In the end, hesitates and peels back earring (7)
I believe the answer is:
sleeper
'earring' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in the end hesitates and peels back' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
an anagram of 'peels' is 'sleep' which is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'er' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for sleeper that I've seen before include "Long-inactive secret agent" , "One who's out" , "One who slumbers" , "film not successful at first" , "Somnolent person or beam under railway track" .)