caress vs lay a finger on

caress

verb
  • To touch or kiss lovingly; to fondle. 

  • To affect as if with a caress. 

noun
  • An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness. 

  • A gentle stroking or rubbing. 

lay a finger on

verb
  • To merely touch. 

How often have the words caress and lay a finger on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )