A touching sign of affection (6)
I believe the answer is:
caress
'a touching' is the definition.
(caress is a kind of touching)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for caress that I've seen before include "Stroke lightly in a loving manner" , "Gentle loving touch" , "show of affection" , "Stroke fondly" , "Tenderly stroke" .)