshen up, after stopping by the laundry room to air out our gym bags and hang our Speedos over the laundry tub to dry. Charles walked into the closet and came back a moment later.


“I need to make some more room in there for your stuff.”


“It’s alright the way it is. I managed to put everything away.”


“No, it’s too crowded, and I know why. I’m going to take all of Robert’s clothes down to the laundry room. Tomorrow, they can go to Goodwill.”


Before I could say anything, he went into the closet and quickly emerged with an armload of clothes, which he spread out on the bed. He immediately went back for more, and soon a second pile joined the first, and he said, “If you see anything you can make use of, help yourself,” before he retrieved yet another load.


Chapter 46