Place of refuge used by the woman meeting lieutenant with hesitation (7)
I believe the answer is:
shelter
'place of refuge' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the woman meeting lieutenant with hesitation' is the wordplay.
'the woman' becomes 'she' ('she' refers to a woman).
'meeting' says to put letters next to each other.
'lieutenant' becomes 'lt' (abbreviation for lieutenant).
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'hesitation' becomes 'er' (sound made while hesitating - um, er).
'she'+'lt'+'er'='SHELTER'
'used by' is the link.
(Other definitions for shelter that I've seen before include "Place offering protection" , "Sanctuary, protection" , "Find refuge" , "Refuge or protective cover" , "Protection from bad weather or danger" .)