AceShowbiz -

It's only a few days into 2014, but Maxim has already set their eyes on Eva Longoria as their Woman of the Year. In the magazine's January/February issue due on newsstand January 17, the former "Desperate Housewives" actress is sizzling as she strikes sexy poses in various skimpy outfits and gives her best come-hither look.

"It's especially awesome after how long it's been since my first cover," the 38-year-old brunette beauty tells the magazine. "I've had a beautiful relationship with Maxim over all these years." She first appeared on Maxim's cover in 2006, and became the first and only woman to win twice on the mag's annual Hot 100 list.

Despite her bombshell image, Longoria insists she is more than just a pretty face. "One thing people are usually surprised about when they get to know me is how domestic I am. So when you see the sexy Maxim cover and then you put it against me in an apron with flour in my hair, it takes a moment to reconcile that image," she says.

The actress is indeed a true beauty with a brain. She received a master's degree at California State University in Chicano Studies in 2013, and had to reschedule her interview to allow her to finish her thesis. "I was like, 'My brain can't jump that fast from a Maxim interview to a thesis!' " the multi-talented star explains.

Longoria, now an actress, producer and restaurateur, says she has always been "the chameleon" since she was in high school. "I got along with the honors math club, then I would go to cheerleading practice, and then I was a band geek as well," she recalls.