Free Dirty Angel (Sainted Sinners #1) by Vivian Wood

not gonna happen right in this spot.”
    Vesper balked for another moment. Kirael rolled his eyes, pulling out his phone and sending a text.
    There was something you didn’t see every day, former angels texting .
    Then Kirael climbed onto his bike, swinging his leg over with practiced ease, and gave her a hard look. “Coming?”
    Vesper blew out a breath and brought the helmet down onto her head. It smelled distinctly male, but not in a bad way. Of course, even Kirael’s sweat would be kind of attractive .
    Then she clambered on the motorcycle behind him. The seat was sloped up at the back, which meant that Vesper immediately slid down, her whole body pressing flush against Kirael’s body.
    Damn, every single inch of him is hard as steel , she thought with a sigh. She rested her hands lightly on his shoulders.
    He started the engine and gunned it a couple of times. Vesper couldn’t lie, the rumble of the engine between her thighs was strangely seductive. Maybe it was old librarian Vesper that didn’t like bikes…
    Kirael reached up and pulled her hands down to his hips, then around to his stomach. He said something to her, probably some variation of hold on , though she couldn’t hear much through the helmet.
    Then they were off. Vesper’s arms tightened around Kirael’s waist, her eyes squeezed shut.
    Her mind bounced back and forth between fear and excitement. At first, the ride was very stop and go, since they were in French Quarter traffic. Soon, though, Kirael pulled onto Esplanade Avenue, and the ride got smoother.
    Torn between being a little scared for her safety and all too curious about Kirael’s warm, muscular body, Vesper tried to relax and enjoy the experience. All too soon, Kirael pulled the bike up in front of a particularly grand Victorian mansion, three stories and the precise blue hue of a peacock feather.
    Vesper climbed off the bike first, gladly pulling the helmet off her head. When Kirael dismounted, he stowed the helmet back in the pop-up seat of his bike, then strode toward the house.
    She started to follow, so close on his heels that she almost stumbled into him when Kirael paused, then turned back to her.
    He reached out to steady her, smirking. Just that touch, simple as it was, made her heart beat a little faster.
    I seriously need to get out more , she thought.
    “There are a few things you should know first,” he said.
    “Okay,” Vesper said, stepping back to shake off his touch.
    He arched a brow, but didn’t comment. “There are two more Fallen that have defected recently. We work together, sort of… keeping the balance between Heaven and Hell.”
    Vesper was startled. “Really? I thought it was literally impossible to defect, and that you were just an exception to the rule.”
    “Only the strongest Fallen can leave,” he said with a shrug, as if being equal in power to Lucifer was just… no big deal. “You know who Le Medcin is?”
    “Kind of. He’s like… the referee between Heaven and Hell, right?”
    “He leans toward good rather than evil, but yes. You could say that the three of us work for him.”
    Vesper couldn’t help but laugh, or hold back the words that came out of her mouth next. “Oh man. You guys are like… an angel squad?”
    Kirael scowled. “That’s certainly not what I would call it.”
    “Really? What do you call yourselves?”
    “Nothing,” he said, giving her an odd look.
    “That’s no fun,” she said with an eye roll.
    “Moving on,” he said, shaking his head. “Each of us has been given a Task, something that Le Medcin wants us to do. More than just peacekeeping.”
    “Ah,” Vesper said, something clicking together in her head. “Is yours related to this object you’re retrieving from Hell?”
    Surprise flitted across Kirael’s face.
    “It is,” he said. “But the others don’t know what my Task is, nor I theirs. It’s a very private thing.”
    “What is the Task going to accomplish?” she asked.
    “That’s not your