Reluctant to speak about beginning of something intimate (4)
I believe the answer is:
cosy
'intimate' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'reluctant to speak about beginning of something' is the wordplay.
'reluctant to speak' becomes 'coy' (coy can mean shy).
'about' is an insertion indicator.
'beginning of' says to take the initial letters.
The first letter of 'something' is 's'.
'coy' going around 's' is 'COSY'.
(Other definitions for cosy that I've seen before include "Comfortable; teapot cover" , "Warm and snug" , "Warm, secure" , "With a feeling of comfort and warmth" , "Warm and comfortable" .)