Eva Longoria Opens Up About New Romance

07/28/2005 at 01:45 PM EDT

With all those global displays of affection – in France, China and the good old U.S.A. – it must be love for Eva Longoria and Tony Parker, PEOPLE reports in its latest issue.

"What's not to like?" the 30-year-old Desperate Housewives star tells PEOPLE, adding that the fact that Parker plays basketball for the San Antonio Spurs, her home team, is a plus.

"That's nice for my family," she says. "They're excited, but it's not what you do, it's who you are."

Although Longoria had initially been reticent to discuss Parker – "I make it a point never to talk about my personal life," she said in November – she now seems more relaxed about the relationship. She'll even discuss their differences. Well, at least in their heights.

"He's 6'2", I'm 5'2", so it's not too bad," she says.

On July 15 Longoria accompanied Parker to China for an NBA charity event. The week before, they visited Paris. Now they're back in L.A., as she starts work on another Housewives season.

And while they're closer than ever, for the record, they're not engaged. "Absolutely not," says Longoria.